Academic Technology for Your First Semester

 

Below are the most popular teaching and learning technologies at Penn State:

Table of Academic Technologies at Penn State

Technology	Description
Lionpath Links to an external site.	Penn State's student information system. Students use LionPATH to enroll in classes, view financial aid, pay tuition, check grades, and more.  Liopath Support for Faculty/Staff Links to an external site.
Canvas Links to an external site.	Penn State’s online learning management system. Course materials for all course modalities can be delivered here, and online courses can be conducted in this space.
Starfish Links to an external site.	Penn State's main system for advising notes, progress reports, and academic reviews.
Zoom Links to an external site.	Zoom video conferencing allows Penn State Faculty/Staff to engage in multi-person video or audio meetings/classes using software installed on individual computers without the need for dedicated video conferencing hardware. Zoom Engagement Tips for teaching and learning Links to an external site.
Kaltura Links to an external site.	Penn State’s tool for storing, publishing and streaming media.
Office 365 Links to an external site.	Empowers faculty/staff to create, collaborate, and innovate through a host of email, calendaring, and premier applications that can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, on any device. Popular Applications: Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Onedrive, Teams
Google Suite Links to an external site.	Google Workspace for Education gives faculty/staff access to tools for teaching, learning, connecting, and sharing.
Penn State Courseware Links to an external site.	This website lists courseware solutions to learning and course design ideas and issues, such as lessons, homework sessions, and quizzes or tests.   For courseware to be used in a class, it must be reviewed and authorized by the University to ensure it meets the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and accessibility requirements. *If an instructor is considering the use of a specific application, they should check Courseware to see if it is approved. If it is not approved, faculty can initiate the approval process.
Penn State Software Links to an external site.	As a Penn State student, faculty, or staff member, a variety of software is available to you for no cost or at a reduced cost.
Top Hat Links to an external site.	Top Hat allows instructors and students to communicate and collaborate, create assignments on the fly, and check for knowledge.
Adobe Creative Cloud Links to an external site.	Get everything you need to do great digital storytelling and data visualization with videos, interactive PDFs, games, web content, images, digital drawings, mobile app designs, and more. Popular applications: Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, Express

Generative AI Resources 

• AI Horizons Links to an external site. fosters and curate discussions on the impact of AI in teaching and learning, providing a platform to share resources, innovative teaching tips, and voice concerns through a Teams channel and monthly meetings. All faculty and staff are welcome to join the community. 
• The AI Hub website Links to an external site. promotes the work of people advancing the science of AI, applying AI to important problems, and thinking about the implications of AI within research. It also includes high level guidance prepared by a university working group with information related to accessibility considerations and AI tools and platforms; emphasizing the importance of levels of data in decision-making.
• The AI-Enhanced Pedagogy: Exploring Generative AI as a Collaborative Partner for Teaching and Learning Links to an external site. Provost Endorsement focuses on establishing local genAI experts in the colleges and campuses who have understandings of how genAI tools impact their disciplines and can explain their teaching philosophies to students and peers. 
• Schreyer Institute AI Resources Links to an external site. 
• The Generative Artificial Intelligence and Teaching website Links to an external site. houses faculty guides and other Penn State resources that are available to aid instructors in navigating teaching in the age of GenAI. 
• The Generative AI: ChatGPT and Beyond LibGuide Links to an external site. from University Libraries addresses the various artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that use deep learning techniques and massively large data sets to understand, summarize, generate and predict new content.

Penn State Approved Generative AI Tools 

• Microsoft Copilot Links to an external site.
• Adobe Firefly Links to an external site. 

Consultative Educational Technology Support

• TLT consultations: Links to an external site. Engage with an instructional designer to discuss or collaborate on teaching, learning, and technology topics.