Past Projects

This is a motley collection of some past projects. Unlike wine, software does not age well, so all that now remains are these screen shots.

Teaching, Training, etc.

Blackboard Learn Pilot Training and Documentation

In 2014 I led a team of Instructional Designers and trainers from ITS Training Services, Teaching and Learning with Technology Ops, and World Campus to coordinate all faculty, staff, and student training and documentation efforts around the 2014 Blackboard Learn pilot (a potential replacement for Penn State’s current Learning Management System, ANGEL). Although the pilot is complete, most of the information about this pilot is available on the Blackboard Learn Pilot web site.

Security Videos

Working with the Security Operations and Services (SOS) unit, I developed a web site for all at PSU to use and learn about basic computer security issues. SOS hired an outside vendor, the SANS Institute, to provide short, high-interest videos around which PSU wrapped additional information and links to related services. Originally available via an ANGEL group, these videos are now part of the Enterprise Infrastructure and Operations Security Compliance Training within the Cornerstone system.

eLion Help

This just-in-time eLion help prototype was designed for the eLion Coordinating Council to illustrate how the eLion system’s help section might be augmented. With  LionPath, this prototype is no longer under consideration.

 

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Course Development

Astro 1 Course Development

Astro 1 is a basic introduction to Astronomy, from the cycles of the moon to the solar system to the uncharted depths of the universe. I’ve worked with Professor Jane Charlton for several years to develop a more interesting way to present the content for this course. The first version of the course was done in several scenarios presented in a story-like format.

The first version of the course was immensely successful. Jane was able to accommodate over 700 students by herself with minimal issues, most of which were technical in nature. She also discovered that on average, student’s grades in the course rose one standard deviation. Students in the first revised course received the same tests as students in traditional sections.

The new, second version of the course is an immersive video game where you become a student who travels to the new Martian colony to begin a new life – but you still have to go to school with robots, aliens, and an out-of-control VR lab!

EGEE 102 – Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection

I worked with Professor Pisupati to develop a series of simulations on home insulation. He originally had a light bulb experiment that consisted of six wooden boxes. Each had a light bulb and different type of insulation in the box. To run the experiment, you would turn all the light bulbs on and periodically measure the inside temperature of each box. The purpose of the experiment was to demonstrate how different types of insulation have different levels of effectiveness. The physical experiment was bulky and he did not have enough sets for all students to complete the experiment in a timely manner, thus the simulations were created.

Here are the three experiments:

1. Light bulb Experiment
2. Wall Insulation Experiment
3. Home Insulation Experiment
   1. Home Insulation Experiment Storyboard (Note: This is the original storyboard and a version of the simulation rewritten several years after the original version. Thus, the storyboard does not exactly match the simulation.)

These simulations were very successful and led to the development of other simulations for the course, including the Wall Insulation and Home Insulation experiments.

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Software Tutorials

Carbocations Tutorial

This web-based chemistry tutorial is one of 21 developed. It utilized current educational technologies to their best advantage, allowing students to access the materials whenever desired.

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• easily access new math lessons and strategies that correlate with the Pennsylvania Math Standards.
• identify the Pennsylvania Standards that meet your current teaching and curriculum objectives.
• demonstrate/model activities and strategies for teaching concepts in a classroom setting.
• access tips and theories about planning, presenting and evaluating success.

This database portion of this site was programmed using JavaScript.

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AT&T’s S.C.O.R.E. (Sales and Customer Service Occupational Readiness Education) Courseware.

 

A comprehensive, industry-centered, model program designed to teach entry-level workers and trainees the basic skills necessary for customer service and telephone sales. The courseware, which was designed especially for mid-literacy level (grades 6-10) readers, consists of simulated job tasks the student must complete, such as reading, filling out forms, or finding information on a chart; students build their basic skills by doing actual job assignments. A vocabulary development package (disk and manual) included customer service terms, definitions, sentences, and practice activities. The classroom portion of the program involves instruction in metacognitive and self-system strategies in the work context. This project was a collaboration among AT&T, The Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy at Penn State, and the Florida Community College at Jacksonville, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, National Workplace Literacy Program. The software came with an Instructor’s Manual, Software Reference Guide, and a manual on teaching metacognitive/self-system strategies in the work context.

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PENNSYLVANIA BLUE SHIELD’S JOB LINKED SKILLS PROGRAM.

Pennsylvania Blue Shield’s Job Linked Skills Program was a basic skills instructional program for health insurance employees functioning at a mid-literacy level (grades 5-8). The program included instruction on medical terminology, reading medical claims forms, writing and grammar for medical insurance employees, and reading and using insurance manuals. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, National Workplace Literacy Program, the project was a result of a partnership among Pennsylvania Blue Shield, Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, and Pennsylvania Tri-County Opportunities Industrialization Centers. The program came with an Instructor’s Manual.

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A Day in the Life . . . Assessment AND Instruction

ADIL Assessment and Instruction was appropriate for:

• Adult Education Programs
• High School “At Risk”
• Secondary Special Education
• School-to-Work Transition Programs
• Correctional Education
• Tech Prep Programs
• Vocational Education

ADIL Assessment

ADIL Assessment assessed basic skills and employability skills through job-related activities. Students were assessed on open-ended, completion, and multiple-choice questions spanning a series of reading, writing, math, and problem-solving skills. With minimal teacher supervision, students could be tested, scored, and evaluated for skill mastery.

ADIL Assessment courseware assessed basic skills in the context of five job clusters:

• Food Service
• Health
• Maintenance
• Retail
• Clerical

Teachers used ADIL Assessment to measure workplace basic skills, as a learning tool, or as a pre and/or post test to A Day in the Life. . . Instruction. Complete records of students’ responses were tracked.

ADIL Instruction

Learners read, wrote, computed, and solved multi-step problems to complete simulated job tasks. Working at their own pace, learners gained hands-on experience while exploring the six occupational areas: Food Services, Health, Maintenance, Retail, Clerical, and Customer Service.

A management system pinpointed skill areas where the student was encountering difficulty. The program recorded the student’s errors and prescribed a series of computerized review lessons at the end of each task for reinforcement.

A Day in the Life . . . was distributed by Curriculum Associates, Inc, 1-800-225-0248. It is no longer available.