March is Women’s History Month and ITS is celebrating by highlighting Carolina women in technology. All month long, ITS News will share profiles and Q&As to share the breadth and diversity of the Tar Heel women-in-IT experience. For the full list of profiles and to read some ways to get involved, visit Celebrating Women’s History Month with Carolina women in IT.
Tell us about your current role and what you do.
As an educational technology specialist, I train and generally assist faculty as they utilize technology for instructional purposes. My team and I host trainings for campus, consult with faculty and staff individually, respond to help tickets, as well as work with vendors to advocate for features and learn more about useful updates. I also volunteer as the co-lead for our Digital Accessibility Liaisons hosted by the Digital Accessibility Office (DAO). My favorite aspect of my job right now is fostering relationships with faculty members as I learn their teaching styles and recommend technical features or new technology that are helpful to them semester after semester.
What excites you about the future of your field?
I am excited about the inclusivity and flexibility that educational technology continues to provide to our learning environments. Our industry is offering more courses online which helps increase access to those who may not be able to attend in person. Our faculty members are no longer mystified by video conferencing and can change the medium of the class to an online session as needed throughout the semester. More faculty are recording their class sessions so that absent students can go back and watch class. As we continue to find need for these technology, the companies that administer them continue to add helpful features so that our class platforms are more accessible. I am excited about all the new ideas, theories, discoveries we are uncovering by continuing to include voices who are unable to thrive in a physical classroom without any technical intervention.
About Kate Moss
Kate Moss has worked in higher education for 10 years, holding various positions in student affairs, academic affairs, administration and educational technologies.
She holds a master’s in education from UNC Charlotte and a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Have you had a mentor in your career or someone else who made a difference for you?
In my 10 years in the industry, I have been led by some inspirational women. They are able to provide feedback with kindness, give advice based on my abilities holistically, as well as continue to check in on me even after moving on to other opportunities. I have improved my communication and leadership skills by observing how they handle adversity with calmness, honesty and collegiality.
What would make it possible for more women to work in IT?
I am a firm believer in the power of networking. I think that everyone should have a relatable mentor that they can chat with open and honestly. Having a conversation with my mentor usually gives me the sense of comfort I need to be successful. I think more women would be successful in IT if they had a strong sounding board to help navigate change and challenges. If you are early in your career and are looking for a mentor, look me up in the UNC directory!
What path led you to IT and where you are now?
After almost six years in university housing, I found myself in graduate school looking to pursue a change. An instructional designer from the university’s center for teaching and learning came to talk with our class about her job and advertised the assistantship option available. Without any former IT experience, I decided to apply and was selected for an interview. I left the interview feeling like an imposter who did not deserve their time. However, after accepting the assistantship and a few shifts on the job, I realized that I had a passion for helping faculty find the most applicable educational technology solution for their students. I continue to utilize skills today that were beget during that assistantship and I am profoundly grateful to my second alma mater for taking a chance on me.
What resources do you recommend for women who are looking to start or advance their IT careers?
As a zillennial who grew up with social media, I find myself fighting the thoughts in my head that tell me that I need to be perfect before I pursue something new. I want to encourage anyone reading this to pursue any opportunity that interests you keeping in mind that no one knows everything they need to know on the first day. You can do a job well and continue to learn something new every day. It has also been helpful to me to continuously be in the process of learning something. Whether it is directly applicable to my current job or not, making the effort to learn helps me accumulate skills faster and understand challenges in more depth. For instructional designers and ed tech support, I would recommend “Creating Wicked Students: Designing courses for a complex world” by Paul Hanstedt and/or “Design for How People Learn: Voices that matter” by Julie Dirksen. For leaders or blooming leaders, I recommend “Leaders Eat Last: Why some teams stay together and others don’t” by Simon Sinek.