Reflection on Current Practices

Reflection on Current Practices

Jack Kelly

10/26/2014

I started the ITMA program in Fall 2010. Looking back at my work from 2011 onward, I identified several ways in which I apply what I have learned in the program to my skills and problem solving.

Design

Since starting the ITMA program, I make sure I’m using credible websites when searching for information. And now I perform research if needed. For example, in 2011 when asked to standardize the Library website forms and take over managing all of them, the project manager wondered which was the better approach to take when laying out the elements: label above the field versus label to the left of the field. To answer this question I would have just created content using both layouts and looked for the one with the better aesthetic as far as I was concerned. But I found myself doing research. I discovered that Luke Wroblewski had performed research that tracked eye movement with users filling in forms and he wrote a book about his results.[i] Getting his book and reading it allowed me to identify several ways to improve the overall design of our website forms.

When I began working on the Drupal Media Shared Shelf project, I identified credible sites outside of the Drupal site by checking the source of the website. For example, I discovered that Stack Exchange provided a site for Drupal development support. Stack Exchange is a well-known source for technical support forums. After the Drupal forums, I used the Drupal Stack Exchange site as a secondary support option.

I used instructional systems design when an opportunity came up late last year. I used the ISD process and message design for the eCLPS framework project. I created test course sites with UVaCollab to understand the instructional need. That’s how I learned that eCLPS was a workflow and not an actual tool in Sakai. I searched my institution’s site for faculty demographic information and requested UVaCollab survey data to compile learner characteristics. I documented objectives and assessment items. I developed an instructional strategy that could be used for both just-in-time learning from the UVaCollab website as well as for a workshop. After my analysis I concluded that the eCLPS framework could be taught with a focus on designing the content to choose the appropriate LMS tools. The problem was that ITS preferred the instruction be geared to just asking them to choose between the syllabus and lesson tool. I just did what they wanted since it was for their use, even if I had a different opinion.

I have changed my design skills for the better, as I am able to perform all aspects of ISD, not just identifying the goal, some learning context, and materials. Instead of just treating all search results as equal I examine websites for credibility before using them. In the past I just used my instincts or asked peers for their opinion on technology issues. Now I perform research if needed to identify better ways to incorporate technology in addition to checking with my peers.

Development

My development background continues to involve programming with languages like PHP and JavaScript. As I updated each of our website forms to standardize them, I switched from having labels to the left to having them above fields based on Wroblewski’s research and our content. Other changes I made based on his research were around field lengths, required fields, grouping of related fields, and overlays. Other work around the Web forms did not change from how I did it before starting the ITMA program as I always provided the stakeholders an opportunity to review content and make adjustments based on their feedback.

With my new instructional design skills, I used audiovisual and computer-based technologies when I created the materials for the eCLPS framework project. I used TechSmith’s Camtasia software to capture video content and used Audacity to capture audio that was added to the Camtasia project. I had problems combining the audio and video in Camtasia. The script at times was longer than the video captured when I added the audio to the track. In these instances, I needed to go back and re-record the screen capture and extend the actions being performed over time. To help facilitate the re-recording I documented the length of the audio generated so that I could time the actions and make sure the resulting video would be long enough.

An opportunity for using integrated technologies in my work came up when the Library began a process this semester of migrating content off a server and decided we could no longer host faculty media collections. I had to contact an instructor regarding his 500+ political campaign video ads. I copied a handful of his campaign ads into 3 different institutional resources U.Va. has so that he would have examples of how those resources would look as instructional materials. I ran into problems during the setup of his content in MediaBase, one of the possible resources, as it would not display the ads I put into the newly created collection. I had to contact the support personnel for MediaBase to discover that there was a bug in the automated indexing process. So they had to manually run the process and then the content displayed properly.

My development skills continue to involve creating word process and presentation documents. Now I incorporate computer-based technology into my work using software like Audacity and Camtasia, as well as integrated technology using applications the university has developed or licensed to support instruction and research such as MediaBase, Shared Shelf, and Kaltura.

Utilization

Media is not something I typically work worth in my job. But I had the opportunity to create video content as part of the eCLPS framework project. Since the instruction was intended for busy faculty, the media was designed for use on the Web. In addition the media format used was restricted to that supported by Camtasia software so that ITS staff would be able to maintain the content going forward.

I have had one opportunity to participate in promoting information on technology that the Library was using that other areas of the institution might use when I collaborated with the DML to create a digital signage theme for WordPress. After we successfully did this, I worked with SHANTI to install the theme on an institutional server. In addition, I created Wiki documentation and attended sessions to demonstrate the theme and answer questions. Unfortunately there was not a lot of interest in using this system. So institutional adoption of this technology has not occurred.

A lot of my work involves understanding ITS and Library policies, which includes copyright. In addition Web accessibility regulations are incorporated in my work. I performed these activities regardless of what I have learned in the ITMA program. For the Library website forms project, I was asked to identify ways to use technology to get information we were asking our patrons to populate on the form. I already knew how to utilize single sign-on and user info from our electronic directory. After researching institutional policies on the Student Information System (SIS), I determined I could use content from it. To make course information auto-fill form fields I needed to follow security policies and submit a request for access to SIS. In the past I never needed to get senior administrator signatures and track the process of getting the paperwork to the Provost’s office in order to use technology resources. And recently I had to make sure an instructor understood his responsibility for checking on copyright ownership for campaign ads that he would be housing on his own site.

Working on the Drupal Media Shared Shelf involved reading the Drupal module copyright licensing and reviewing it with my supervisor so that she could approve working on the module. In addition, when I finished the module development, I needed to review Drupal policies and procedures for getting the module moved from its experimental status to development. The process involved running code scans and applying changes to the code, reviewing other experimental modules as part of community work, et cetera – more work than my supervisor would permit. So the module remains experimental.

I can see FERPA policies becoming a regular part of my work as I become more involved with instruction. Last month I collaborated with other Library staff to test a streaming course reserve service. When I contacted ITS about testing this in our institutional LMS, they indicated the service needed to be approved by Procurement so that it met FERPA requirements. Involving Procurement didn’t seem necessary since the server was on our network. The Library was just looking to test this, so I persuaded ITS to install it for just one test course site in UVaCollab. I agreed with ITS that any further implementation will require that the technology be confirmed FERPA compliant. To address this concern going forward, I have identified the Library personnel who would handle resolving issues with Procurement.

Instead of just creating print materials, I incorporated video and audio content for the one instructional project I worked on earlier this year. As part of a team, I worked to promote the use of a new technology incorporating WordPress and a wireless network TV as digital signage. I continue to follow institutional policies in order to do my work. Since starting ITMA I have started addressing federal policies like Copyright and FERPA, as well as open source participation procedures, when necessary.

Management

Aspects of project management are typical to the type of work I have been doing before as well as since starting the ITMA program. For example, the Library has development, test, and production servers to support implementing its online resources. I manage some development servers and splitting my time between different projects. Managing my work in a project like eCLPS for my applied ID project is typical as I break down the different things that need to be accomplished and identify the resources needed and those that may impact the due date. In addition I have always planned my work and coordinated production changes with system administrators.

A problem that arose out of the Web forms standardization was agreement by various stakeholders on using the same labels and field groupings. To address the problem the project manager agreed to attend each form review meeting to discuss the desire for a common look and feel to the website and get buy in from the stakeholders. In addition, I prepared a demo version of what the grouped content would look like. The visuals helped to address concerns stakeholders might have and allowed for feedback before the forms were updated. In addition, the project manager added a second person to this initiative so that we could meet scheduled deadlines. I was responsible for documenting the tasks to be completed and delegating some of the work to the additional team member.

Since I do not usually work with faculty, I found myself more involved with delivery system management when I needed to get the political campaign ads off our server. Rather than just putting the content on DVDs for the instructor, I identified three options that could be used for delivering the campaign ads: MediaBase, Shared Shelf, and using the Kaltura Media Gallery in UVaCollab. I compared these delivery systems and checked the performance and metadata features of each. Then I met with him to review the pros and cons for each system. Finally we agreed that I would burn the ads onto DVDs and he would review copyright issues and take if from there.

Throughout my career in higher education I performed project as well as information management with hardware installations and software development I contributed to. I had several interim supervisory roles where I performed resource management; so delegating work on the Web forms project was not something new to me. I added delivery system management to my skills when assessing different media applications to examine their performance and metadata import/export capabilities.

Evaluation

My role as a computer systems engineer does involve problem analysis as I resolve issues around our services that support instruction and research. Recently the Library implemented our chat service inside UVaCollab. When I discovered that Firefox and Chrome’s blocking mixed content default settings caused some of the 3rd party features on the chat service page to not work, I worked with the User Experience group to develop adjustments to the Web page so that it could check if it was being loaded within our LMS or from an HTTPS connection, which is what caused the vendor’s content to not work. Even though we could not modify the vendor’s content to make it work, I proposed we display a modal window in those situations warning our patrons that they needed to open the page outside of UVaCollab when selecting a feature that would be broken. The group evaluated the test instance and agreed it was a workable solution.

Now that I have created assessments and surveys as part of the content for the eCLPS framework instructional materials I did for ITS, I should be able to do this for other instructional opportunities that come up in my library role. I did not get the chance to use the criterion-referenced measurements or perform formative and summative evaluations due to the fact that there were not many faculty members around this summer when the eCLPS framework instruction was ready for use. I did contact some recommended instructors by email to ask them to try using the Web based content and use the surveys. Going forward I will make sure that the target audience is available when instruction is finished and ready for evaluation.

Since senior administrators and managers in the Library are involved with long-range planning, this is not something that I perform in my job. But I developed criterion-referenced measurement tools, as well as evaluations, for the eCLPS project. And I continue to analyze problems and come up with creative solutions for them.

[i] Wroblewski, Luke. (2008). Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks. Brooklyn, NY: Rosenfeld.