Partners and Projects
The Creative & Academic Technology team has partnered with several departments on the ACU campus on challenge-based and creative projects. In leveraging various technologies, CAT has been able to inspire collaborative innovation to solve problems, as well as equip faculty and students with digital skills for the future.
Current Partners and Projects
Digital 3D Models in Anatomy & Physiology Lab
In partnership with Kelly Washington, college associate professor of biology, we use photogrammetry to create digital 3D models of some of the anatomy models used in the anatomy & physiology lab. Photogrammetry is a method of transforming physical resources into digital assets. Digital 3D model repositories allow students to access digital representations on or through mobile devices and computers with amazing precision. This technology provides several benefits to student interaction with learning tools at their desk in the classroom, virtually, or from their dorm room.
Adobe Faculty Fellows & Certifications
Fostering creativity, as a part of increasing digital literacy, plays a role in preparing students for success beyond school. The classroom is a great place to not only obtain information and knowledge but also engage and interact with that information in creative ways. There are several opportunities, resources, and ideas available to ACU faculty to help promote creativity and creative problem-solving in the classroom through creative digital assignments. Students can also validate their digital skills by taking one or more Adobe Certified Professional exams free of charge.
Research in Virtual Reality
Abilene Christian University offers many biblical studies courses, including those specifically related to the narrative message of the Old Testament. It is difficult for students to visualize distant locations described in the Bible, and a picture or video representation is often a flat experience. The Creative & Academic Technology team worked with Steve Hare, instructor of bible, missions, and ministry, to determine the impact of virtual reality on memory, student engagement, and learning experience. Participating students explored Moses’ Tabernacle through virtual reality. Other faculty have created assignments for students to experience Herod’s Temple.
Technology Workshops
The CAT finds itself to be in a unique location as the university it serves has a wide variety of creative software made available to faculty, staff, and students. From the Adobe Creative Cloud, Office 365, Google Workspace, and much more, there are not too many things those who are on campus could need in their creative endeavors that ACU does not provide. However, to say that everyone is on the same playing field when it comes to digital literacy would be a huge assumption. The CAT team has been able to provide hour-long sessions dealing from basic to more advanced instruction in various tools available to them.