IGNITE in Action: Bringing Campus Voices into Academic Technology Decisions
What happens after a framework for evaluating academic technology is put into practice? This session shares UT San Antonio outcomes from implementing the Innovation Gateway, an evaluation pathway for teaching, learning, and student success tools grounded in a transparent, collaborative approach. The work is led by the IGNITE Committee (Innovation and Guidance Network for Implementing Technology in Education), a cross-functional group representing students, faculty, technology, enrollment, student success, and institutional research. IGNITE serves as the formal decision point in the Innovation Gateway workflow, reviewing evaluation scorecards and voting on whether tools should move forward to pilot. Early implementation is shifting decisions from fragmented, one-off requests to a more coordinated and visible approach. This session highlights lessons from implementation, including how cross-functional input shapes decisions; how evaluation processes evolve in practice; and what is required to move from recommendation to action. Attendees will gain practical strategies for operationalizing academic technology decision-making and building sustainable, institution-wide processes.
Presenters
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Amy Buechler-Steubing
Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Learning Innovation,
University of Texas at San Antonio
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Marcela Ramirez
Associate Vice Provost,
University of Texas at San Antonio
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Eric Silva
Digital Transformation Architect,
University of Texas at San Antonio
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Joe Tobares
Executive Director of Academic Technologies & Strategic Enterprise,
University of Texas at San Antonio
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Melissa Vito
Vice Provost of Academic Innovation,
University of Texas at San Antonio