The department of Learning Technologies and Scholar Learner Services has won the 2007-8 University of Akron Shared Leadership award. UA President Luis Proenza presented the award to department Director John Savery on May 2 during the annual Founders Day Luncheon at the Martin Center.

The award citation commended the unit for, “providing significant leadership in supporting student academic success, and exemplifying commitment to engaging individuals in the department with other campus units and members of the community.”

In nominating LTSLS for the award, Savery noted the unit deserved the honor primarily for its extensive efforts to aid in the selection and adoption of a new learning management system (LMS) to replace WebCT. In September 2007, UA’s Board of Trustees approved a contract with Desire2 Learn for its LMS, which UA dubbed SpringBoard!. Hundreds of courses were migrated to the new LMS for spring semester.

Savery wrote that: “This successful project was the result of working collaboratively with many individuals and groups within the UA community and would not have been possible without the dedication of the staff in Learning Technologies who invested their time, talents and energy to make it happen.”

Part of Information Technology Services (ITS), Learning Technologies and Scholar/Learner Services consists of four units – Audio Visual Services, Distance Learning, Computer-Based Assessment and Evaluation, and Design and Development Services.

Previews of the new UA website have been unveiled and the community response has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Brad Rice and Eric Kreider of the webteam.

Kreider notes that many features of the new site were based upon the feedback of campus members. (more…)

Archived articles of the ITS Newsletter:

March 2008:

Meeting Honors IT Team of the Year; Reviews Projects

iTunesU Connects Users & Content

February 2008:

New Space for UA Testing Center

December 2007:

Debbie Hill Celebrates 30 Years of UA Accomplishments

Betty Seeley Retiring After 26 Years of Service

November 2007:

LMS Application Springboard! Ready to Launch

UA Top IT Team in Northeast Ohio

UA Web Upgrade Moving Forward

ITS Division Meeting

Jim Sage, Vice President and CIO, opened the meeting by thanking ITS for its hard work over the past year. He told the group that it was named the IT Division of the Year by the Northeast Ohio Software Association (NEOSA). In recognition of that accomplishment, he presented each member of the division with a dress shirt bearing the UA logo along the inscription “IT Team of the Year”. (more…)

According to Chris Collins, Multi Media Producer, faculty and departments at UA are able to upload content that can be used to reach current and prospective students. (more…)

Schrank Hall is the new home of the Office of Computer Based Assessment & Evaluation. The testing center, formerly located in Carroll Hall, allows UA students to complete online exams by appointment six days a week.

Rose Marie Konet, Manager of Computer Based Assessment & Evaluation, explains that the decision to move the lab was based on a few important issues, aside from the scheduled demolition of the building. (more…)

Tuesday, Dec. 11 will be Debbie Hill’s last day as Manager of Enterprise Operations at the University of Akron Computer Center. Her career with the University began in 1978, and since then she has contributed to many important and successful projects of the ITS division. (more…)

UA students and faculty can look forward to a kick-off event for Springboard! in the next few days. Dr. John Savery, Director of Learning Technology and Scholar Learning Services, said the the system was in place by Monday, December 3, which marks the end of the learning management system search.

The next few weeks will involve “answering student and faculty questions, getting the word out and making announcements about training programs,” said Savery. (more…)

Information Technology Services at The University of Akron was named the IT Team of the Year for 2007 by the Northeast Ohio Software Association (NEOSA). UA is the first university to receive the honor.

The award acknowledges ITS’s commitment to student success along with a dedication to outreach activities that enhance the well being and economic development of Northeast Ohio and the state.

In selecting UA as the non-profit organization of the year, NEOSA recognized the ITS division’s strategic objectives of engaged leadership, enabling infrastructure, and seamless and secure access that empowers the university community, creates a collaborative environment, and fosters engaged outreach. (more…)