Introduction
Our Learning Technology Solutions (LTS) team fosters the purposeful application of new technologies to enhance teaching and learning. Our team works collaboratively with colleges, departments, faculty, and staff to effectively utilize digital tools and equipment to address instructional goals. The group provides consulting, design, and training for specialized educational technologies, as well as support for active learning spaces and online applications focused on teaching and learning. Our services also include course copying and development, classroom lecture capture, LTI development, learning data consulting, and analytics.
LTS centrally manages educational technologies available to all UIC instructors, teaching assistants, and students. These enterprise-level technologies allow instructors to manage, share, and develop course materials, and facilitate student learning through communication and collaboration.
Our Objective
The essential objective of academic technology is to improve the quality of education and enhance the learning process. Most importantly, technology should magnify the teaching and learning process as well as facilitate better performance of educational systems with an emphasis on effectiveness and efficiency.
Technology allows students, faculty, and staff to help each other better communicate and work together to do the following:
- Create a more engaged environment, encouraging active participation, whether in the physical or online classroom
- Incorporate different teaching methods, accommodating individual learner needs
- Improve collaboration among students, faculty, and staff
- Prepare us for the future, leveraging technological advancements and building upon current best practices
- Connect us together
- Offer immersive experiences to enrich learning paths
- Utilize gamification or progress tracking to enhance the motivation and joy of learning
- Ensure high content accessibility standards
- Personalize learning experiences and tailor content to learner needs
- Excel when intentionally blended with a live learning environment
Mission
Our mission is to be a partner for the faculty, staff, and students, fostering the purposeful application and integration of new technologies to enhance teaching, learning, and research. Our team works collaboratively to effectively utilize digital applications and new technologies to address teaching & learning, departmental, and university-wide goals.
LTS Goals for Academic Technology and Learning Innovation
- Develop and support programs to deliver instruction in a technology-enhanced medium.
- Enhance, maintain, and support UIC’s technology-enhanced teaching, learning, and research environments.
- Employ and coordinate resources to provide technology support, including technical assistance and training, for UIC colleges, departments, communities, and users.
- Empower faculty, staff, and students to use technology to meet learning objectives, institutional goals, and personal needs.
- Empower and educate/train our faculty, staff, and students with self-service tools and solutions.
- Empower faculty in redesigning teaching, learning, and research environments to include current and emerging technologies.
- Establish and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with our faculty and staff through open communication and continuous feedback.
- Strive for continuous improvement by measuring our performance against faculty, staff, and student expectations and industry standards.
- Promote inclusive and accessible technologies to provide equal access and opportunities for all learners.
- Provide high-level customer service and technical expertise.
- Respond rapidly and positively to all stakeholder inquiries.