The Academic Software Evaluation and Strategy (ASES) committee creates sustainable, effective, and transparent processes that enable the purchase and support of educational software that meets Middlebury’s standards for security, privacy, and accessibility.
This multidisciplinary group of staff and faculty brings strategic, technological, and learning-centered expertise to enable a comprehensive evaluation of academic software.
The ASES software evaluation process is a requirement for any new centrally-funded/centrally-supported software and is part of Middlebury’s efforts towards making clear, equitable, and inclusive decisions around academic software.
How Can We Help You?
Even before COVID-19, there was an ever-increasing number of vendors vying for their share of the $70+ billion educational technology market. As the environment continues to grow in complexity and scope, ASES provides the domain expertise needed to keep you and your students safe while leveraging the power of new technologies to meet your instructional needs.
We provide the following:
- Experienced software analysis
- Protection for your and your students
- Technical and pedagogical support
- Financial support
- Sustainable and integrated solutions
We aspire to make academic technology decisions responsive to immediate contexts and needs, while also ensuring long-term sustainability of academic technology infrastructures and managing our resources and costs.
Existing Software
Middlebury has an extensive network of software options that have already been purchased and evaluated. We offer faculty consultations around learning goals and recommend solutions that take advantage of existing software that leverages workflows that are already integrated with core Middlebury systems. Using common tools across courses helps students by reducing complexity and the number of technology companies accessing, using, sharing, and profiting from their data. Reducing complexity allows students to focus on their learning rather than taking on the additional overhead of new tools/environments across multiple courses.
New Software Requests
Any new software requests seeking funding or centralized support should go through the software evaluation process. Additional details about the software evaluation process are available here. Contact DLINQ if you would like guidance.
All submissions will be evaluated for security, privacy, and accessibility by domain experts.
All software requests are submitted through Middlebury’s budget process and approval of new software requests is dependent on approval through that budgetary process.