#YouAtUW Highlights DoIT AT’s Support for the Student Experience

Darby Hoffman from the Center for the First-Year Experience (CFYE), a partner DoIT Academic Technology collaborates with frequently, recently interviewed our team members for the post “How UW-Madison ‘[Reinvents] the First-Year Experience’” on the #YouAtUW student blog. Along with DoIT AT’s work, the post describes the numerous ways UW-Madison is already making strides in accomplishing the goals listed in the Inside Higher Ed article called “Reinventing the First Year Experience.”

As the post noted, many of DoIT AT services and programs help accomplish a key goal, which is treating students as partners in creating and sharing knowledge through techniques primarily using technology. The post included Software Training for Students for how the service teaches students the technical skills needed to complete content-generating assignments like producing digital stories as the Inside Higher Ed article recommends. Online Course Production and Blend@UW were also included as providing support for instructors in designing courses that foster active learning and deeper engagement with course content.

There are additional ways we support teaching with technology as the video below outlines. Brian McNurlen, Assistant Director of Learning Technology & Distance Education, is quoted saying that DoIT AT is “full of experts in several interconnected and diverse fields, including trainers, consultants, designers, producers and strategic thinkers. We’re here to support and assist instructors, to ensure that technology and teaching are connected in ways that make sense and get great results.”

Innovating and integrating technology into the campus technology landscape to improve the student digital experience is another major element of our work. “Our experience developing new and adapting current tools that we then effectively add to the complex ecosystem of academic systems and applications is what sets us apart,” Andy Goldstein, Assistant Director of Learning Solutions, notes.

Much of that technological innovation and integration work aligns with the fifth goal as well. For example, Ian McNamara, a software developer in the Teaching & Research Application Development (TRAD) service, developed the Brain Atlas App for a Communication Sciences & Disorders course. The interactive tool allows users to navigate through different cross-sections of the human brain – basically the virtual tour the article recommends! In addition, Ian built the app to integrate with a variety of learning management systems (LMS). The video below explains other ways DoIT AT supports a better digital experience on campus.

The #YouAtUW blog is coordinated by the Center for the First-Year Experience, who DoIT Academic Technology often partners with to improve the experiences for incoming students. In 2016, CFYE nominated MyUW-Madison Academic Application Development (MUMAA) for Campus Partner of the Year for developing the SOAR Advising Module (SAM). The Dean of Student Life honored MUMAA with the award and MUMAA continues to partner with CFYE on projects such as the Preparing for SOAR App. Launched in summer 2016 and expanded for summer 2017, the app empowers students to provide test scores, interests, transcripts and questions for advisors prior to attending SOAR.

If you would like to collaborate with our learning technology consultants, software developers, trainers or other experts, contact us via email. We look forward to hearing from you!