Three faculty members were recognized for using emerging instruction technology in their curriculum at the 12th annual Innovative Instructional Technology Awards Program (IITAP). The award recipients received a total of $10,000 and each received an Apple iPod touch.
The ceremony, hosted by the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (DIIA) and the Office of the Provost on April 28, recognized faculty’s use of instructional technology to make teaching and learning more effective, relevant and efficient.
K. Sata Sathasivan, a research fellow in the School of Biological Sciences, and his team received the gold award for developing Quest Learning and Assessment System, an online portal that allows professors to create assignments for students and, in turn, generate grading and feedback.
The new site provides a bank of 60,000 questions that cover topics such as biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics. More than 15,000 students at the university and 30,000 high school students statewide have used the portal.
Sathasivan received a $5,000 prize and iPod touches for his team.
Tying for the silver award were Franky Ramont, senior lecturer in the Department of Linguistics, and Bjorn Sletto, assistant professor in the School of Architecture.
Ramont developed ASL Online, an interactive, Web-based tool that helps first-year American Sign Language students overcome obstacles in learning, such as left or right hand dominance and maintenance of proper facial expressions.
Sletto created the East Austin Environmental Justice Project: Facilitating Environment Justice Pedagogy with Digital Technologies, which encourages students to put a face on environmental justice by bringing the issues closer to the university.
Sletto and Ramont each received $2,500 and Apple iPod touches.
