Over the summer, many projects were seen to fruition across our organization. Our Lecture Recording self-service request system was made available to faculty, the AV monitoring and remote control capability was rolled out to 55 spaces for proactive support, and classroom technology checks were completed to ensure smooth operations for the start of the fall semester. Our Technology Library team also incorporated many advancements with the creation of Canvas Courses for equipment orientations, which include equipment support videos created by our summer interns, and the official launch of the Equipment Loan Self-Service Portal. Read on to learn more about the projects completed across our organization this past summer!
Lecture Recording Self-Service Request System
LSA Technology Services staff members—Jan Stewart, David Auwers, Kevin Mulrooney, Mark Revesz, Michael Zandhuis, Noah Rucker, and Rob Feeley—partnered with the College of Engineering IT (CAEN) to implement the self-service Lecture Recording Course Site creation capability. This new service makes it faster and easier for instructors to set up recordings, while streamlining the process for our support teams.
AV Monitoring and Remote Control Capabilities
This past spring and summer, our team added AV system monitoring and remote control to 55 LSA spaces. We contracted with Innomate to deploy their Innomesh Portal, a cloud-based management platform that provides us with the ability to remotely monitor and control the AV equipment in our teaching and learning spaces. With the Portal, we can quickly identify issues and proactively address them before they disrupt learning. Additionally, through the single unified dashboard, we can view information about each classroom including floorplans, photos of the space, the room’s calendar, and lecture recordings. With remote control of the AV equipment, we can now correct many issues remotely. The Portal is also a rich source for gathering equipment data, such as usage and status. LSA Technology Services staff members Jeremy Gerrick, Randall Moore, Noah Rucker, Bradley Sharp, Karl Aldag, Lisa Ahlgren, Benjamin Firestine, and our entire Technical Assistance Group were instrumental in this project.
Classroom Technology Checks
The LSA Technology Services AV Team thoroughly checked the technology in nearly 480 instructional spaces supported by LSA Technology Services in preparation for the fall semester. The team ensured issues were identified, and escalated as needed, which set everyone up for a smooth and successful start to the term.
If you notice an issue in your classroom as the semester continues, do not hesitate to reach out by calling 734.615.0100 or emailing LSATechnologyServices@umich.edu to submit a ticket.
Canvas Courses for Loan Equipment
The LSA Technology Services - Equipment Orientations Canvas Course is now available for our Level 3 Equipment Orientations. This course contains all of the necessary safety and usage warnings previously covered during the in-person orientations, enabling users to complete the training at their convenience and reducing the duration of the in-person sessions. Upon enrollment, users will find that each Level 3 equipment model has its own dedicated module, containing relevant content and knowledge check quizzes. Many modules even include support videos created by our LSA Technology Library Interns, Junwoo Park and Joyce Na. After successfully completing the knowledge check quizzes, users will schedule their in-person orientation to perform the necessary safety demonstrations with a Technology Library Assistant. Once an orientation is completed for a specific piece of equipment, users will be authorized to check out or reserve the equipment as needed. In addition to serving our users, the course also serves as a training tool for our LSA Technology Services student staff to learn more about the advanced equipment to better serve the LSA community.
Equipment Loan Self-Service Portal
Our team also launched the Equipment Loan self-service portal. Check out the new Patron Portal, which allows students, staff, and faculty to place equipment reservations directly from their personal devices. Several LSA Technology Services staff members worked together on this project, including Jenni Patterson, Asmina Sainju, Sanam Aldag, Ashley Koebel, Katie Klosterman, Logan Long, Caroline Martin, Sabrina Kettler, Maria Laitan, and Josh Simon.
The completion of these summer projects reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting teaching, learning, and research within the college. LSA Technology Services staff are dedicated to providing innovative technology solutions and collaborating to ensure each academic year is a success. If you have questions about teaching, learning, or research or if you’d like to discuss ideas for using technology in your work, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at LSATechnologyServices@umich.edu. For immediate assistance, our team is also available at 734.615.0100.
