Center for Academic Technology

Mission
The mission of the Center Academic Technology (CAT) is to support faculty in the exploration and use of new and emerging technology to enhance teaching and learning.

Goals
CAT was established with the following goals in mind:

      • To provide an attractive physical environment for learning and collaboration;
      • To provide a dedicated space for faculty use;
      • To equip the facilities with the latest technology so that faculty
           could experiment with pedagogical methodology;
      • To staff the center with dedicated personnel to assist faculty with
           technology and pedagogical innovation;
      • To maintain the University's learning portal, Blackboard, as well
           as Flashlight, Wimba, Softchalk, and a 24-hour help desk service; and
      • To maintain a collaborative learning community as the liaison
           with the Teaching and Learning Technology (TLT) Group

The realization of these goals will allow the faculty to leverage their knowledge and creativity without the need of becoming media specialists and will enable them to incorporate cutting edge technology into the educational experience.

The Learning Resources Division has appointed Dr. Suzan Harkness to lead the CAT and be available to assist faculty with the planning, design, development, and assessment of curricular projects deploying instructional technology, either in the classroom or online. In addition, faculty information specialists and assistants are assigned to operate and maintain the technology infrastructure and the daily tasks associated with the utilization of the facilities and services.

An appointed faculty committee  for online learning acts as the liaison between the CAT and the academic departments to help develop and implement policies, guidelines, and procedures governing online teaching and collaborate in establishing robust online offerings at  the university. This committee  also advises the center’s professional staff on issues regarding faculty professional development needs and it will also serve as a forum for faculty discussion and debate about the use of instructional technology at the University of the District of Columbia.

CAT provides training and development opportunities for faculty. It will conduct technology and media workshops for hands-on practice, as well as bring experts to share experiences and best practices for teaching and learning.

The core of the center are classrooms fully equipped with the latest electronic technology. One e--classroom has the capacity for 30 computer stations connected to the teacher’s station by a local area network (LAN). The teacher station has a document camera that provides digital projection of opaque and transparent objects as well as controls for recording the activities in the classroom by audio and video formats. Images from a variety of recorded formats can be displayed on a large screen projection system. The teacher station is also equipped with a SMART interactive whiteboard. The CAT has web casting and teleconferencing capability and the availability of on-demand prerecorded materials over the Internet. This classroom is also equipped with a wireless web access point for laptops equipped with that feature. A second e-classroom is similarily equipped with fifteen computer stations and a teacher's station. The center also has a faculty room with capacity for eight computer stations is dedicated to the preparation of teaching materials, and testing modules.

Additional resources within the Learning Resources Division include two computer laboratories, a computer laboratory for the visually impaired, various carrels with a variety of audio and video playback equipment, and a 125-seat auditorium equipped with sound reinforcement, web access, large screen projection system, and a portable “wireless access classroom” with an additional 17 laptops available.

Please note the CAT Utilization Policies.