Page 5 - 2021 OIT Progress Report

ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY SERVICE DIRECTORS:
KEY PARTNERSHIPS WITH FACULTY THROUGH SKILLFUL COLLABORATION
Academic Technology Service Directors (ATSDs) serve as the primary IT partner in each school to provide strategic solutions utilizing the vast array of OIT systems available. This dynamic team strives daily to ensure that OIT services meet the needs of each area. Over the last year, ATSDs have mobilized to do extraordinary work with their respective schools to improve experiences for the entire SMU community during a tumultuous time.
PIVOT TO ONLINE TEACHING AND SMUFLEX
Facing a global pandemic, teaching modes and methodologies had to immediately pivot into
a realm of Zoom calls and both synchronous
and asynchronous content delivery. Over the summer of 2020, Simmons ATSD Dr. Jennifer Culver collaborated with the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Provost’s Office to quickly build a comprehensive training program for faculty teaching fully online in the Fall. Three-hundred forty-four faculty members attended multiple training sessions during the summer to hone their skills on online delivery and our Canvas Learning Management System. This initiative helped foster the experience needed for a successful Fall 2020 term.
For faculty teaching on campus in the SMUFlex modality, there was significant investment in
both training and technology to provide a positive experience for both in person and remote students. Dr. Christina Churchill, ATSD for the Cox School of Business, played an integral part in this training, which eventually expanded to the campus at-large. Dr. Churchill also identified a solution to improve the audio/visual experience in the classroom.
After demonstrating and testing the DTEN display system, a proposal for additional funding was developed and approved by the University. DTENs were installed in over 50 classrooms across campus and provided a more robust SMUFlex experience during the Spring semester.
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