Assistant Professor of Instructional Science and Technology, Emphasis in Digital Media
August 2010 – August 2012
I was thrilled to get a tenure-track professor position before I had officially graduated from ASU. And in California, no less! The land of healthy fresh food, and the Pacific Ocean.
I spent a lot of time teaching masters and undergraduate students, tried to set up a research lab, and did quite a bit of professional development (leading and participating).
VESIC Research Lab
The Virtual Environments for Situated Inquiry of Complexity (VESIC) Lab at California State University, Monterey Bay hosted design, development, and research projects seeking solutions involving the use of meso-immersive virtual environments (both two-dimensional and three- dimensional) for the facilitation of human learning about complex problems through inquiry-based experiential scenarios.
I started the VESIC Research Lab early on during my time at CSUMB. The Enactive Data Center (PDF) I proposed exemplifies the work I was trying to accomplish through this lab.
To begin funding this research, I submitted a three-year, $549,325 NSF Cyberlearning: Transforming Education proposal as PI. It was not funded. Here’s the title and abstract.
“EXP: Toward automated formative assessment with intelligent computing systems: Refining unobtrusive performance measurement in 3D virtual environments using Global Evidence Channels”
This is an exploratory investigation into the efficacy of using 3D meso-immersive virtual environments (such as computer games) as reliable measurement instrumentation for valid, authentic assessments of learner performance and any number of latent traits (i.e., learner attributes). As evidence of student learning, data will be gathered directly from the 3D world itself, based on a Global Evidence Channels framework previously described (Nelson, Erlandson, & Denham). Briefly, Global Evidence Channels (GECs) are categorizations of in-world interactions that can serve as authentic performance evidence – based on location/movement, object interaction, and communication activities (and dyadic or triadic combinations of these three channels). The primary objectives of this project are: 1) to codify these GECs into a reliable framework for measuring learners’ performance of tasks in these 3D environments, and 2) to operationalize this GEC-based framework in order to reliably measure performance data for valid inferences about constructs associated with systems thinking and systems wisdom – for the purpose of facilitating learners’ achievement of ecological literacy through complex experiential learning scenarios.
Courses Taught
I taught one graduate course, and mostly undergraduate courses over four semesters at CSUMB.
IST 526 (1 semester)
This course facilitates students’ learning the principles and applications of design for media (textual, auditory, and visual) for the production of instructional materials – primarily through the use of computers, but applicable to all forms of media consumption.
CST 201 (4 semesters)
CST201: Media Tools is designed to give students an introduction to the design techniques necessary to produce various types of media. In addition, it serves as an introduction to best practices for project management in multimedia production, as well as an introduction to best practices for maintaining a diverse and state-of- the-art technological skill set. Students will complete several projects covering the design, creation, and production of digital images, text, and sounds – and a variety of audiovisual combinations – as an expression of imaginative solutions to design problems based on selected goals for intended audiences. Students will work individually to design and develop the materials for these projects and continuously reflect on the design process throughout the semester. Students will conduct in-class presentations of artifacts completed for each design project, and all students will collaboratively, constructively critique each student’s work based on established elements and principles of design.
Eventually, I created PDF versions of these lectures for the purpose of “flipping” the classroom. Here are two of them:
Working in Two Dimensions (PDF)
Animation: Adding Motion and Time (PDF)
CST 221 (2 semesters)
In CST221: Scripting for Multimedia, you will proactively learn ActionScript and apply solid interactive design and computer programming techniques to create dynamic multimedia content for a singular interactive experience. You will learn the fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming as part of designing, coding, testing, debugging, and documenting computer programs specific to interactive multimedia experiences. Using ActionScript, you will apply these concepts to create programs utilizing digital media, including images, animation, audio, video and text.
CST 271 (2 semesters)
CST271: Digital Culture focuses on the philosophical roots (as evidenced in literature) of contemporary digital culture. The world of the digital intelligentsia owes its vision and mythology to the resonant themes found in literature and philosophy. Through readings, discussions, and activities students will explore the essence of the relationships between humans, technologies, and the natural world.
I had two required texts for this course:
Capra, F. (2004). The hidden connections: A science for sustainable living.
Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology.
We held in-class and online discussions about readings assigned from these texts on a weekly basis.
My favorite part of redesigning this course from its previous rendition as an “eat pizza and watch movies and get an A” slacker fest was the creation of several culture challenges and the “culture reboot” final project:
Write Me Letter (PDF)
Unplugged (PDF)
Culture Reboot (PDF)
CST 321 (1 semester)
In CST321: Interactive Multimedia I, you will proactively learn a programming language and apply solid interactive design and computer programming techniques to create dynamic multimedia content for a singular interactive experience. You will learn the fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming as part of designing, coding, testing, debugging, and documenting computer programs specific to interactive multimedia experiences. Using a programming language, you will apply these concepts to create a program utilizing digital media, including images, animation, audio, text, and possibly video.
Here’s the course schedule to show how I would typically organize a semester for these types of practical courses. (PDF)
And here’s the Course Project Overview. (PDF)
CST 421 (1 semester)
In CST421: Interactive Multimedia II, you will continue to proactively learn a programming language and apply solid computer programming techniques to create dynamic multimedia content for a singular interactive experience. You will continue to learn the fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming as part of designing, coding, testing, debugging, and documenting computer programs specific to interactive multimedia experiences. Using a programming language, you will apply these concepts to create one or more interactive computer programs utilizing digital media, including images, animation, audio, and text.
These were the required texts:
Cooper, A., Reimann, R., & Cronin, D. (2007). About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design.
Swink, S. (2008). Game Feel.
Ward, M., Grinstein, G., & Keim, D. (2010). Interactive Data Visualization: Foundations, Techniques, and Applications.
Here’s the Course Work document to give you a sense of what teams of students were expected to complete over the semester. (PDF)
Professional Development
I participated in several faculty professional development workshops during my time at CSUMB. Here are some examples:
TLA Co-op: DIY Digital Materials – I discuss “flipping” the lectures for CST 201 (PDF)
TLA Co-op: Critical Thinking – I discuss ways in which I use culture challenges to foster critical thinking in CST 271 (PDF)
TLA Co-Op: Evaluating Creative Activities in Academic Courses – I discuss the value of the CST 271 as a “non-traditional” creative activity and how I chose to implement evaluation of students’ work. (PDF)
I also led a presentation: “A Guide For Decisions About Technology And Learning” for the TLA Summer Institute. Here are the slides. (PDF)
I also worked in teams with other faculty on two projects. One concerned defining and implementing academic rigor university wide, and the other was about “digital zen”, or how to integrate digital experiences longitudinally in a college student’s learning. I contributed diagrams to each of the reports my teams had to complete:
