Ithaca College

Welcome to the May edition of our IT@IC update. We bring you highlights of efforts that we are working on related to the IT services for the campus community.

MAY 2018 CONTENTS

• Information Security Update for the Campus Community
• Updates from the Teaching and Learning with Technology team
  • Welcome new team members
  • Our joint work with TELE
  • Exploring Immersive Media and Learning
  • New faculty development series “Apps & Appetizers”
  • Summer renovations and innovations
  • The mission and focus of TLT
•  The Last Bit - Best wishes to our 43 graduating IT student employees

INFORMATION SECURITY UPDATE FOR THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
If you missed it, please see the 4/30/18 Intercom post “Information Security Update for the Campus Community” regarding changes underway that will impact how you connect to many of the college’s information systems, including email.  More information will also be available at two open information sessions on Tuesday, May 8, from 11:00 – Noon and Thursday, May 10, from Noon – 1:00, in Job Hall room 312 (no registration is required).

UPDATES FROM THE TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGY TEAM 
As another exciting and successful academic term comes to a close, Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) would like to update the community on changes and activities.  From Dr. Mark Fink, Director, Teaching and Learning with Technology.

Welcome new team members!

Many faculty members already know Dr. Ilknur Gonul, who joined TLT as Instructional Designer in January and quickly began work in providing pedagogical services with our faculty. Dr. Gonul provides services in course design and re-design, delivery and presentations, curriculum mapping, and program assessment among other services.

Dr. Jenna Linskens has also joined the TLT team as the Associate Director of Learning Technology. As Associate Director, Jenna is responsible for operational support with instructional technology integration and performance. She started leading the learning technology group in March and she and her team are preparing for Summer operational and technical upgrades.

Our joint work with TELE

Jenna and Ilknur have joined Dr. Mark Fink in participating in the Technology Enhanced Learning and Engagement (TELE) group and work closely with academic support partners in the Library and the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE). In collaboration with TELE members, TLT offers an applied workshop titled VoiceThread: Beginning to Engage. The sessions allow faculty to discover possibilities for student engagement using the asynchronous online tool with a variety of media while being integrated into Sakai. Another TELE collaboration includes Course Unbound. The Course Unbound pilot is comprised of a cross-disciplinary faculty learning community where participants engage in an active, collaborative, week-long summer program with the specific focus on exploring, creating, and incorporating rigorous and relevant content to enhance student motivation and engagement.

Exploring Immersive Media and Learning

TLT will continue work in immersive media and learning. This term, TLT team members worked with Becky Lane Consulting in reviewing the potential impact of immersive technologies on teaching and learning at Ithaca College. Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), 360-degree video, and Mixed Reality are extending learning opportunities in some programs at IC and at higher learning institutions across the globe. In continuing our exploration, TLT will be offering an on-campus event May 22nd and 24th in conjunction with the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) titled, “eXtended Reality (XR): How AR, VR, and MR Are Extending Learning Opportunities.”

New faculty development series “Apps & Appetizers”

Starting in May, TLT is introducing a new faculty development series called Apps & Appetizers. The series will allow faculty an informal opportunity to experience and discuss learning technologies, services, and innovative teaching practices. The first Apps & Appetizers is a special session geared for Summer faculty to learn more about IT resources and services available for online teaching and learning. Faculty are encouraged to drop by Job 103 on May 2nd or 3rd during the hours of 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. The session will focus on tools like ZOOM, VoiceThread, Kaltura, Sakai, and others for teaching online.

Summer renovations and innovations

Throughout Summer, TLT will continue to enhance services and upgrade learning technologies and spaces. For remote development opportunities, faculty can access on-demand video programs. The 20-minute sessions offer a wide range of topics for teaching in higher education. As part of our continuing improvement to the Innovation Corridor, IT is renovating the Friends 110 campus computer lab, making the space more modern, open, and flexible for students to work individually or in a group. Friends 102 will be renovated into a Data Visualization & Analytics classroom/lab, enabling faculty to teach and students study using advanced applications. Please contact Mark Fink if you are interested in using this lab for Fall 2018.

The mission and focus of TLT

The TLT team’s revised mission statement more closely aligns with the mission of IT and our College. The new TLT mission is “to provide and support core instructional technologies and services that enhance and nurture exceptional teaching, learning, and research experiences. Informed by sound pedagogy, we partner with faculty and students to explore innovative technologies that engage the diverse Ithaca College community.”

THE LAST BIT – BEST WISHES TO OUR 43 GRADUATING IT STUDENT EMPLOYEES
We would like to take a moment to recognize the students who have worked for us, some almost all of their college career, who are graduating. We employ almost 100 student employees in a variety of positions across all areas of IT. This year, 43 of them will be graduating. As IC graduates they take with them valuable experiences from both in and outside of the classroom – and their employment in the IT department contributes to those experiences. Our IT student employees are the front face of IT and are so valuable to our organization. On behalf of everyone in Information Technology congratulations on your graduation from Ithaca College! We wish you the best in your future endeavors!

Aaron Zufall, Ahana Dave, Alexis Kennedy (Graduate Degree), Alisha Peralta, Cathy Tran, Cheng Mei Wang, Chiara Marcario, Christina Franqui, Claire Cahoon, Courtney Heredia, Dan Ruthman (Graduate Degree), Danielle Koenig (Graduate Degree), Elaine Owen (Graduate Degree), Emily Escobar, Eric Ghaly, Eric Junker, Evan Gordon, Fatoumata Jallow, Francesca Mendez, Jackie Romeo, Jake Rachlin, Jamie Kimelstein (Graduate Degree), Jay Williamson, Jeremy Block, Joseph Fenning, Josh McCrum, Julie Hughes, Kirk Nouhan, Kylie Manderson, Lauren Reightler (Graduate Degree), Lindsay Darlow, Lindsay Rickert, Menalie Hyde, Michela Del Po, Monika Huot, Onika Richards, Renata Kazin, Ryan DeBolt, Sam Considine, Tatiana Prater, Tiffany Morrison, Tyler Sheldon, and Tyresha Pringle

As always, if you have any suggestions or comments, please send them to cio@ithaca.edu.  Thanks! -Dave Weil, Chief Information Officer, Information Technology, Ithaca College.