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Feature Friday: The Evolution of Educational Technology at JMU

Posted January 24, 2025 in Educational Technology News, Feature Friday, Featured News, Instructional Design News, JMU Libraries News, The Makery News

Andrea Adams (center) and Carolyn Schubert (left) welcome new faculty members in Rose Library

Have you noticed there used to be many ways of contacting the Libraries, depending on whether you wanted help navigating Canvas, using a projector, creating a video, or borrowing Libraries equipment? In fact, many Libraries services related to teaching and learning with technology used to be offered through JMU’s Center for Innovation and Technology (CIT) until it was further integrated into the Libraries in 2016. Although we no longer use the name “CIT,” the same services are still available through the Libraries! 

And thanks to Andrea Adams and others, we are excited to offer one streamlined pathway to get support for classroom technology, instructional design, multimedia equipment to borrow, online tools for teaching, our makerspace, and media production support for faculty. These services are all available through our Learning Innovations & Design Desk on the first floor of Rose Library—a one-stop shop for help with your educational technology needs. 

The Libraries is always evolving to meet the needs of the JMU community. Today we’d like to introduce Andrea Adams, who has shepherded many needed changes to our educational technology and instructional design offerings during her 20 years at JMU and 8 years as the Libraries Associate Dean for Learning Innovations and Design.  

Let’s get to know Andrea! 

Can you share about your career journey and how you found your way to the position of Associate Dean at JMU Libraries? 

Andrea Adams

I began my career teaching Technology Education in middle school and high school before coming to JMU in 2004, where I was the Training Coordinator for the Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) in the Libraries. My leadership role began in 2008 as Assistant Director of Faculty Development in the CIT. My role has continued to grow and expand over the past 20 years, and I have been serving as Associate Dean for 8 years. 

How has the landscape of educational technology changed over the two decades you’ve been in the field? 

Educational technologies have advanced a lot over the past 20 years, and they are now more integrated into teaching and learning. I remember sitting down with faculty when I first came to JMU to help them upload documents to Blackboard (our learning management system at the time), and understand how to use technologies effectively to support teaching and learning. Many technologies have evolved to support instructors, including digital rubrics and grading tools, interactive media content, polling tools, and classroom response systems (a.k.a. clickers) to engage students. Additionally, our media production services, equipment, and spaces have evolved to provide faculty with the opportunity to integrate professional video and audio content into their instruction. 

As the leader of the Libraries’ Learning Innovations & Design unit, could you describe the specific areas you oversee and their contributions to the JMU community? 

Learning Innovations & Design is comprised of 5 departments that strategically work together to provide expertise, equipment, spaces, and services to support teaching, learning and scholarship. The services I oversee provide the JMU community with: 

The Learning Innovations & Design unit ensures that faculty and students have the expertise, skill sets, and resources they need for their teaching and research endeavors. All these services are available at the Learning Innovations & Design Desk on the first floor of Rose Library, as well as via email, phone, and other support modes. 

What is a key initiative in your area that has significantly impacted JMU Libraries and its users? 

I’d like to highlight our instructional design initiatives and expertise. Our expert faculty and staff have led and facilitated institutes and workshops for the development of online and hybrid courses since 2001. Over the years, our expertise and offerings for faculty have continued to evolve and grow to meet teaching and learning needs at JMU, including online, hybrid, and in-person. We now have a dedicated Instructional Design department, who provide one-on-one and departmental consultations, workshops, and online resources in their partnership with faculty to develop courses, assignments, curricula, and learning initiatives. Their practices are informed by learning sciences, systems thinking, and pedagogy-driven community building. Centering equity, accessibility, and inclusion, the instructional designers support instruction, learning, and scholarly work by providing instructional design solutions to enhance and sustain learners’ success. These can range from course design consultations to curriculum development at a program level. 

Can you share a success story or example where technology integration positively transformed the learning experience for JMU students or faculty? 
 
The first example that comes to mind was a collaboration between the JMU Chemistry department and our experts in Classroom Technology Services and The Makery to create a more accessible chemistry lab for students with hearing impairments. The end result was using Raspberry Pis [computers about the size of a credit card] with computer monitors to allow deaf students working under a fume hood to communicate with interpreters via American Sign Language without turning away from what they were working on. I appreciate the creativity and expertise that the Libraries’ Learning Innovations & Design services can provide to ensure our students have the most productive and equitable learning environment possible. 

Hearing-impaired students use a computer monitor installed inside a fume hood to communicate with sign language interpreters while performing a chemistry experiment. 
Example of activity related to the collaboration between the JMU Chemistry department to create a more accessible chemistry lab for students with hearing impairments

What specific programs or services are available to faculty and departments? 

When you contact the Learning Innovations & Design Desk, you get access to a team of instructional designers, media production specialists, classroom technology engineers, educational technology specialists, and technical experts. This team can help with a wide variety of things, including course design in Canvas, integrating student response systems to encourage engagement, developing and sharing media content to introduce instructional content, designing assignments that include hand-on projects and learning opportunities in The Makery, and using cameras, microphones, or other equipment from our equipment loans service. 
 
What are the top 3 resources within your area of the Libraries that you want all students to know about? 
 
1. The Makery, our makerspace on the first floor of Rose Library, where members of the JMU community can create, tinker, craft, invent, and discover new skills. Our knowledgeable and helpful staff are available to help with academic and personal projects to foster creativity. 
 
2. Equipment Loans, a service that provides students, faculty, and staff with a range of audio/visual and computing equipment, accessories, and peripherals. All equipment is available free-of-charge for both academic and personal use and is available at the Learning Innovations & Design Desk.
 
3. Learning Innovations & Design Desk, which offers support for students using Canvas and other learning technologies. 
 
Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of JMU Libraries, especially in terms of learning innovations and design? 
 
As I look ahead, I’m excited about our unique combination of services and expertise. Libraries colleagues are eager to continue evolving their expertise to meet the educational technology and instructional design needs at JMU. At the same time, we’re working hard to ensure our services and expertise create accessible and equitable learning opportunities, while also sustaining the appropriate and ethical use of technology in the learning environment/ecosystem. 
 
On a more personal note, what aspect of your role as Associate Dean brings you the most satisfaction and fulfillment? 
 
I love the people at JMU, as well as the rewards that come from facilitating accessible and productive learning opportunities for students at JMU. From my talented colleagues in Libraries and at JMU, to our wonderful students, I’m eager to continue providing leadership for educational technology and instructional design at JMU. 
 
Outside of work, what are some of your favorite hobbies? 
 
I have a wonderful husband and two children ages 18 and 14 and a goldendoodle that just turned 2 who occupy a lot of my time outside of work. As a family we enjoy being outdoors, hiking, playing and watching soccer, and cheering on our favorite sports teams. We also have two dogs – Ripken a 2-year-old Goldendoodle and Lily a 10-year-old mini-Aussie (Australian Shepherd). 
 
What is your favorite Harrisonburg restaurant or attraction? 
 
We love visiting Vito’s on Port Road, as well as the many wonderful restaurants in downtown Harrisonburg. 

Learn More 

Visit our website for more information about our Educational Technology Services for Faculty and our Learning Innovations & Design Desk. 

This story is part of our Feature Friday Q&A series. If you know of a person or project connected with JMU Libraries that you’d like to feature, contact us at libraries@jmu.edu.