Academic Technology Services

Values

In providing partnership and support to faculty, students, and fellow instructional staff, we focus on the following values: Pedagogy-driven approach, Connected Learning, Innovation, and Equal Access. (Click on + to expand).

Pedagogy-driven

The faculty member’s teaching and learning objectives determine the selection and application of digital tools

• Understand the teaching objectives and teaching scenario first
• When identifying tools and exploring application methodologies, allow pedagogical goals to drive digital integration
• Avoid technology when it may create a barrier to teaching and learning objectives
• Provide multimodal faculty development support for digital pedagogy practices
• Build, showcase, and share resource materials for digital teaching and learning

Connected Learning

We work with faculty and fellow instructional staff to foster a Community of Practice

• Facilitate sessions in collaboration with faculty to demonstrate and discuss digital pedagogy practices
• Curate examples of teaching applications from the Amherst classroom
• Bring faculty together to discuss common pedagogy interests (e.g., active learning using podcasts or VR)

Innovation

We embrace exploration, experimentation, and celebrate the messiness of learning

• Build a trusting atmosphere for faculty to experiment with tools without the dichotomy of success and failure
• Use a design-thinking approach that goes through cycles of iterations
• Create opportunities for faculty to develop as reflective practitioners and share their digital teaching experiments without dichotomizing it as success or failure

Equal Access

We use technology as a bridge to reach all learners, and work to remove barriers to access.

• Awareness building about Accessible Educational Materials
• Assistive Technology support for faculty and students to ensure equal educational opportunities
• Apply the principles of Universal Design for Instruction

Range of Services

• Moodle
• Google Apps
• Digital Accessibility for Teaching & Learning
• Gradescope
• Kaltura Video Platform
• Programming and High-Performance Computing
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Mapping and GIS
• Web Publishing & Presenting Information
• Student Response Systems
• Virtual Reality

Support for Faculty Research

ATS supports faculty research in a variety of ways, such as:

• Facilitating access to high-performance computing
• Providing assistance in the use of specialized applications for visualization, analysis, and simulation
• Designing digital humanities projects
• Providing platforms for publishing digital scholarship
• Training and support for your student researchers

Modes of Engagement

We run a very comprehensive program that aims to meet faculty needs through a variety of methodologies. Faculty may request any of the following:

• Individual consultations
• In-class workshops and support
• Institution-wide workshops
• Department-specific sessions
• Special Interest Groups
• Special projects