As a service for faculty members, OIT recently became a member in the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), formerly NLII. The ELI focuses on advancing learning through IT innovation, serving as a source of dependable, practical information and a lively professional community for higher education.

Benefits for University of Maryland Faculty
Through this effort, EDUCAUSE hopes to assist faculty members in
the following ways:

• Help you answer important questions about learners at the University of Maryland, such as “Who are today’s and tomorrow’s learners?” and “What are their technology expectations and needs?”
• Aid you in identifying approaches that engage learners and increase their interaction, enhancing learning success.
• Support you in recognizing promising technologies and help you determine what value they may have for teaching and learning at Maryland.

Faculty Professional Development and Community
By being a part of this initiative, University of Maryland faculty members get to participate in the active EDUCAUSE community:

• Annual meetings and special-topic focus sessions provide the unmatchable synergy of face-to-face interaction.
• Web seminar series explore current issues, such as visual literacy, the adult learner, and emerging technologies.
• Online conferences allow for learning and idea exchange from the convenience of your desktop.
• Online forums abound, including blogs and wikis.

On-the-Job Resources for University of Maryland Faculty
EDUCAUSE makes it easy for Maryland faculty and instructors to get hold of a number of on-the-job resources such as the following:

• Briefings on emerging learning technologies and practices, such as PDAs (personal digital assistants), social networks, and instant messaging.
• White papers for in-depth exploration of effective practices and implementation issues.
• Case studies on innovative technology practices that improve learning.
• Tools to help you with surveying students and designing learning spaces.
• Podcasts featuring ELI events and interviews as well as one-on-one conversations with thought leaders.

The ELI community consists of faculty, academic officers, instructional technologists, librarians, and others who are interested in teaching and learning with technology in institutions of higher education. You can view more information about the program at www.educause.edu/eli and see a list of current ELI members at www.educause.edu/ELIMemberOrganizations/1624.

To gain access to the available ELI resources, you just need to create an EDUCAUSE profile for yourself. There are two options for creating an EDUCAUSE profile:

1. Go to the ELI home page and click on the Login link at the upper right hand corner of the screen. Look for the “Don’t have an EDUCAUSE profile?” bullet under the EDUCAUSE profile “key” and click on “Create one now” just below it. Then, follow the prompts to create an EDUCAUSE profile for yourself.
2. Type in the following URL to go directly to start the process of creating a profile: www.educause.edu/Login/1668?FROM_PID=603&DEST=&EMAIL=FALSE.

If you have any further questions or would like more information on ELI resources or events, you can contact Ellen Yu Borkowski, Director, Academic Support, Office of Information Technology, at eyb@umd.edu.