-AUC professors are concerned with the time required in learning how to incorporate new digital tools in teaching. Thus the Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT) established the STA program to assist faculty in their desire to enhance the teaching experience via integrating new technologies in faculties’ courses. Assistance is derived from specially trained students by the Academic Computing Services in the use of education enhancing digital tools.
-It is important to note that STA do not offer any pedagogical consultations regarding any of the digital tools.
What STA services are provided?
1-BlackBoard:
One-on-one training on BlackBoard tools takes place at the professor’s own office and based on the professor’s personal schedule. STA accommodates for the professor’s own interests by introducing the various BlackBoard features- such as announcements, assignments, upload material, grades- that are of interest to the professor; it is a customizable service.
2-Web 2.0 Technologies:
Web 2.0 technologies include: social networking, social publishing, social book marking, social cataloging, and wikis. Web 2.0 tools, in the teaching context, have transformed students from mere consumers of information to actual producers through their collaborative knowledge producing nature. James P. Purdy in the article titled, “When the Tenants of Composition Go Public: A Study of Writing in Wikipedia”, holds “When students become contributors to the space, they can come to see themselves as composers who create meaning through writing rather than only as novices who cowed and intimidated by the sources of experts” (W366). Purdy further adds to assert that students’ contribution to sources is vital to their learning as it is a skill which scholars aim to teach in their composition courses (W366). Moreover, students often find collaborative digital tools more exciting, thus they elicit students’ creativity.
3- Google Applications:
Google applications are beneficial for online communication and collaboration, which are necessary for professor-teacher relationships. They are online tools that include: Gmail, G-Sites, G-Documents, G-Calendar.
4- Clickers in Classrooms:
Clickers, remote response devices, can be used to enhance students’ in-class interactions. For example, they can be used by professors whilst in class to poll students’ opinions, review sessions, and quizzes.
5-Turnitin.com Support:
STA aid professors on using the web-based plagiarism detection system, thus enhance students’ adherence to AUC’s code of academic integrity.
6-Creating PowerPoint Presentations (PPT):
STA serve to train professors on the use of PPT to prepare visual, audible and textual material on slides.
7-Digitizing Documents:
STA aid professors to scan, save, and save as picture files or in Adobe PDF format both documents and printed material (Optical Character Recognition).
8-Digitizing and Editing Images:
Papers or 35mm film can be converted to electronic images using flatbed and slide scanners. Furthermore STA, according to professors’ desires, can manipulate and enhance images through textual and graphical additions.
How to receive STA services?
-STA is available at AUC’s Center for Learning and Teaching Sunday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
-STA services online form:
http://forms.aucegypt.edu/web/clt/sign-up%20sheet.html