Roger Walkup

Meet Roger Walkup,
Course Management Systems Consultant & Web Server Administrator,
UW-Superior


This month, TTT caught up with Roger Walkup of UW-Superior.

TTT: Please describe your work at UW-Superior.
RW:
I am officially a "Course Management Systems Consultant" working for the Distance Learning Center (DLC) and Computing & Media Services (C&MS) for 28 hours a week, and the "Web Server Administrator" for Networking for 12 hours a week. Prior to the departure of Dr. Kayt Sunwood in August of 2003, I was a "Web-based Learning Systems Faculty Assistant" for 10 to 40 hours a week at the Faculty Development Center.

The names change, but the jobs are the same: I assist faculty in using technology in a pedagogically sound fashion. Previously, Kayt focused on the pedagogy while I focused on the technology, including writing small programs. There is an active search for a replacement for Kayt, but until that position is filled, I cover all the bases. I am not the the site administrator for Blackboard or Desire2Learn; Sharon Lavine performs those jobs for us with style and grace under fire.

Lately, I have been holding workshops on Desire2Learn; working with faculty one-to-one on Desire2Learn and Blackboard, and creating and maintaining websites with an emphasis on web accessibilty standards; overseeing my three student associates as they put together a website instructing students how to use D2L (http://frontpage.uwsuper.edu/d2l); editing the provided D2L manual to both include missing information and reflect UW-Superior's instance of D2L; and supporting Sharon in administering D2L.

TTT: How long have you been in your current position?
RW:Since August, 2003. I was with the Faculty Development Center from January 1999 to July 2003.

TTT: What do you enjoy most about your job?
RW: When everything--the intentions of the instructor, the program(s), the hardware, the ability/knowledge of the students--works together. This does not always happen with text books and whiteboards (also technology), so I shouldn't get too worried, but I do.

TTT: What's the most memorable thing that has happened to you at this job?
RW: The epiphany that if a human created it, with enough effort, another human can understand it.

TTT: What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hidden talents you'd care to tell our readers about?
RW: I enjoy reading, particulary mathematics monographs and modern literature. I play guitar and am learning to sight read music. I like
reading well constructed programs; there is very little aside from the early poetry of Yosano Akiko that can beat the beauty of a well written C program. I need to make more woodcuts and etchings, but I haven't had time lately. Nor have I programmed enough lately.


Thanks, Roger!

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