oit

Georgia Tech Named Finalist in 2025 Learning Impact Awards by 1EdTech

admin — Thu, 29 May 2025 23:14:41 +0000

Georgia Tech Named Finalist in 2025 Learning Impact Awards by 1EdTech admin Thu, 05/29/2025 - 19:14

Georgia Tech has been named a finalist in the 2025 Learning Impact Awards presented by 1EdTech, a global nonprofit committed to advancing educational technology innovation. The annual awards program recognizes outstanding, innovative uses of teaching and learning technology that address the most pressing challenges in education and lifelong learning.

Georgia Tech’s selection as one of seventeen finalists highlights the Institute’s continued leadership in leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance learning and underscores its commitment to creating real-world solutions that empower students, faculty, and educators.

The public is invited to help select an honoree – through online vote – in each of three Learning Impact Trend categories: Learning Environment Infrastructure; Teaching and Learning Innovation; and Educational Insight, Attainment, and Planning. Georgia Tech’s Digital Credential Journey: An Evolution from Internal to External Learner Badge Use, is a finalist in the latter category.

"It is an honor to be named a finalist in the Learning Impact Awards," said Ronnie Godshalk, associate dean of Learning Systems for the College of Lifetime Learning. "The College, in partnership with the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and early adopters across Georgia Tech, remains committed to validating learning outcomes and supporting learners throughout their educational and professional journeys. Digital credentialing is a key strategy in this effort."

“Georgia Tech's recognition as a finalist in the awards reflects the hard work and creativity of its faculty, staff, and students who are dedicated to shaping the future of learning,” said Warren Goetzel, director of Academic Technology and Engagement for OIT and director of External and Faculty Engagement for the Center for 21st Century Universities. “It is also a reflection of our successful office partnerships that continually work to transform education through innovation."

Voting for the Impact Learning Awards is open at 1edtech.org/li/awards/2025 and will close on Wednesday, June 4, at noon (EDT). Winners will be announced June 5 at the 2025 Learning Impact Conference in Indianapolis.

Update – June 6, 2025: Georgia Tech received an 'Honorable Mention' for its Learning Impact Awards project submission.

Summary sentence

The public is invited to help select an honoree in each of three awards categories by online vote. The Institute is up for top honors in Educational Insight, Attainment, and Planning.

Summary

Georgia Tech has been named a finalist in the 2025 Learning Impact Awards in the Educational Insight, Attainment, and Planning category.

Dateline

Thu, 05/29/2025 - 12:00

courtney.hill@gatech.edu

Keywords

oitfeature

1EdTech

college of lifetime learning

C21U

oit

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Institute and Campus

Mercury ID

682599

Source updated

Thu, 05/29/2025 - 19:14

Georgia Tech Hosts 2025 High Education Data World Conference

admin — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 14:25:51 +0000

Georgia Tech Hosts 2025 High Education Data World Conference admin Wed, 04/23/2025 - 10:25

The 2025 Higher Education Data World (HEDW) Conference was hosted at Georgia Tech April 6 – 9, bringing together more than 300 higher education professionals dedicated to the sharing of knowledge management and best practices across colleges and universities from across the globe. Staff members from the Office of Information Technology Enterprise Applications and Data Integrations (EADI) team led efforts to organize and execute the conference.

The conference’s theme centered on data strategy, analytics, and innovation. More than 40 Georgia Tech staff members participated in the event, including the demonstration of 15 presentations that covered data modeling, AI, Workday, and integration strategies.

EADI Director of Data Services, Nick Chaviano, and Associate Director of Data Services, Andre Goodman, led the initiative to bring the conference to Georgia Tech. “Bringing this year’s HEDW Conference to Georgia Tech was no small feat,” said Chaviano, who served as 2025 conference chair. "It required a year of planning, coordination, and dedication. The end-result was an engaging experience that highlighted the Institute’s commitment to data-informed decision making and its investment in enterprise-level data services.”

“Eight to nine years ago, we went to HEDW with the goals of becoming a best-in-class higher education institution for data and the desire to host one of its annual conferences,” added Katie Crawford, EADI executive director for Enterprise Services. "I’m proud to say we accomplished both.”

Established in 2003, the HEDW is a network of professionals dedicated to promoting the sharing of knowledge and best practices regarding knowledge management across colleges and universities, including building data warehouses, developing institutional reporting strategies, and providing decision support. The organization boasts more than 2,000 members representing institutions from around the world.

To learn more about the Higher Education Data World, visit hedw.org.

Subtitle

Enterprise Applications and Data Integrations team instrumental to this year's conference

Summary sentence

The conference brought together more than 300 higher education professionals dedicated to the sharing of knowledge management and best practices across colleges and universities from across the globe.

Summary

Dateline

Tue, 04/22/2025 - 12:00

lolliff3@gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

oitfeature

HEDW

EADI

oit

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Computer Science/Information Technology and Security

Mercury ID

681974

Source updated

Wed, 04/23/2025 - 10:24

Howell Named Interim Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

admin — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 01:34:50 +0000

Howell Named Interim Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer admin Mon, 12/18/2023 - 20:34

Leo Howell, chief information security officer at Georgia Tech, has been named interim vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer for the Institute. This announcement comes on the heels of Daren Hubbard’s departure to Princeton University. Howell will begin on Jan. 1, 2024.

Leo Howell has played a crucial role in guiding initiatives across the campus community aimed at crafting thorough solutions for addressing cybersecurity risks at Georgia Tech. I am confident in his capacity to guide the team through this period of transition,” said Shantay N. Bolton, executive vice president for Administration and Finance and chief business officer.

Howell joined Georgia Tech in October 2021, reporting to Hubbard as the chief information security officer. In this role, he leads the development and implementation of an Institute-wide information security and risk management program. As a member of the senior leadership team in OIT, he is responsible for creating and maintaining a cybersecurity program and leading the cybersecurity team, which manages the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Institute information assets and cybersecurity-related compliance.

“It is a privilege to step into this role for OIT as part of the leadership transitional plan,” said Howell. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to further support the Institute’s instructional, research, and service missions.”

The search for the next vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer is in progress. The national executive search firm WittKieffer will assist Georgia Tech in the search. More information will be shared when it is available.

Summary sentence

Leo Howell, chief information security officer at Georgia Tech, has been named interim vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer.

Summary

Leo Howell, chief information security officer at Georgia Tech, has been named interim vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer.

Dateline

Mon, 12/18/2023 - 12:00

Associated importer

Keywords

oit

Leo Howell

News room topics

Campus and Community

Mercury ID

671635

Source updated

Mon, 12/18/2023 - 20:34

Warren Goetzel Appointed Center for 21st Century Universities Director of Faculty and External Engagement

admin — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 18:43:21 +0000

Warren Goetzel Appointed Center for 21st Century Universities Director of Faculty and External Engagement admin Fri, 12/08/2023 - 13:43

Warren Goetzel, Ph.D., Office of Information Technology (OIT) director of Academic Technology and Engagement, has been appointed director of Faculty and External Engagement with the Georgia Tech Division of Lifetime Learning’s Center for 21st Century Universities – or C21U – effective Dec. 1, 2023. Goetzel will remain in his position with OIT in tandem with the C21U courtesy appointment by Stephen Harmon, Ph.D., executive director of C21U, associate dean for the Division of Lifetime Learning, and professor with the Georgia Tech College of Design.

As director of Faculty and External Engagement with C21U, Goetzel will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies to engage and collaborate with faculty across Georgia Tech on C21U initiatives; building and maintaining relationships with internal and external partners – including OIT and the Division of Lifetime Learning – as well as other professional organizations, universities, corporations, and foundations; assisting in the systemic exploration, development, adoption, and assessment of new and innovative educational methodologies and curricular models and furthering the Institute’s efforts in lifelong learning initiatives for both traditional and nontraditional learners; and representing C21U to external audiences.

Goetzel has over 20 years of experience in higher education technology. Most recently, he accepted an invitation to join the 1EdTech Higher Education Executive Council, a distinguished member-based non-profit community partnership that brings together leading educational providers and government organizations. For the past two years, Goetzel has also co-chaired the Affordable Degrees-at-Scale Symposium, a preeminent event for higher education leaders to engage in intensive conversations on the strategies, trends, and challenges associated with scaled degree programs.

In November, Goetzel was also an inaugural recipient of the Advocates for Accessibility Awards by the Office of Equity and Compliance Programs, awarded to campus individuals, departments, and programs who have actively worked to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in the Georgia Tech community.

Summary sentence

Summary

Warren Goetzel, Office of Information Technology director of Academic Technology and Engagement, has been appointed director of Faculty and External Engagement with the Georgia Tech Division of Lifetime Learning’s Center for 21st Century Universities – or C21U – effective Dec. 1, 2023. Goetzel will remain in his position with OIT in tandem with the courtesy appointment to C21U.

Dateline

Fri, 12/01/2023 - 12:00

courtney.hill@gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

oit

oit feature

C21U

lifetime learning

News room topics

Campus and Community

Mercury ID

671488

Source updated

Fri, 12/08/2023 - 11:05

BlueJeans to Sunset at Georgia Tech May 30 [UPDATE - Sunset Date Extended to June 14]

bwaye3 — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 13:30:31 +0000

BlueJeans to Sunset at Georgia Tech May 30 [UPDATE - Sunset Date Extended to June 14] bwaye3 Thu, 04/21/2022 - 09:30

Updated May 27, 2022

The sunset date planned for Georgia Tech's use of the BlueJeans videoconferencing platform has been extended to June 14. Any recordings that are still present in BlueJeans after the new June 14 deadline will be permanently deleted. In order to provide additional support and training, the Office of Information Technology will offer office hours:

· Wednesday, June 1, from 10 a.m - 2 p.m.

· Thursday, June 2, from 1 - 4 p.m.

· Tuesday, June 7, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

· Thursday, June 9, from 1 - 4 p.m.

· Monday, June 13, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Original story:

Georgia Tech will sunset the BlueJeans videoconferencing solution on Monday, May 30. Campus users are encouraged to migrate stored recordings before then.

The BlueJeans decommission is a culmination of a review by the Video Collaboration Review (VCR) Committee. The group was established to evaluate new videoconferencing solutions for academic course delivery and collaboration against existing services. Driven by Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE) and the Office of Information Technology (OIT), the committee brought in student, faculty, and staff voices from across the Institute to identify video collaboration service offerings. Ultimately, plans to sunset BlueJeans and WebEx (except for the Georgia Tech Research Institute*) were formalized.

The VCR Committee also announced a soft launch of the Zoom video collaboration platform.

“Not only did Zoom, to a large extent, meet our committee’s criteria, but it is also one of the most widely used video collaboration tools,” Yakut Gazi, Ph.D., associate dean for Learning Systems at GTPE, said earlier this year. “Many of our students, faculty, and staff have participated in Zoom meetings during and even before the pandemic, which we anticipate will facilitate adoption at Georgia Tech.” Since the soft launch, the platform has facilitated over 2,700 meetings and webinars by Tech users.

In preparation for the transition from BlueJeans, students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to migrate stored lecture, meeting, and event recordings to Kaltura MediaSpace via the BlueJeans Video Exporter tool. The exporter will move a maximum of five videos simultaneously, with each video typically taking a few minutes to upload. Archived videos can take up to five hours, depending on the video’s length.

OIT has published an 11-step illustrated knowledge article to guide campus users during the recording transfer process. Campus users who need further assistance can also submit a help request via the Services and Support site at gatech.service-now.com/home.

In addition to Zoom, Georgia Tech will continue to offer and support Microsoft Teams, which offers videoconferencing, secure file storage, chat, meeting, calling, and file-sharing capabilities.

OIT will work with the Georgia Tech community throughout the rest of the spring semester to prepare for the transition from BlueJeans. Upcoming communications will share additional information.

The BlueJeans Video Exporter tool can be accessed at mover.bluejeans.gatech.edu.

*The Georgia Tech Research Institute will continue to use its version of WebEx (gtri.webex.com).

Subtitle

Students, Faculty, and Staff Should Migrate Recordings Using Video Exporter Tool

Summary sentence

Georgia Tech will sunset the BlueJeans videoconferencing solution on June 14.

Summary

Updated May 27, 2022: The Bluejeans sunset date has been extended to Tuesday, June 14. Any recordings that are still present in BlueJeans after the new June 14 deadline will be permanently deleted. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to migrate stored lecture, meeting, and event recordings to Kaltura MediaSpace via the BlueJeans Video Exporter tool.

Dateline

Wed, 04/20/2022 - 12:00

Contact

Courtney Hill
courtney.hill@gatech.edu

Location

Atlanta, GA

Associated importer

Keywords

bluejeans

oit

GTPE

video conferencing

video collaboration

News room topics

Science and Technology

Categories

Institute and Campus

Mercury ID

657471

Source updated

Wed, 04/20/2022 - 17:02

New Sargent in Town at Administrative Services Center

bwaye3 — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 13:31:11 +0000

New Sargent in Town at Administrative Services Center bwaye3 Mon, 03/28/2022 - 09:31

Richard Sargent, former senior manager of Office of Information Technology (OIT) Infrastructure Operations at Georgia Tech, has been tapped as senior director of IT Support Services with the Administrative Services Center (ASC). He will begin his new role on April 4.

Sargent, an accomplished information technology professional with over a decade of successful experience leading adaptive and technical change, led several initiatives during his time with OIT including the launch of the Major Incident process which increased awareness, communication, and accountability across the Institute.

Specializing in leveraging technology to improve business outcomes, Sargent looks forward to creating frameworks that increase ASC customer satisfaction.

Sargent holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Security Assurance from Kennesaw State University and is a Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business MBA candidate.

Summary sentence

Richard Sargent, former senior manager of Office of Information Technology Infrastructure Operations, has been tapped as senior director of IT Support Services with the Administrative Services Center.

Summary

Dateline

Fri, 03/25/2022 - 12:00

adminx@gatech.edu

Location

Atlanta, GA

Associated importer

Keywords

oit

information technology

ASC

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Institute and Campus

Computer Science/Information Technology and Security

Core research areas

People and Technology

Mercury ID

656673

Source updated

Fri, 03/25/2022 - 16:39

Meet Renjith Narendranathan Nair, project manager in OIT

bwaye3 — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 14:54:10 +0000

Meet Renjith Narendranathan Nair, project manager in OIT bwaye3 Tue, 02/15/2022 - 09:54

Renjith Narendranathan Nair is a project manager in the Office of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Information Technology. His job sounds straightforward, but there’s more beneath the surface.

“I have a complicated role,” said Renjith. “A normal project manager is one who plans, tracks, and monitors to make sure that projects go smoothly and reach the goal within budget. But Georgia Tech is always special. It presents a lot of challenges, not just to me but to my colleagues because we have to wear multiple hats.”

At times his role ranges from gathering the requirements for a project to serving as the bridge between the technical teams and functional offices, such as the Registrar’s Office or other campus clients. He sometimes acts as a “unifier” to get the disparate teams to work together, which is both challenging and rewarding.

“We also need to maintain business relationships and work with multiple stakeholders outside of Georgia Tech,” he said. “We have to bring all of that together to ensure the project is a success.”

One of Renjith’s current projects is collaborating with the Registrar’s Office to switch the web access system (OSCAR) from Banner 8 to Banner 9, starting with student registration. The software maintains student, faculty, course, financial aid, and personnel data.

“This is an important and exciting project because it’s something the students have wanted for about five years,” he said. “Transitioning the current registration system to Banner 9 will provide students with a more modern interface with more features and a more responsive design. They will be able to use it on their tablets or other mobile devices.” The new system is scheduled to go live in March.

During the pandemic Renjith has been working remotely most of the time and coming to the office as needed. He misses being able to connect with his colleagues on a personal level.

“I miss walking to someone’s desk and having a two-minute chat to catch up,” he said, acknowledging that most video meetings don’t allow much time for personal conversation. “I don’t want the environment to have too much of a strictly business state of mind. As a project manager you need to have a good working relationship, professional but also personal at times. Understanding what the other person is going through is critical.”

Away From Work

In 2016 Renjith moved to Atlanta from Minneapolis. Georgia’s relatively mild winter season was a warm reprieve for the native of Kerala, India.

“It is probably at minus 20 degrees in Minneapolis right now,” he said. “So, coming here was a big change.”

He settled in the Johns Creek community near Alpharetta with his wife and their three children — a daughter in third grade, a son in eighth grade, and a son who’s a junior in high school. When he isn’t busy with family activities, he enjoys reading and playing video games.

“When I was driving one hour or more from Johns Creek to campus, I listened to audio books. Now I am picking up real books again,” Renjith said. He is reading Isaac Asimov’s robot series, and during the pandemic he renewed his love of video games.

“I’ve always played video games. Call of Duty: Warzone is one that I’ve picked up recently,” he said. “I’m still pretty bad at it but playing video games brought me closer to some of my friends in Australia and India.” He and his friends around the globe find a common time they can play and reconnect.

“Playing with someone you know is a different experience. You’re just enjoying the game and you don’t worry about whether you’re good or bad at it.”

Summary sentence

One of his current projects is collaborating with the Registrar’s Office to switch the web access system (OSCAR) from Banner 8 to Banner 9, starting with student registration.

Dateline

Fri, 02/11/2022 - 12:00

victor.rogers@comm.gatech.edu

Contact

Victor Rogers

Institute Communications

Location

Atlanta, GA

Associated importer

Keywords

oit

Banner

Renjith

nair

registrar's office

student registration

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Institute and Campus

Mercury ID

655399

Source updated

Tue, 02/15/2022 - 08:58

Georgia Tech Announces Zoom Soft Launch

bwaye3 — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 22:10:24 +0000

Georgia Tech Announces Zoom Soft Launch bwaye3 Mon, 02/14/2022 - 17:10

Georgia Tech will begin a soft launch of the Zoom video collaboration platform beginning Monday, Feb. 7. The announcement comes after an almost yearlong effort to evaluate and introduce a new videoconferencing solution for academic course delivery and collaboration.

With the Institute’s existing agreement with BlueJeans set to expire at the end of the spring semester — and the sunset of the WebEx platform in December 2021* — the Video Collaboration Review (VCR) team formed in early 2021 to explore new video collaboration platforms that meet the academic and operational needs of students, faculty, and staff. The committee, comprised of members from each division and College, along with students and technology representatives, identified requirements and evaluated possible solutions on their ability to:

Enable secure, reliable, and flexible course delivery and student learning.
Support virtual classrooms and meetings of multiple sizes.
Facilitate effective collaboration and communication across the Institute.

“It was critically important to us that we start our selection process with an examination of our needs from a collaboration, teaching, and learning perspective,” said Daren Hubbard, Georgia Tech vice president of Information Technology and chief information officer. “The committee spent a great deal of time articulating these criteria so that we could, as objectively as possible, evaluate a number of options and eventually recommend a solution for Georgia Tech.”

“Not only did Zoom, to a large extent, meet our committee’s criteria, but it is also one of the most widely used video collaboration tools,” said Yakut Gazi, Ph.D., associate dean for Learning Systems at Georgia Tech Professional Education. “Many of our students, faculty, and staff have participated in Zoom meetings during and even before the pandemic, which we anticipate will facilitate adoption at Georgia Tech.”

The VCR team had planned to launch a two-month pilot of Zoom at Georgia Tech last October.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we regrettably had to delay, then ultimately cancel our planned October pilot,” Gazi said. “Thanks to collaborative work between the Office of Information Technology (OIT), Procurement and Business Services, and the Office of the General Counsel, we were able to come to an agreement with Zoom in December, setting us up for our soft launch in February with our campus partners.”

Canvas has been integrated with Zoom and will enable convenient access for faculty and students in blended and online learning courses. During the first phase of the Zoom soft launch, the platform will only be available to Georgia Tech users who host meetings from inside the U.S. Zoom recordings will be automatically migrated to the user’s Kaltura MediaSpace account.

“Over the course of the next few months, our teams will work to tighten the integration of Zoom with the classroom technology systems, as well as with the Kaltura MediaSpace video storage and delivery system, to further enhance the interoperability of our academic technology ecosystem,” Gazi said. “We will also be working with Tech entities and Zoom to expand the platform’s usage to all Georgia Tech learners, independent of their global location.”

Gazi also applauded the extensive due diligence process that guided the committee’s decision to bring the platform to Georgia Tech.

“I am thankful for the resilience and persistence of the committee members who guided this process for many months. I am excited to introduce this much needed platform to our community and welcome input as we continue to improve our technology tools and services.”

OIT will work with the Georgia Tech community through the spring to prepare for the transition from BlueJeans. Upcoming communications will share resources for securely migrating stored lecture and meeting recordings and additional information.

The campus community is invited to join an upcoming ‘Ask Me Anything’ informational Zoom session:

Georgia Tech users can log into Zoom at gatech.zoom.us.

More Zoom information and resources will be made available to the Georgia Tech community in the coming months.

*The Georgia Tech Research Institute will continue to use its version of WebEx (gtri.webex.com).

Summary sentence

Georgia Tech will begin a soft launch of the Zoom video collaboration platform beginning Monday, Feb. 7, for students, faculty, and staff.

Summary

Georgia Tech will begin a soft launch of the Zoom video collaboration platform beginning Monday, Feb. 7, for students, faculty, and staff. During the first phase of the launch, meetings must be hosted from within the U.S.

Dateline

Mon, 02/07/2022 - 12:00

oit@gatech.edu

Sidebar

A few notes about accessing Zoom at Georgia Tech:

Students, faculty, and staff can access Zoom at gatech.zoom.us. Sign in with your Georgia Tech login ID and password.
During this first phase, Zoom meetings must be hosted from inside the U.S. (Meeting participants can join from anywhere in the world.)
Zoom will integrate with Canvas to enable course delivery. Please refer to Using Zoom in Canvas for direction.
BlueJeans will be available through the spring semester but will sunset at Georgia Tech in May. Those already using BlueJeans or Teams for video collaboration, course instruction, and advising are highly encouraged to continue using these platforms through the end of the spring semester.
Zoom recordings will be automatically migrated to Kaltura MediaSpace. (They will be automatically deleted from Zoom seven business days after their creation.)
Faculty and course instructors who would like to use Zoom for classroom instruction hosted inside the U.S. may visit avservices.oit.gatech.edu to request a classroom training opportunity.
Zoom provides 24/7 user support at support.zoom.us. You may also submit a help request at services.gatech.edu.
Browse Zoom knowledge articles by searching the Service Now website or via the ‘Zoom’ search provided on the site here. Additional articles and information will be added, as developed.

Location

Atlanta, GA

Associated importer

Keywords

collaboration

zoom

videoconference

mobile platforms

oit

GTPE

News room topics

Campus and Community

Science and Technology

Categories

Institute and Campus

Mercury ID

655223

Source updated

Mon, 02/07/2022 - 09:58

oit

Georgia Tech Named Finalist in 2025 Learning Impact Awards by 1EdTech

Related links

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

Georgia Tech Hosts 2025 High Education Data World Conference

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

Howell Named Interim Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Keywords

News room topics

Warren Goetzel Appointed Center for 21st Century Universities Director of Faculty and External Engagement

Keywords

News room topics

BlueJeans to Sunset at Georgia Tech May 30 [UPDATE - Sunset Date Extended to June 14]

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

New Sargent in Town at Administrative Services Center

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

Core research areas

Meet Renjith Narendranathan Nair, project manager in OIT

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

Georgia Tech Announces Zoom Soft Launch

Keywords

News room topics

Categories