The Academic Services Full Team - Faculty Portal
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UMA Faculty Development Center |
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| Learning Technology Development & Support Specialist |
Learning Experience Designer |
Learning Design Support Specialist |
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| Instructional Technologist |
Learning Experience Designer |
Faculty Development & Support Services, Director |
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Learning Media Support Services
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DLM Support Services Manager
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Media Services Technician
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Media Services Technician
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| Events & Media Production Specialist |
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Executive Director, UMA Academic Services
BJ Kitchin, MSW, is a dedicated and accomplished professional in the field of higher education, currently serving as the Executive Director of Academic Services at the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA). With a Master of Social Work (MSW) and a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, complemented by a minor in marketing, BJ brings a unique blend of expertise and experience to his role, embodying UMA's mission to provide accessible, high-quality, and affordable education.
His post-graduate studies have taken an interdisciplinary approach, delving into Disability Studies, Mass Communication, and Instructional Technology. This diverse educational background has enabled BJ to contribute significantly to the development of flexible learning opportunities at UMA, catering to both traditional and non-traditional students through online, on-campus, and hybrid course delivery options.
In his role as Executive Director of Academic Services, BJ provides strategic leadership and support to various departments within UMA, including the Library, Learning Experience Design, Faculty Development Center, Academic Logistics, Events and Learning Media Production, and Hyflex Classroom Technicians. His guidance and vision are instrumental in fostering a thriving academic environment aligned with UMA's mission of student success and community engagement.
BJ is a passionate advocate for educational excellence and equity, striving to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment that promotes intellectual growth, critical thinking, and effective communication. Through his commitment to empowering students, faculty, and staff to achieve their full potential, BJ plays a crucial role in preparing UMA graduates to be engaged citizens, responsible professionals, and lifelong learners, ready to contribute positively to their communities and the workforce.
Director, Faculty Development & Support Services
Andrei brings experience generating and supporting a vision for faculty professional development. His strengths are illustrated in his partnering with faculty to assess their needs and goals, in his ability to determine relevant and creative action steps to meet those goals, and with his targeted expertise in educational technologies, online pedagogical approaches and distance course delivery.
With many years of full-time classroom teaching experience at the University of Maine, Colby College and Bates College, Andrei understands needs and challenges that faculty face – and he speaks their language. He strongly believes that student engagement in any course – face-to-face, distance, or blended – is the key to success for student achievement and faculty expectations of learning outcomes.
Distributed Learning Media Support Services Manager
Bill produces live video in the ITV classroom on the UMA campus. Off-air he assists faculty and students in Blackboard. Further, Bill creates instructional and special interest vignettes with Camtasia and Adobe Premier Elements. He holds a BS degree in Business Administration-Management from UMA and serves as the local access governmental television station manager at a nearby municipality, in addition to freelancing as a video producer specializing in capturing public events and streaming live content to the web from remote locations.
Media Services Technician
Jane is a Media Services Technician CL2 in the Media Services department at UMA. She supports faculty in planning courses for broadcast to the UMA sites and centers statewide. She also aids students, faculty and staff with classroom/distance learning technologies such as Blackboard. She has a B.A. in Communication Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a certification in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Boston.
Fun fact: Jane creates ceramic art, participates in improvisational theater and enjoys cycling and kayaking.
Learning Experience Designer
As a learning experience designer, Jessica collaborates with faculty and staff to create engaging activities and compelling content for UMA students. In this role, she also partners with various UMA teams to identify aspects of each learner's experience that can be enhanced for a more robust, supportive, and successful journey. Jessica began teaching in the classroom in 2000 and moved to online teaching in 2005. Her MA in English and M.Ed. in instructional technology and school leadership add a solid framework to her experience. You may have interacted with Jessica in recent years as she's also served as an adjunct English instructor since 2011.
Outside of work, Jessica lives on a simple homestead with her husband and two sons. They nourish the plot of land to grow most of their yearly food, and they are frequently fortunate to be able to share that bounty with others. Be on the lookout for fresh veggies in the summer.
Learning Design Support Specialist
Jonathan has a passion for technology, media and end-user support & training, and brings a breath of knowledge and experience to UMA. Jonathan has been involved extensively in the Project ECHO model, which brings together multi-disciplinary faculty to move knowledge, not people. The principles of ECHO translates seamlessly to our distributed learning higher education model, in his approach to supporting and developing distance learning and course design.
As a non-traditional student himself, Jonathan understands the barriers faculty face when attempting to engage their adult learner population. He is eager to apply his knowledge and skills to serving the UMA faculty, helping them to deliver exciting and engaging education content.
Jonathan is based in Augusta. He is working with all of us on the transition to Brightspace, and will focus on designing, developing and delivering faculty support services and training.
Learning & Logistics Support Specialist
As a Learning and Logistics Support Specialist at the Student Tech Hub, Liz uses her experiences as a UMA student to help guide those who may need a little help along the way. With a background in customer service, Liz understands the importance for patience and positivity when providing students with the resources they need to succeed. When Liz is not staffing the Tech Hub, she spends her time assisting in other departments such as Academic Logistics and the Media Support Services. During her down time, she enjoys learning ways to enhance her skills in creative design and enjoying the great outdoors.
Learning & Logistics Support Specialist
Nathan first became interested in technology as a child, back in the days of dial-up internet and floppy disks. That personal interest grew into an academic interest, which then grew into a career interest. In the workplace, Nathan has a history of overseeing website maintenance and helping troubleshoot technology problems. In his free time, Nathan explores emerging technology trends such as Virtual Reality and 3D printing. Nathan looks forward to continuing to grow as a technology professional while working and studying at UMA.
Events & Learning Media Production Specialist
Rick is a 1992 graduate of the New England School of Communications. While attending, he earned the honor of being named “Sound Recording Student of the Year.” Following this, Rick honed his craft as a videographer and editor, producing commercials, documentaries, promotional and music videos. His video journalism work was acknowledged in 1997 with an Associated Press of Ohio First Place Feature award. In addition, Rick’s video work with multimedia companies along with NBC and CBS affiliates has taken him to several states, as well as to Canada and the Dominican Republic. During this time, he furthered his education in Arts and Graphic Design while attending the University of Maine at Augusta and Youngstown State University in Ohio.
Rick’s career at UMA started in 2001 as a Distance Education Technician. Currently, he is a Media Services Technician ll at the Augusta campus and works in Interactive television. He also produces videos for the University of Maine at Augusta. In addition to working at UMA, Rick owns and operates a multimedia production company, Wing Walker Media. He enjoys writing and recording music, gardening, camping and cooking vegan meals with his wife Allison.
Learning Technology Development & Support Specialist
Roman is a self-aware carbon-based unit originated on the planet Earth (Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy). Roman feels as his mission on this planet is to utilize his advanced knowledge of technology to overcome various challenges that arise within different partitions of society. Which is why he is currently holding a position at Faculty Development Center that other carbon-based units titled as “IT Specialist CL3”. To forward his experience with technology Roman has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Science with minor in Cyber Security at the University of Maine Augusta. Roman’s overseer requested to compose a self-portraying statement, however, Roman's poor comprehension of social customs makes it challenging for him to complete this task. Hopefully, the provided information about Roman will satisfy societal expectations.
Media Services Technician
Stephen Hatch works at UMA - Augusta campus as a Media Services Technician. He assists faculty in preparing and broadcasting classes to a statewide audience at the UC sites and centers, and he helps students and faculty with technical questions, Blackboard issues, and general distance education concerns. He has attended UM, USM, and has taken architecture classes through UMA. Stephen has had a background in technical fields, including stints as an iodination lab supervisor, a dialysis clinic chief technician, and has served many years as an MST at UMA.
Fun fact: Stephen also restores historic military vehicles and plays guitar in Pejepscot Station, a Bluegrass/Americana band.
Learning Experience Designer
Tina started with UMA in May 2020 as a Learning Experience Designer (LXD). In her role as LXD, Tina collaborates with the instructional services team and UMA faculty to develop well-designed, engaging learning experiences based on learning theories, universal design principles, and instructional best practice. She can assist with course development, including androgogical strategies to develop content and assessments intended to motivate and engage students. Tina is also involved with the course review process at UMA and can assist with functionality in Brightspace.
Tina has an MS in Education from The College of Saint Rose and an EdD in Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix. She has taught at the college level since 2004 and has taught online since 2005 after receiving extensive training in online instruction. Tina has taught courses for the departments of education, psychology, sociology, and communication with the emphasis of her instruction on teacher preparation at the community college through graduate level. In addition, she was the coordinator of a First Year Seminar program, which focused on supporting various aspects of student success in college (and beyond). Her experiences as an online learner, as well as an online instructor, provide a unique perspective into online education that is very beneficial to her role as LXD.
On a personal note, Tina enjoys any time spent with her husband and three adult children. She loves to be outdoors, particularly hiking or downhill skiing, and enjoys attending concerts. (You would be surprised by her favorite musical genre.) She loves to cook (not bake!) and enjoys watching football.
Reach out to Tina for support/brainstorming as you develop your course. She can work with you to create meaningful learning experiences, discuss instructional strategies and leverage Brightspace functionality for your course.
Linkedin Profile www.linkedin.com/in/tinadaigleedd