Academic Technology Software
The following academic technology-related products have been approved by the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) for implementation in the 2020-2021 academic year and beyond (last updated: February 2021).
Available starting in fall 2020
Available starting in spring 2021
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MacMillan Achieve
- Sapling Plus
- Overleaf (starting mid-April)
Available starting in fall 2021 (planned; contracts pending)
- MacMillan Launchpad
- PsychLearn
Currently being evaluated
- Padlet
- Symposium (targeting April 2021)
- TreeAge
Products evaluated but not implemented
- ProctorU, an online proctoring solution
- RedCap
- Tableau (site-wide licenses not available)
- Nearpods
Expand All
Brandeis now has a Gradescope license. Faculty may benefit from using Gradescope when administering and grading assessments.
What is Gradescope?
Gradescope is a remote assessment tool that enables you to seamlessly administer, collect, and grade all of your assessments. Gradescope helps you save time grading, grade more consistently, and get a clear picture of how your students are doing. It supports fully online assignments where no paper is required, paper-based assignments, assignments combining online and paper-based approaches, or programming assignments.
Features/Benefits
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Saves time on grading - can reduce the time required for grading by 30% to 50%, without requiring advance preparation. You can return graded assignments or exams to students much faster and it only takes a few clicks.
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Improves consistency and transparency - helps ensure consistency and fairness across graders, students, and sections by encouraging a horizontal workflow.
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Allows you to create more meaningful assessments - in courses with large enrollments, Gradescope removes some of the limitations that constrain pedagogical choices, so instructors are free to create more open-ended assessments.
Getting Started
If you don't yet have a Gradescope account, you can create one on the homepage. Click the Log In button (top right), select School Credentials, then select ‘Brandeis University Username’ in the list presented. Next, you will be directed to the familiar Brandeis login page to enter your username and passphrase.
Resources
Support
For additional assistance with Gradescope, please contact help@gradescope.com or library@brandeis.edu.
What is Overleaf?
Overleaf is an online LaTeX and Rich Text collaborative writing and publishing tool that makes the whole process of academic writing, editing and publishing much quicker and easier. Overleaf is designed to make the process of writing, editing and producing your research papers and project reports much quicker for both you and your collaborators.
Getting Started
If you don't have an Overleaf account, visit the Overleaf for Brandeis portal and select 'Log in through your Instittion'. Enter your Brandeis email address then you will be directed to the familiar Brandeis login page to enter your account credentials.
Getting help for students with accessibility issues
There may be occasions where users are collaborating across different LaTeX platforms due to preference or accessibility reasons. In this case, LaTeX file sharing can be facilitated through the Overleaf Git-Bridge, an Overleaf integration with GitHub.com. See the Brandeis Library guide LaTeX with Overleaf for details on how to collaborate with Overleaf or contact dataservices@brandeis.edu for more information.
Resources
Support
For additional assistance with LaTeX and Overleaf, please contact dataservices@brandeis.edu including integrations with GitHub and accessibility options for teaching with LaTeX. You can also contact support@overleaf.com with any questions.
Questions
For additional information regarding these products, please contact library@brandeis.edu.
Visit the IT Governance webpage to learn more about the Academic Technology Advisory Commitee and the process for submitting requests for academic technology-related software.