ODL Prepares New Faculty on Academic Tech
Office of Digital Learning (ODL) team members presented recently at the Fall 2026 New Faculty Orientation, preparing instructors to use academic technology and describing the services and tools available through ODL.
Around 125 incoming faculty members heard from Associate Director of Instructional Development Mary Eichin, Assistant Director of Technology-Enhanced Classroom Support Matt Mortimer, Instructional Designer Jamie Lutz, Lead Course Design Specialist Teodora Abrams, and Technical Support Manager Irvin Butts. Among the topics covered were Canvas course setup and templates, Canvas tools and technical support, student engagement tools, and technology-enhanced classrooms.
Mortimer’s presentation on technology-enhanced classroom support generated considerable interest from the faculty participants, with several questions about in-person and classroom technology. His team maintains and supports nearly 300 centrally managed classrooms across campus and provides classroom technology training, equipment loans, proactive maintenance, and responsive support to instructors.
At left, Technology-Enhanced Classroom Support Assistant Director Matt Mortimer discusses classroom technology. At right, Associate Director Mary Eichin and Instructional Designer Jamie Lutz, who both presented to new faculty, greet visitors at the ODL table during orientation day.
“What seems to generate the most enthusiasm is the realization that [faculty] can immediately take advantage of these resources to enhance instruction without needing to become technology experts themselves,” said Mortimer.
In her presentation, Eichin spoke about student engagement tools like the Kaltura video platform and the annotation tools Annoto and Hypothesis. Several instructors have used Hypothesis at other institutions and are familiar with the tool’s effectiveness in fostering student engagement and collaboration during the learning process. Faculty also reported using tools similar to Annoto. Its integration with Kaltura sparked interest, especially with instructors who frequently post videos but face challenges engaging students.
Lutz and Abrams discussed Canvas course setup and navigation and how to use the DesignPLUS tool to help build and style visually appealing and accessible Canvas pages. Quality course design is important for both students and faculty. “When effective course design is implemented, students’ cognitive load is reduced because they can more easily navigate the course. It also reduces the load on faculty because students can be more self-sufficient,” said Lutz.
The pair also described the training opportunities facilitated by the Instructional Development team. “Introduction to Accessible Course Design” is one of the most popular workshops for fall and has historically seen the highest attendance numbers, according to Lutz. “Most people take that workshop to better understand accessibility and the requirements for the upcoming [Americans with Disabilities Act] deadline,” she said. “From there, many return for the Microsoft workshop and/or the PDF workshop, whatever best fits their needs.” Abrams added that interest was also high for the introductory and advanced DesignPLUS webinars.
Butts, who spoke about Canvas tools, Gradebook features, and Canvas technical support, emphasized the significance of personally supporting faculty with their technical needs. “It is important that the faculty can see and talk to us, knowing that we're here to help and work with them,” he said. “Our focus is on offering resources to faculty who want to work through technical issues themselves. Then, we’re here to offer support and walk them through what’s going on so we can demystify Canvas and grow their confidence.”
Eichin echoes the value of directly engaging with incoming instructors, whatever the tool or technology. “It is important for ODL to present and engage with new faculty, so they know where to get support for their academic technology.”
For more information on resources and support for faculty, visit the ODL website.
Lead Course Design Specialist Teodora Abrams (left) presents on FSU templates while Technical Support Manager Irvin Butts discusses Canvas tools and technical support.
