Log of Academic Computing Queries
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Caleb's Log

Access Services Supervisor: Instructional Technology Issues and Job Duties.
September 2005-March. 2006. Caleb John Clark. Access Services Supervisor, ANE.
 
Executive Summary
 
I see a need for Instructional Technology Services (ITS) going unmet at ANE for faculty, staff and students. This results in many departments doing ITS poorly. Staff who are compelled to fill this need are compounding the problem by providing support that they are not hired or trained to do. In the short term, I believe this means cutting back to primary job descriptions and letting ANE feel the lack of support. I also wish there was a CTO.
 
 
Person-Hours time estimation
  • 35 Hours a week. "Access Services Supervisor (Hourly pay. No OT. Full benies). Position has turned out to be more "Front Desk Management and Instructional Technology/media." This puts the library in a dangerous position of supplying ANE with needed Instructional Technology services by taking away from library duties under the library budget. Also, makes position replacement difficult in terms of getting IT skill in a librarian position.
    • About 35-45% Management. Hiring, training, using, and running processes for running the front desk for staff of 14 or so. Running special projects.
    • About 20-30% Instructional Technology/Media. Training, creating, testing, and using instructional media materials mostly for staff with some for faculty, and students. Audio Visual maintenance and purchasing. Directly helping faculty, staff and students with instructional technology/media issues.
    • About 15-25% Scheduling staff. Plus about 7 hours a week of a work study student.
    • About 10-15% Office management. Supplies and facilities maintenance.
    • About 10-15% Reports, strategic planning, and meetings
  • Emily Mason (library assistant):  works 21 hours a week assisting Access Services Supervisor in all above duties, especially office management, front desk lead, running reports fines and fees, and special project management.
  • Front desk staff, 14 people: 2+- person hours per day on Instructional Technology media training, assistance, setup, and maintenance. Spread over 14 people, 175 hours a week.
  • Front desk staff, 14 people: 2+- hours/week of technology support in the classroom 
  • Front desk staff, 14 people: spends 20-30% of all their time on Instructional Technology training and management of Library AV equipment.
Examples of Front Desk Instructional Technology Questions.
  1. PhD defense. 30 minutes before. Student has never used her laptop with our projectors. Student has never presented using PPT to a group. She is about to do both. Her laptop isn't mirroring, she didn't realize PPT notes would be visible to audience or how to use PPT. She didn't want to use PPT, but was encouraged to, but not encouraged or advised to practice with the technology before the defense. Sharon was asked to help, but is not trained to. Caleb was available luckily, and set it up to project. The PPT issues were much too late to deal with. She had hard copies and was just going to present in authoring mode vs. presentation mode. March 06.
  2. Video streaming: 1 hour to set up a forlorn professor who tried to stream a video off of democracy now. Needed projector, laptop, software downloaded and installed, and training of professor.
  3. 45 minute discussion, several times during each semester, about external firewire 400 drives as backups for laptops. Mac, PC, software, how to back up, when, why, what, etc.
  4. Phone call with professor, 20 minutes: I want to record an interview on video and audio, but be able to edit it later after I show it in class. Do the VHS camcorders convert to digital? Who does that? How can I edit the interviews or put them on a DVD. I explained our equipment, and our VHS to MiniDV converter, and editing etc.
  5. Student at front desk, 45 minutes: I want to put a QuickTime video into my PowerPoint on my PC. Had to jump drive the video into iMovie in the CRR, make a project and export an AVI file back to her computer. Recommended getting QuickTime Pro for her laptop to convert herself.
  6. Student, several stops at the front desk over two week period, 3 hours: Establishing and perfecting the recording of audio on his laptop using shareware (Audacity) and our lapel and/or podium mics. Mics tested, files helped edited, exporting help, etc.
Instructional Technology Subjects encountered at the Front Desk
    1. Microsoft office questions about file formats, .PDFs, .RTFs, .MOV,.WMV, .RM,
    2. PPT and Word compression for emailing
    3. Photo slide shows in PPT, MS Picture Manager, Mac/PC, etc.
    4. Permissions for software installation when ISAT not here.
    5. Logins for online vs. 'this computer'
    6. Installing freeware, plugins, iTunes, and media players.
    7. Mac laptop issues with PDFs, projector cables, and WMV video files.
    8. What a "browser" is. Explorer is not the Web.
    9. Using Tabbed browsing, and other browsers, like Firefox.
    10. DSL and Cable wireless installation at home
    11. Wireless signal repair and flushing of IP in stalled laptops
    12. Which laptop to buy as a student, or faculty.
    13. Jump drive purchasing advice
    14. Backup protocol advice for students and faculty at home
    15. Excel formula help.
    16. Installing and using RefWorks and EndNotes
    17. Video editing discussions with faculty about using iMovie or MovieMaker
    18. Video equipment purchasing advice, specifically between miniDV and 3-chip camera miniDVs.
    19. Work study students needing training to edit newsletter in InDesign
    20. Digital photography lessons with still camera each time it goes out.
    21. Mini DV camera lessons
    22. Recording digital audio lessons and advice, wireless vs. wired, vs. lapel mics.
    23. Projector training in Library for staff, faculty and students.
    24. Digital photo compression discussions
    25. Audio recording with video cameras
    26. Making DVDs on Mac and PCs
    27. Making VCDs
    28. How to use Excel, start to finish  ...  over and over

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Cary

  1. I get lots of queries about how to install FirstClass on computers and/or problems with installation or using FirstClass.
  2. (1 May 06):  A student was sent to the library (by IT?) to get help with using Exel (specifically how to import data from one file into her Exel file).

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Sharon

Tech Support Wishlist:  Skills and knowledge that would be useful for students & Faculty.  (SB)

    1. Excel, from start to finish
    2. Advanced GIS help
    3. Wiki knowledge and creation
    4. Blog knowledge and creation
    5. Google Maps:  Mashups
    6. RSS feeds
    7. Webpage creation / HTML
    8. MS Word:  Track changes
    9. Online courseware (Blackboard, WebCT)
 

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