UW-IT's Teaching & Learning Systems unit provides ad hoc evaluation and assessment of digital learning tools that are designed to meet campus needs. Instructors, students, and staff are important partners in this work; feedback from users is critical to our decision-making process and helps us to inform vendors about where their products do or do not yet meet expectations.
Whether or not we recommend a technology for adoption and central support depends in part on:
Each year, we choose a limited number of technologies to pilot test and evaluate. While requirements for participation may vary, all pilot participants are asked to provide feedback on their experience, typically through focus groups or short surveys distributed by UW-IT.
We encourage interested faculty and staff to test our selected technologies and provide feedback. Because pilot agreements with vendors often mean we are limited in the number of users we can enroll, we seek participants who can make a firm commitment to:
Our goal is to create a vibrant community of early adopters who inspire one another with their teaching experiments and, where needed, inform the development of new features. We share what we learn from pilot participants with the vendor so that the technology can be improved and better meet user needs.
AI Tools for Teaching, Learning, and Research
UW-IT is pilot testing a variety of AI tools in 2025 to support students, staff, and faculty in their work. Information about opportunities to participate in these pilots will be shared through Canvas banner messages and other UW-IT communications.