The Fusion of Teaching and Technology

The Educational Technology Center is now open for business in LC 27. (Photo by Michael Parker)

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 12, 2017) -- Information Technology Services is launching new services aimed at improving teaching and research at UAlbany.

On Monday, October 16, the freshly renovated Educational Technology Center (ETC) will host President Havidán Rodríguez for a ‘grand opening’ at 2:45 p.m. outside of LC 27.

The Center is designed to serve as a focal point for faculty to fuse teaching with technology through an array of services, including learning management systems, video capture, classroom technology support, educational technology consulting, and test scanning. Whether teaching fully online, blended, or in the traditional classroom, ETC will provide faculty at UAlbany with the resources needed to support and assist teaching excellence and innovation.

In addition to ETC, UAlbany is also opening the Academic and Research Computing Center (ARCC) to serve as a nexus for academic and research innovation.

“The creation of ARCC and the ETC represent a fundamental shift in the ways ITS supports teaching, learning and research at UAlbany,” said Simeon Ananou, Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Information Technology Services.

Moving beyond running the backend of systems and servers, Information Technology Services is directing its resources to increase support for intellectual curiosity to promote innovation.  The two centers reinforce the University’s ability to work directly with faculty and researchers to bring technology, pedagogy and innovation into classrooms and laboratories.

“This realignment of ITS resources has a tremendous impact on the teaching and research environment across all disciplines, especially as we reposition High Performance Computing resources to meet the needs of broader institutional audiences,” said Ananou.

"ETC is open for business.  Whether you are teaching online or in the traditional classroom setting, the staff at the ETC will help you zero in on how educational technologies can best align your pedagogy with student learning outcomes,” said Chris Moore, director of the Educational Technology Center. “From VoiceThread to video recording to Blackboard assistance, the ETC is a place for the faculty to engage in educational transformation."

“Providing faculty with opportunities to better understand how new technologies can enhance teaching and learning is a critical. The new Educational Technology Center will serve as a nexus to support faculty in integrating these tools into instruction.” said Peter Shea, associate provost for online learning and an associate professor of Educational Theory and Practice in the School of Education.

The Educational Technology Center isn’t the only new service available to support learning this semester with the launch of the Academic and Research Computing Center. Formerly the Research IT Group at UAlbany, ARCC will continue to provide high performance computing, holistic data management and consulting services for the research community. The Center is also gearing up to provide new capabilities for faculty, including statistical support, data analytics, research and academic visualization, advanced academic and research application support, tools, and specialized environments.

“Since our inception, the Academic & Research Computing Center has supported researchers across the lifecycle of their projects with a wide range of technical service,” said ARCC Director Brian Macherone. “Our new goal is to extend these resources to the classroom. This will enable faculty to incorporate their research into their teaching, which will provide students with hands-on learning opportunities.”

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