Tech2U Program
The Tech2U program, which emerged as a Transforming Instructional Landscape project, has completed its pilot phase with resounding success. Recent recipients of the inaugural prestigious Innovative Team of the Year award, as part of the Division of the Vice President and Provost Staff & Team Recognition Program, the Tech2U Classroom Support team has demonstrated remarkable dedication, an exemplary service-oriented mindset, and put in extraordinary efforts across the board.
Congratulations to the countless LSM team members involved including Steven Bailey, Ian Campbell, Steven Eliopoulos, Amy Forsey, Reme Jennings, Nickolas Joy, Albert Jung, Anna Menezes, Swati Naidu, James Nightingale, Devyn Nugent, Matthew Ramolo, Kyle Roberts, Alex Rouse, Jon Santiago, Marc Therrien, Rounak Tulshan, David Yan, and Victor Yeung for achieving this milestone accomplishment! The team also wishes to extend thanks to Julia Alworth and the Innovation Hub team for helping us to ensure the service we provided was one that humanized our approach from the very beginning. We also want to thank Steve Cox for all his support in the implementation of the Opencast Content Capture System (OCCS) which had made lecture capture a mainstay throughout the St. George campus.
Among the program’s many noteworthy services, an innovative initiative piloted this past year was the Assisted Media Service (AMS), which brings high production video capture into the classroom space. While OCCS on its own captures microphone input and course materials projected into the classroom, AMS combines these feeds with an in-room camera operator and an editing service to create a dynamic and polished recorded product. This service has helped create engaging and equitable learning environments by offering instructors opportunities to enhance their teaching methods for students attending concurrent online course sections or requiring remote accommodations. Learning Space Management collaborated with Accessibility Services to establish inclusive classroom environments that adhere to learner-centred principles.
Key program highlights include:
Back row: Swati Naidu, Aws Dek Albab, Alex Rouse, Reme Jennings, Nicholas Joy, Matthew Ramolo, Jon Santiago
Front Row: Steven Bailey, Anna Menezes, Steven Eliopoulos, Rounak Tulshan, Ian Campbell, Amy Forsey, James Nightingale, Victor Yeung, Albert Jung
Not Pictured: Devyn Nugent, David Yan, and Kyle Roberts.
Photo Credit: Victor Yeung
Recently, the team participated in this year’s CTRL + Shift EdTech Workshop, which saw over 250 attendees, capitalizing on opportunities to promote the program’s presence on campus. Team members were involved in delivering various presentations at the conference:
- Leveraging Technology to create Accessible Learning Environments
- The Opencast Content System (OCCS) What is it again?
- On-line Learning from the Classroom
They were also involved in the Tech2U Open House that showcased Tech2U’s innovative technology available to classroom spaces. Over 30+ participants were able to see the equipment in use, visiting interactive workstations, and connecting with Tech2U’s technical experts to explore how Tech2U can empower them to enhance their classroom experience. All in all, we are incredibly proud of the work that has been done and the team is excited about everything the future holds.