Library Notes

Jim Brucker In September of 2005 the Galter Health Sciences Library created a new position within the Education Department: Instructional Design Librarian. The term “instructional design” is simply a single title applied to a number of existing approaches to integrating technology and pedagogy. The Instructional Design Librarian is primarily a consultation position, which includes a significant degree of project implementation, including some programming. I will meet with faculty and instructors to help outline the best approach to educational goals. Sometimes that approach will involve a small amount of technology, such as online slides or video, while other times the goals will call for a more immersive environment, such as an HTML or Flash-based online tutorial with an integrated testing system. I will not try to squeeze your needs into a pre-conceived template. Each project begins with detailed consultations and results in a unique and customized approach to solving a particular set of educational goals, often incorporating several available technologies. These projects are also designed to be asynchronously accessed via the Web, so that students can ultimately have the option of learning within an interactive environment which is not constrained by scheduling incompatibilities. Some of our current and future projects include the following technologies:

Online tutorials – Incorporate video, audio and animation into an immersive and modular learning environment. This includes HTML, Flash, Javascript and other Web-based technologies.
Streaming media – Digitize both video and audio, allowing students to access this information from any computer at any time, all with the security of NetID authentication.
Podcasting – Convert recorded lectures or learning units into portable information.
Inter-program compatibility – Find ways to integrate seemingly incompatible programs, such as Flash and PowerPoint, ultimately creating lively presentations and enhanced Web content.
Blackboard Course Management System – Create ways to integrate information resources, teaching modules, quizzes, streaming media and more into an online environment which is already familiar to the students.

In short, I am here to help define and actualize your vision of how technology can be used to both deliver and enhance educational content. I look forward to talking with you!