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.
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