skip to main content
UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Main Menu
Donate Now Directory myUTRGV

You are here:

College Initiatives Digital21

College of Sciences Office of the Dean

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet our Team
    • Organizational Chart
    • Resources
  • Faculty Success, Diversity & Inclusion
    • COS Writing-Mentoring Program
      • 2021
      • 2022
    • Faculty Excellence Awards
    • ¡Juntos al Éxito!
  • Schools & Departments
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Physics & Astronomy
    • School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences
    • School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
  • Programs and Centers
    • Agroecology
    • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (MS)
    • Center for Advanced Radio Astronomy
    • Center for Excellence in STEM Education
    • Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy
    • Center for Vector-Borne Disease
    • Coastal Studies Laboratory
    • Mathematics and Science Academy
    • USDA IFSEEN Program
    • UTeach
    • Pre-Health Professions Office
  • Students
    • Graduate Programs
    • Graduate Student Support Programs
    • Student Organizations
    • Student Resources
  • College Initiatives
    • Bridge to Research Success
    • CAREER Pathway
    • Deans Excellence Fellowship
    • Digital21
      • Digital21 Resources for Faculty and Students
    • Research Enhancement Seed Grants
    • UTRGV High Scholars Program
    • WISE
  • News & Events
    • Annual Research Conference
    • Convocation
    • COVID-19 FAQs
    • Faculty Highlights
    • HESTEC
    • Research Highlights
    • Student Highlights

Contact Us

Dean's Office
College of Sciences
Email: cos@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-2404 (Edinburg)
Phone Alt: (956) 882-6701 (Brownsville)
Fax: (956) 665-3067
Facebook Twitter Instagram

Quick Links

Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost People Search U Central Student Accessibility Services Vaqueros Report It Academic Calendar

Digital21

Making Higher Education
More Equitable

In the UTRGV College of Sciences, we understand the importance of making diversity, equity, and inclusion a core part of our Mission. This is why the College of Sciences (CoS) has embarked on a new initiative titled “Digital21”, making access to a quality higher education more equitable for students in the college.

Digital21 began in summer 2020 as a 3-year technology initiative that provides participating faculty with iPad equipment to conduct instruction. A subset of students from these participating faculty also receive iPad equipment for the semester. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, having access to an iPad and writing utensils has proven to be an effective means of instruction, learning, and collaboration for both faculty and students. Students use the iPad equipment to take lecture notes, to participate actively in recitation labs and provide written feedback. Faculty have provided just-in-time feedback to students as they meet virtually and solve problems.

Digital21-Fall 2021 and Beyond

Prior to the Digital21 project, instruction for classes that had a mix of students from various campuses resulted in some students attending class physically with the instructor while students in the opposite campus met through video conference, thus producing an inequitable environment in which to learn.

Digital21 was envisioned with the goal of providing a more equitable teaching experience and facilitating classroom collaboration for classes with a mix of students from both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses by offering virtual instruction to all. In this case the instructor and all students will meet virtually using the iPad equipment to collaborate simultaneously, participate in discussions, and solve problems. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a platform to initiate virtual instruction for all students and faculty across the university and thus to gain experience in this new modality of learning and instruction. We plan to return to our original plan in fall 2021 or as soon as possible and create a more equitable environment for all students. In this setting, selected classes that have a combination of students from both campuses with have virtual instruction and iPad equipment. Instructors will be encouraged to provide collaborative activities for students, who can then share their individual/group work with the class via the iPad equipment and the videoconference medium.

Participating classes will be upper-level courses or graduate courses with a mix of students from the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses. The Digital21 program will run for three years, beginning summer 2020 thru the end of spring 2023. Surveys and other assessment instruments will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the digital approach. Upon the successfulness of the Digital21 program, we plan to expand it to cover all courses that cannot be offered in a face-to-face modality in a single campus.

Support for Participating Faculty

Training and Professional Development workshops

Training and professional development (PD) workshops for the faculty have been on-going since summer 2020. Participating presenters have been Apple representatives thru Apple Professional Learning virtual conferences and Dr. Art Brownlow, UTRGV Faculty Fellow for Academic Innovation and 2015 Apple Distinguished Educator, along with the current Digital21 faculty who have presented talks regarding their experiences in the use of the iPad for instruction and student engagement .

Blackboard Digital21 Course

Additionally, to support participating faculty, a digital platform in Blackboard was created for faculty to share their experiences with the Digital21 program. Videos of faculty presentations on their use of the iPad in classroom instruction and student engagement were recorded for faculty use. Resources on the use of the iPad are also included.

Resources for Faculty and Students

We offer a list of resources to assist you in getting started with the iPad in learning and instruction.

Additional Information

To learn more about the Digital21 project or to obtain additional information, please contact

  • Dr. Cristina Villalobos
  • Associate Dean, Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Effectiveness
  • College of Sciences
  • cristina.villalobos@utrgv.edu
  • (956)-665-2705
Jump to Top

UTRGV

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • CARES, CRRSAA and ARP Reporting
  • Site Policies
  • Contact UTRGV
  • Required Links
  • Fraud Reporting
  • Senate Bill 18 Reporting
  • UTRGV Careers
  • Clery Act Reports
  • Web Accessibility
  • Mental Health Resources
  • Sexual Misconduct Policy
  • Reporting Sexual Misconduct