Pilots that drive innovation in teaching and learning
Our instructional technology pilot process is designed to find the best tools to meet the needs of our instructors. These focused pilots gather feedback and data that allow us to make informed decisions about adoption.
Get Involved
We would love to hear about instructional technologies that interest you. If you are using a tool in your course that could be useful for others, please consider requesting a pilot. To suggest a technology for evaluation, please complete the Pilot Request Form. The deadline to complete this form for consideration for the next cycle is March 31st.
Pilot Process
Request
The Lead Representative, or primary point of contact, submits a pilot request, which is then processed by UCATT’s Technology and Innovation Team.
Approval
The requested learning tool is presented to the iCourse Student Advisory Board (SAB) and elicits feedback on its potential to support online students at UArizona.
Integration
If the decision is made to move forward, we negotiate a trial subscription and work with various UArizona offices to integrate the piloted tool into the learning environment.
Pilot
Pilot participants are guided to integrate the tool into their daily practices. Pilot data is collected and analyzed to determine the usefulness of the tool.
Decision
Pilot data is presented to the SAB members, who will vote on broader adoption. The final decision is made by the AVP of Digital Learning Initiatives and Online Education.
Technology Pilot Consultation
If you would like to meet with an instructional technologist to discuss your pilot needs or previously piloted technology, please contact Samantha Maxwell to schedule a consultation.
2023-2024 Pilots
FeedbackFruits is designed to promote interactive and constructive peer review among students. Whether you use this tool for peer reviews, group member evaluations, interactive documents, or online quizzes, FeedbackFruits provides streamlined activities to enhance feedback, learner-content interaction, and classroom participation.
Join us this Fall, as we focus on their feedback and peer review tools to promote student engagement and interaction. If you would like to test out FeedbackFruits in your own course this semester, you can request that it be turned on in your D2L shell(s) or reach out to Samantha Maxwell directly at samkm@arizona.edu.
Cerego uses principles from neuro- and cognitive science to build adaptive learning objects for students. Cerego uses distributed practice as the basis of user memory retention; once the content is built, it does the work for you. This pilot is a collaborative effort between UCATT and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
2022-2023 Pilots
OpenClass is focused on student mastery of content and skills through review assignments. This tool is built upon the idea of spaced repetition in that learners continue to take the review activity until they earn the desired mastery level indicated by the instructor for that particular assignment. OpenClass also allows for quiz types of assignments to be created on their platform that allow students to retake quizzes until the learners hit a mastery level.
2021-2022 Pilots
Pressbooks is software that facilitates the creation of open educational resources. Users are able to create textbooks and course materials, remix the creations of other users, and add interactive elements like videos and quizzes. This pilot is a collaborative effort between Digital Learning and the University Libraries.
GoReact is an interactive, cloud-based platform for feedback, grading, and critiquing student video assignments. It allows instructors to give time-stamped feedback on student videos, grade student video submissions using rubrics, and view reports on student progress. This pilot is a collaborative effort between Digital Learning and the College of Education.
Perusall is a tool that encourages social reading, collaborative annotation, and discussion within a class reading. Perusall is integrated within D2L, offers machine grading based on student engagement, and a robust set of analytical tools. Our pilot is focused on applications of social annotation in various disciplines, best practices, and student perceptions.