The Center for Educational Technologies (CET) is the recipient of the 2018 GoWeb Award for Transformational Learning. The CET has earned this award for their contributions to transform learning at Texas A&M University. The CET’s submitted portfolio is available at tamucet.org. Additionally, Dan Shuta, the CET’s web developer, was awarded runner-up for 2018 GoWeb Award for Innovation for his creation of StepStone, a web-based e-learning authoring tool application.
The announcements came Friday, June 8th at Texas A&M’s Annual GoWeb Retreat. GoWeb is an inclusive, collaborative community of professionals dedicated to supporting one another and elevating web communication across campus. The GoWeb Awards recognize individuals and teams that create innovative web communications supporting the university’s three pillars: impact, innovation and transformational learning.
The Center for Educational Technologies (CET) exemplifies excellence in the transformational learning taking place at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM). The CET consists of a multi-disciplinary team of 10 highly experienced faculty and multimedia production staff to produce a wide range of transformational learning experiences. The CVM recently completed its inaugural year with the new DVM curriculum. The CET partnered with the curriculum committee and faculty teaching in the DVM program to harnesses educational technologies to support the new curriculum.
The CET has championed the veterinary program to “go mobile” by creating device agnostic, platform independent and easy to use digital educational resources accessible to all. The CET developed StepStone, a content authoring software that allows educators to create a variety of learning experiences accessible from any Internet-enabled device. StepStone is a great example of leveraging educational innovations to support transformational learning. The CVM now has a scalable solution that allows them to rapidly produce e-learning materials and enhance every course in their new veterinary program.
The CET has collaborated with TAMU’s IT Accessibility and Disability Services to develop an inclusive teaching and learning culture for all. The CET has trained faculty on accessibility topics, created accessible online instructional materials for students, and consulted with other units on campus to provide transformational learning experiences for all. The CET has embedded accessibility into every aspect of their unit, from creating an inclusive culture to applying universal design teaching techniques to adding robust accessibility testing. The CET continues to lead by example in transformational learning for all by developing innovative learning experiences and sharing the CET’s experiences with others.
The CET has created active online learning communities for students and faculty who are a part of the veterinary program. This responsive platform has expanded the CVM’s culture of in-person collaborations to online collaborations. This change has enabled CVM faculty to continue conversations on teaching and learning outside of meeting rooms and share new information more effectively around teaching and learning topics. The online learning community for students provides a one-stop-shop for all things related to the DVM program and their progress within the program. Students can communicate with their peers and instructors inside and outside of class more easily than ever before. With everything DVM in one place, program decision-makers can observe interactions from afar using the platforms robust analytics reporting capabilities that combine learning analytics and data visualization.
The Center for Educational Technologies exemplifies excellence in the transformational learning through championing mobile technologies, collaborating with units across the university, and creating educational solutions for faculty and students. They incorporate the latest in educational technologies to transform education for all students at Texas A&M. These immersive educational experiences prepare faculty and students to address the world’s most formidable problems and selflessly-serve the world around them.