About

The Learning Environment Needs Analysis (LENA) project is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin System Learn@UW Executive Committee (L@UWEC) and financially supported by all UW institutions through Common Systems Review Group funding. The LENA project is a continuation of a multi‐year UW System effort to: 1) understand the current and future learning technology landscape, 2) uncover the wants and needs of UW System institutions with regard to academic technologies that support teaching and learning, and 3) identify gaps that exist in supporting teaching and learning through academic technology.

The overarching purpose of the LENA project is to better equip the L@UWEC with information needed to assess campus needs regarding the support of teaching and learning. Specifically, the LENA project assessed the needs related to academic (rather than administrative) technology. The work of the LENA project is also intended to provide information to UW System Administration leadership for their planning purposes.

While there have been ongoing initiatives to help chart the way forward with regard to learning technologies, including the LMS Exploratory Task Force (2012), Faculty & Staff Survey on Online Teaching, Learning & Support Report (2014), Academic Roadmap for the Future (2014) the LENA project is the first attempt at a broad‐based, system‐wide level to identify academic technology needs in the UW System. LENA is also the first major collaborative project to involve both the UW System Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID), the longstanding UW System faculty development and assessment of student learning program, and the UW System Office of Learning and Information Technology Services (OLITS), which supports academic systems and instructional technology innovation, development, and support. While the LENA project is now complete, ongoing effort to assess the learning environment needs of the UW System institutions will continue in 2016.

Questions or comments about the LENA Report may be directed to Renee Pfeifer-Luckett (mailto:rpfeifer-luckett@uwsa.edu).

 

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