Academic Technology
Information Technology Services, primarily through Academic Technology, supports campus teaching and scholarly activities through a broad array of support services, specialized personnel, and state-of-the-art infrastructure. In addition to advising faculty and departments in the use of new media and emerging technologies, we also manage a broad array of discipline-specific software and classroom and computer laboratory spaces for instruction and research.
We offer individual consultation, provide instruction to classes or small groups, and help develop and implement new and innovative learning tools.
Mission
Academic Technology at Wesleyan includes both a team of academic technologists and the staff of Instructional Media Services. Both teams work closely together to assist the faculty and students at Wesleyan in the use of digital technologies in their teaching and research. Moreover, we also collaborate extensively with the Libraries, the Center for Pedagogical Innovation, and Institutional Research to support faculty in introducing innovative and effective digital resources and methods into their teaching and scholarship.
If you're interested in finding out more about Academic Technology can support you, please create a support ticket in Service Now and a member of our team will contact you shortly.
Staff
The staff of Academic Technology includes both academic technologists and instructional media specialists. All are dedicated to supporting Wesleyan faculty and students. We offer individual consultations, provide instruction to classes or small groups, and help develop and implement new and innovative learning tools. Faculty who have questions about using technology in their teaching or research are encouraged to reach out to the staff member with the appropriate area of specialty, contact the Director directly, or to submit a ticket using Service Now and a member of our team will contact you shortly.
Main Contact Information
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Rachel N. Schnepper
Director of Academic Technology
x2763
rschnepper@wesleyan.edu
Read BioAs the Director of Academic Technology, Rachel brings over fifteen years of higher education experience with her to Wesleyan. Prior to working at Wesleyan, she was at Grinnell College, where as its first Associate Director for Academic Technology she founded and managed the Digital Liberal Arts Collaborative. Having taught history, women’s and gender studies, and digital humanities classes at Rutgers University, Princeton University, DePaul University, Washington and Lee University, and Grinnell, Rachel is intimately familiar with the needs of faculty and is committed to helping them integrate digital resources into their research and teaching. With a Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University and a B.A. from Vassar College, Rachel is deeply committed to the mission of a liberal arts education and its continued relevance and evolution in the twenty-first century. To learn more about Rachel, please visit her website, www.rachelschnepper.com, or follow her on Twitter @rachelschnepper where she tweets fairly regularly about digital humanities and popular culture.
Academic Technologists
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Alyssa Marinaccio
Academic Technologist
Areas of Speciality: Website support and multimedia content creation
x3442
amarinaccio@wesleyan.edu
Read BioAlyssa Marinaccio received a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Mathematics from Keene State College and a M.Ed in Online Instructional Design from Plymouth State University. Prior to Wesleyan, she worked as the Assistive Technology Coordinator in the Center for Students with Disabilities at the University of Connecticut. She brings over seven years of experience in Assistive Technology and Accessibility. In addition, she has been teaching for six years as an adjunct in a variety of Computer Science and Mathematics courses. As part of the Academic Technology team, Alyssa provides website support (Cascade, Wordpress and WesCreates) as well as support in multimedia content creation.
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Bonnie Solivan
Academic Technologist
Areas of Specialty: Moodle and Echo360
x2812
bsolivan@wesleyan.edu
Read BioBonnie Solivan has extensive knowledge in a combination of disciplines and software packages. She is an instructional designer that is experienced in the development of curriculum, assessments, student engagement strategies, and active learning activities. Bonnie has been teaching for seven years as an adjunct in a combination of programs – undergraduate programs such as Introduction & Intermediate Computers, Introduction to Software Applications, Introduction to Business, Principles of International Business, Elements of Organization Managerial Communication, Business Policy Seminar, Learn Across a Lifespan; graduate programs such as Technology for Learning, Integrating Technology and Literacy, Technology in the Classroom, and Century Citizens. Along with teaching, she has developed and delivered instructional training sessions and workshops for faculty/students/staff with the focus on professional development, instructional design, multimedia software (podcast, videos), Moodle/Blackboard, assessment tools and development, conducting research and grant writing. -
Alex Vazquez
Academic Technologist Training Specialist
Areas of Specialty: Training
x3358
avazquez@wesleyan.edu
Read BioComing from a mental health and behavioral non-profit institution, Alex Vazquez spent nine years building a rewarding foundation as a vocational counselor instructing and training at-risk youth with technology. Prior to joining the academic technology team in late 2017, Alex worked in IMS as the Instructional Media Specialist in charge of the campus classroom support. Now in his role as an academic technologist training specialist for ITS, Alex brings all his familiarity with the technology on campus and looks forward to further assisting the Wesleyan community.
Instructional Media Services
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Steve Alvarez
Instructional Media Specialist, Special Events
x3193
salvarez01@wesleyan.edu
Read BioSteve Alvarez has been a member of the Wesleyan ITS team since February of 2017. He works in the Instructional Media Services (IMS) as the Special Events Coordinator, and he manages the student employees from both IMS and the ITS Help Desk. Steve came to Wesleyan University as a seventeen year veteran of the U.S. Army (1999-2016). He’s happy to assist anyone with questions pertaining to both IMS and Special Events.
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Heric Flores-Rueda
Senior Instructional Media Specialist
x2147
hflores@wesleyan.edu
Read BioHeric Flores was born in Veracruz, Mexico. In 1980 obtained a bachelor degree in electronics from IPN (http://www.esimez.ipn.mx/Paginas/Inicio.aspx) and in 1991 a second bachelor in physics from UNAM (http://www.fciencias.unam.mx/), the main public education institutions in Mexico. He worked for Televisa from 1980 to 1989. In 1989 he started working at Guanajuato University. In 1990, he spent four months working for the high energy physics experiment E690 at Fermi lab, in Batavia, IL. From 1991 to 1992 he taught electronics, physics, and mathematics at La Salle Leon in Leon, Guanajuato. From 1992 to 1996 he was the academic secretary at the Physics Institute Guanajuato University. In 1996 he received a Masters in Physics from Guanajuato University and in 2002 a Ph. D. from Wesleyan University. From 2004 to 2009 he was a visiting scholar physics at Wesleyan University, and in 2013 he started teaching (online and on campus), physics, and mathematics at Holy Apostles College and Seminar. In 2017 he started teaching physics at Legion of Christ College of Humanities. Heric also works for ITS at Wesleyan University since 2002.
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Brent Morgan
Instructional Media Specialist, Classroom Support
x3952
bmorgan@wesleyan.edu
Read BioBrent Morgan received a B.A. in Studio Arts/English from Clark University in 1993. He then spent five years as a recording artist and performing musician with A&M Records. After the inevitable breakup of the band, he moved to Boston and spent several years working with Priceline.com before returning to his hometown of Middletown CT to work at Wesleyan. As part of the Academic Technology team Brent oversees classroom support.