This page is organized by types and forms of technology that are available for teaching at UMass Amherst. Each entry is accompanied by one or more web links and information about how to get support. The wiki section Pedagogy and Technology starts with pedagogical issues and teaching goals and considers how these technologies may be used for addressing particular objects.

 

Atomic Learning Blogs Computer Classrooms - OIT Course Web Sites Dreamweaver Electronic Reserves (eReserve) - Library Learning Commons Mobius Online Articles and Databases - Library OWL Personal Response System (PRS) Respondus Scholarworks Screencasts Software Discounts SPARK SPIRE Studymate Turnitin UDrive UMail UMassOnline Guidelines for adding entries to this page:

 

Atomic Learning

Atomic Learning is an extensive collection of online tutorials for software. Students, fauclty and staff can access this collection on campus and, with NetID and password, from off campus. This service is currently in a pilot phase sponsored by the provost's office and the link is hosted through the Library.

http://www.atomiclearning.com/highed (on campus)

http://silk.library.umass.edu:2048/login/atomiclearning  (off campus)

 

Blogs

A blog is a Web site that makes it easy to maintain a series of chronological "posts". A blog service is included with every OIT Account. Faculty, Staff and Students simply log into the service to create a blog. Faculty and Staff can also request additional "subsidiary" accounts and create blogs for courses, departments, or projects. 

http://blogs.umass.edu/

 

Computer Classrooms - OIT

OIT's computer classrooms are available for occasional, or semester-long, use by classes in which everyone in the class needs to use a computer. For more information about labs (including numbers of stations, operating systems and software) see http://www.oit.umass.edu/classrooms/.

 

For a report on currently available stations in computer classrooms:

http://classrooms-av.oit.umass.edu/view.php

 

Course Web Sites

Any Web-based information about a course can be referred to as a "course Web site". Course Web sites can be created in a variety of ways (as blogs, SPARK sites, or as HTML pages assembled into a Hosted Web Site). The method you choose depends on your goals and your facility with the technology. OIT Academic Computing has a Web page with information to help you to choose:

http://www.oit.umass.edu/academic/online_course_content.html

 

Dreamweaver

Software for creating and managing web pages and web sites.

Available at reduced cost though OIT and supported by them.

 

Electronic Reserves (eReserve) - Library

Scanned materials selected by faculty and available online to students in specific courses. Access is by passwords available only from instructors.

http://ereserves.library.umass.edu/

(413) 545-6875 or ereserves@library.umass.edu

 

Learning Commons

Located on the Main Floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, the Learning Commons brings together Library, OIT and other campus services in an environment that promotes collaboration. 

http://www.umass.edu/learningcommons/ 

 

Mobius

Faculty and staff can use Mobius to print or download class rosters for use in spreadsheets and grading software. Log in to Mobius with your SPIRE logon.

http://www.oit.umass.edu/mobius/

More information at http://mobius.acso.umass.edu/

 

Online Articles and Databases - Library

Find and link to online articles for use in classes.

http://www.library.umass.edu/reference/findarticles.html

 

OWL

OWL is an online tool for providing students with automated homework and assessment. A significant feature of OWL is its ability to give targeted feedback based on student responses to questions. OWL was created and is maintained locally by the Center for Educational Software Development (CESD)  

http://owl.oit.umass.edu/owl-c/register/owllogin.cgi?UserType=Student 

 

Personal Response System (PRS)

PRS is a classroom technology that can be used to collect student responses to questions posed in lecture. Students use "clickers" to respond to multiple choice or numeric questions posed by the faculty member--their responses are collected by the instructor's computer and the data is compiled on the fly. PRS is currently supported on campus through CESD and by a community of faculty users.

http://www.umass.edu/prs/

 

Respondus

Software to automate the process of creating and uploading questions and tests to Blackboard Vista (SPARK or UMassOnline) courses (as well as courses taught in other LMS systems)  (http://www.respondus.com)

Free to campus faculty (http://www.oit.umass.edu/webct/campus-vista/respondus/index.html)

Also site licensed for UMOL for courses taught through Continuing Education (see Bret Holloway) 

 

Scholarworks

A Web-based digital repository for faculty, graduate students and other members of the University of Massachusetts Amherst community to post papers, research and other "scholarly output". Scholarworks is administered by the UMass Amherst Libraries.

http://scholarworks.umass.edu/

 

Screencasts

A screencast is a  video recording of a computer screen during a session or presentation. It includes the audio of what was said as well as  everything that appeared on the screen (powerpoint presentations, videos, inking).

 

Software Discounts

OIT provides free downloads of anti-virus software and other commonly used utilities. OIT also distributes site-licensed software on campus and administers programs that help faculty and staff purchase discounted software. (e.g., MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Dreamweaver).

http://www.oit.umass.edu/software/.