Center for Academic Technology Support

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

Goals
CATS was established with the following goals in mind:

      • To provide an attractive physical environment and also space
           dedicated to 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, and 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.

Staff and Facilities
The Learning Resources Division has appointed an instructional designer to lead the CATS 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, an information technology specialist is assigned to operate and maintain the technology infrastructure and supervise the media technicians in daily tasks associated with the utilization of the facilities and services.

In collaboration with members of the Faculty Advisory Committee for Technology Support, the center professional staff will conduct technology and media workshops for hands-on practice as well as to serve as a forum for faculty discussion and debate about the use of instructional technology at the University of the District of Columbia.

The core of the center is a classroom fully equipped with the latest electronic technology. This 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 Board interactive whiteboard. The CATS 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 faculty room with capacity for four 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, and large screen projection system., and a portable “wireless access classroom” with 17 laptops is also available.

Please note the CATS Utilization Policies.