UAB IT wants to hear your ideas for improving technology on campus. Spark is a tool for crowdsourcing ideas, aimed at helping understand and address what the campus community’s technology needs.
Visit the Spark website at spark.uab.edu and log in using your BlazerID and password. UABMC users will need to log in with BlazerID and password. Once you log in, you’ll see the main Ideas page where you can submit an idea, comment, and upvote those that have been previously submitted.
Submit an idea by selecting the green “Submit an idea” button. The submission form prompts users to provide a clear title, description, and any optional supporting details or attachments to help others understand their proposal.
Moderators review each submission to ensure it aligns with the purpose of the site and meets content standards.
Approved ideas will be classified as “New.” Later, ideas may be classified as:
- Existing: There is a solution for this problem. We can point you towards the tools and the documentation on how it works.
- Quick fix: An item we can fix quickly, without a need for a major project.
- Project candidate: IT will take the information provided and move forward with planning.
Ideas not related to technology will be moved off-topic and will not be available for votes or comments.
“If you have ideas or friction points, we want to hear them,” said Robert Howard, vice president and chief information officer. “Our job is to make technology work for the people doing the work of UAB, and we need to know where it is falling short and where we can innovate next.”
Interacting with posts is a great way to engage within the platform. Users can comment and upvote ideas. Keep comments professional and focused on technology solutions. Please avoid putting confidential or sensitive information in the comment section.
Ideas that have strong engagement through upvotes, comments, or demonstrated organizational value will be evaluated for feasibility, impact, and alignment with UAB's strategic priorities.
The IT leadership team will review top ideas, determine next steps, and identify opportunities for development or implementation. As decisions are made, the campus community will be updated so they can follow the progress of submissions.
“Share your ideas now,” Howard said. “The earlier we receive ideas, the better we can shape UAB IT’s priorities for the coming year.”