Ask an ID: Faculty Upskilling for Academic Technology
Dear Instructional Designer,
I’d like help updating my technical skills so I can more effectively deliver my course material to students. I’m currently using very old technology and lack experience with current digital tools, particularly in video editing and image creation. It feels like I’m using a rotary land-line in a Siri world.
Please help!
-Tech Seeker
Dear Tech Seeker,
It’s great to hear from you! Don’t worry – you’re not alone in feeling like you’re living in a tech time warp. The good news is there are plenty of tools that can help bring you up to speed without feeling too overwhelming. I recommend starting with Adobe Creative Cloud Express. It’s a free, web-based tool and a fantastic substitute for old technology. Plus, it comes with cool AI features to create your own images from text and has simple video editing tools to get you started with video creation.
Here’s how you can dive in:
- Sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud Express with your ACC credentials.
- Check out this Adobe Express Tutorial for Beginners—it’s under 5 minutes!
- Watch our Adobe Express Remote Recess session where we covered this topic in depth.
- Or just start playing around with it!
Speaking of Remote Recess, I also recommend joining our live sessions, which are held via Zoom on a regular basis and cover a wide variety of topics you might find helpful. You can check out our calendar for upcoming workshops here. In addition, we have an archive of past Remote Recess recordings to explore; I suggest checking out my session on High Impact Teaching Practices to learn more about what our department has to offer.
If you need more support, we have a Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base with guides on the various technologies available at ACC. It’s a handy resource for figuring out which tools might work best for you. I also encourage you to sign up for the TLED newsletter to stay in the loop on all the learning opportunities we offer, including Spring Development Day, Summer Software Day, campus open houses, fellowship programs for faculty, and micro-credentials which are another great way to build your tech skills!
Need some one-on-one assistance? No problem! Our Educational Technologists at the Teaching and Learning Centers (TLCs) are happy to provide support for any software we cover. You can also request a consultation with one of our Instructional Designers on using technology as it relates to syllabus creation, learning objectives, course design, and alignment. Both teams are available for in-person and Zoom consultations and we would love to partner with you in pursuit of student success!
Best,
Stephanie Bogdanich, Instructional Designer