Catalyst is brought to you by the University of Washington's Learning & Scholarly Technologies, a division of UW Technology.

Our Mission

Catalyst supports and advances the use of technology by the entire University of Washington community to meet the daily demands of teaching, learning, research, and work.

We develop our tools, spaces, and services collaboratively, tapping the expertise of faculty, students, and staff to meet both individual and campus-wide needs. Ongoing evaluation of our offerings ensures that they remain innovative and effective.

Our Values

The professional and student staff at Catalyst share a passion for helping our clients accomplish their work and achieve their goals. Our passion is in turn guided by four values:

Encouraging a Culture of Innovation

We feel it is important to provide the means, support, and encouragement for innovative approaches to teaching, learning, and research. Innovation matters, whether it is created by one person or an entire department or school.

Designing for the UW Community

Our tools, spaces, and services are inspired by feedback, ideas, and suggestions from our clients. Catalyst is committed to a creative and adaptable design process that involves our clients every step of the way, because it results in the innovative and effective technologies that clients want and will use.

Personalizing the Technology

Technology is a method to accomplish a particular teaching, learning, research, or work goal; it is never an end in itself. For this reason, we strive to work with our clients to find a way to accomplish their goals, using a technology solution that meets their needs and skill-level.

Partnering to Promote Change

Catalyst is committed to collaborating with campus units and individually with faculty, students, and staff. By listening, remaining flexible, and engaging with others, we can most effectively harness technology for the benefit of the University of Washington community.

Our services

Available to the entire campus community, our services fall within three distinct categories: Web Tools, Learning Spaces, and Knowledge Services.

Web Tools

Catalyst Web Tools are developed through a user-centered design process to meet the specific needs of faculty, staff, students, and researchers for Web-based tools to support teaching, learning, research, and work.

Learning Spaces

Catalyst Learning Spaces are designed to meet diverse client needs, which range from access to computing, to wired classrooms, to cutting-edge networked communication, collaboration, and research.

Knowledge Services

Catalyst Knowledge Services encompass a variety of client support, instructional, community-building, and research activities that assist UW faculty, staff, students, and researchers in accomplishing their everyday tasks using technology. These activities also help us improve and expand our solutions in order to better serve the entire UW community.

Our Advisors

Catalyst touches the entire campus and is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of the UW community. Two advisory groups help us understand these needs as we work to improve and develop new tools, spaces, and services.

Catalyst Advisory Board

The Catalyst Advisory Board comprises senior faculty representing a variety of departments and schools. The Advisory Board provides guidance to Catalyst management and staff about the changing landscape of teaching, learning, and research at the UW, and suggests ways that Catalyst can best support UW faculty, students, and researchers.

Catalyst Working Group

The Catalyst Working Group is made up of college and department information technology and instructional support staff who have front-line responsibility for helping faculty integrate technology into teaching, research, and clinical activities. The Working Group offers insights into the ways that faculty currently use (or would like to use) networked technologies to support teaching and research, and the associated implementation and support challenges.