Education/Curriculum Development/Instruction
This section describes my work in Education, Curriculum Development, and Technical Instruction. It is organized by order of experience.
Masters Institute – Chairman of Multimedia Department
3/97-2/98
The Masters Institute opened as a California-regulated vocational college in 1973. Classrooms and offices were located in rented commercial space near the San Jose airport. Masters was a for-profit private institution that attracted students for instruction in CAD, network certification, programming, and multimedia. More than 1,200 students were taking courses online and 900 more were studying on site. From 1996-2001 Masters Institute was the largest multimedia training school of its kind.
3/97-2/98
The Masters Institute opened as a California-regulated vocational college in 1973. Classrooms and offices were located in rented commercial space near the San Jose airport. Masters was a for-profit private institution that attracted students for instruction in CAD, network certification, programming, and multimedia. More than 1,200 students were taking courses online and 900 more were studying on site. From 1996-2001 Masters Institute was the largest multimedia training school of its kind.
Masters Institute was growing so quickly it opened a store front recruitment store in the Great Mall in San Jose (circa 1996)
From 3/97-2/98 I was the Chairman of the Multimedia Department. I was responsible for both the Bachelor of Arts and Associate Science Degree programs at Masters Institute. I managed the day-to-day operations of 30 faculty and 750 day and evening students in the multimedia program. My duties included responsibility for creating all curriculum and doing long-range planning. In September of 1996 Masters Institute launched a Bachelor’s Degree program. I taught the first class of the BA program, “Digital Audio in Multi Media”. Click here to download a pdf file of the school’s newsletter announcing the BA program and the first class I taught.
Very shortly after that time a Distance Learning initiative was also started. By March of 1997 the entire Multimedia department was in trouble. Resources were stretched too thin and there was no cohesive plan to reconcile the needs of the fledgling Distance Learning initiative with the on-going requirement to produce quality instruction in both the AS and BA degrees for the Multimedia Department.
Because of my background as a former Professor at UCSB, a multimedia entrepreneur, and my proven abilities in management I was asked to take over as the head of the multimedia department at Masters Institute in March of 1997. I immediately began a study of the structural problems with the department. Click here to download a pdf file of my findings, entitled “Impact of the Distance Learning Initiative on the Resident Program and A Proposed Plan for Implementing Common Objectives”, which were presented to management on April 9, 1997.
We experienced many problems because upper management made what proved to be disastrous decisions. Six months after I took over as Multimedia Department Chair, I had a very good idea of how to correct most of the problems with the Multimedia Department I inherited. Click here to download the “Plan for Change” I wrote in October, 1997. Click here to download a pdf file of a memo to multimedia staff instructors outlining department changes I wrote on December 27, 1997.
To avert a crisis concerning the inability of the Registrar to reconcile the grades of the new BA Degree students with Distance Learning, I provided (at no cost to Masters Institute) multimedia department instructors with grading software that I had previously developed for my own use as an instructor. Until that time, instructors at Masters Institute created tests and graded student’s work by hand. The software was modified to output electronic files that could be used by the Registrar. Click here for the pdf file of the “TME Automatic Grading Module” Installation and Operation Manual.
From 3/97-2/98 I was the Chairman of the Multimedia Department. I was responsible for both the Bachelor of Arts and Associate Science Degree programs at Masters Institute. I managed the day-to-day operations of 30 faculty and 750 day and evening students in the multimedia program. My duties included responsibility for creating all curriculum and doing long-range planning. In September of 1996 Masters Institute launched a Bachelor’s Degree program. I taught the first class of the BA program, “Digital Audio in Multi Media”. Click here to download a pdf file of the school’s newsletter announcing the BA program and the first class I taught.
Very shortly after that time a Distance Learning initiative was also started. By March of 1997 the entire Multimedia department was in trouble. Resources were stretched too thin and there was no cohesive plan to reconcile the needs of the fledgling Distance Learning initiative with the on-going requirement to produce quality instruction in both the AS and BA degrees for the Multimedia Department.
Because of my background as a former Professor at UCSB, a multimedia entrepreneur, and my proven abilities in management I was asked to take over as the head of the multimedia department at Masters Institute in March of 1997. I immediately began a study of the structural problems with the department. Click here to download a pdf file of my findings, entitled “Impact of the Distance Learning Initiative on the Resident Program and A Proposed Plan for Implementing Common Objectives”, which were presented to management on April 9, 1997.
We experienced many problems because upper management made what proved to be disastrous decisions. Six months after I took over as Multimedia Department Chair, I had a very good idea of how to correct most of the problems with the Multimedia Department I inherited. Click here to download the “Plan for Change” I wrote in October, 1997. Click here to download a pdf file of a memo to multimedia staff instructors outlining department changes I wrote on December 27, 1997.
To avert a crisis concerning the inability of the Registrar to reconcile the grades of the new BA Degree students with Distance Learning, I provided (at no cost to Masters Institute) multimedia department instructors with grading software that I had previously developed for my own use as an instructor. Until that time, instructors at Masters Institute created tests and graded student’s work by hand. The software was modified to output electronic files that could be used by the Registrar. Click here for the pdf file of the “TME Automatic Grading Module” Installation and Operation Manual.
Unfortunate;y, the problems I identified were too great to overcome. In addition, upper management was not willing to implement the solutions I suggested. Instead of solving the problems, the Multimedia Department was simply shut down in February of 1998. I was relieved, the remaining students were shuttled through the classes they contracted for, and instructors for those classes were then fired. I left Masters Institute on good terms. The letter of recommendation below is from the Director of Education, Donna Stewart.
Masters Institute crawled along for another 2 and a half years afterwards. The “resident” multimedia department proved to be much more important than management realized. Management assumed they could replace those students with a horde of online students coming through the Distance Learning doors. Unfortunately, the state of the art for on-line learning in 1998 was not robust enough for sustained operations. Because of other very significant issues, such as student aid grant fraud, school debt, and mismanagement, Masters Institute abruptly locked its doors on March 5, 2001, shutting out faculty, staff, and about 2000 students.
Masters Institute – Multimedia Instructor
6/94 – 3/97
I taught over 550 students in the time I was a Multimedia Instructor at Masters Institute. I taught the following classes as an Instructor of Multimedia during my tenure:
Masters Institute – Multimedia Instructor
6/94 – 3/97
I taught over 550 students in the time I was a Multimedia Instructor at Masters Institute. I taught the following classes as an Instructor of Multimedia during my tenure:
- 3D Modeling
- Multimedia Design and Interactivity (Macromedia Director and Lingo)
- Multimedia Video and Content Development
- Multimedia Integration & Production Management
- Portfolio Production Workshop
- Interactive Multimedia CD-ROM Development
- Digital Audio Applications
I developed software that automated the creation of course curriculum, testing, and reporting. Click here for a sample of course curriculum I did for the 3D modeling class. Click here for the curriculum I did for the Digital Audio class I taught.
Applied Research Laboratories
2/80 – 6/81
I was employed as a Senior Technical Writer at Applied Research Laboratories (A Division of Bausch & Lomb) from 2/80 to 6/81 . Duties included documentation of Optical Emission Quantometers, X-Ray Fluorescence Quantometers, Ion Microprobe Mass Analyzers, Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometers, Scanning Electron Microprobe Quantometers, and Quantotest Metal Analyzers. I was responsible for all software specifications and manuals conforming to FIDS specifications for ARL, ARL-DIANO, and ARL-SEMCO computerized spectroscopy systems.
I was responsible for researching, documenting, and developing detailed operator procedures, maintenance procedures, troubleshooting procedures, fault isolation procedures, and operation checklists for all technical documentation. Source material was derived from engineering drawings, specifications, and electrical schematics.
2/80 – 6/81
I was employed as a Senior Technical Writer at Applied Research Laboratories (A Division of Bausch & Lomb) from 2/80 to 6/81 . Duties included documentation of Optical Emission Quantometers, X-Ray Fluorescence Quantometers, Ion Microprobe Mass Analyzers, Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometers, Scanning Electron Microprobe Quantometers, and Quantotest Metal Analyzers. I was responsible for all software specifications and manuals conforming to FIDS specifications for ARL, ARL-DIANO, and ARL-SEMCO computerized spectroscopy systems.
I was responsible for researching, documenting, and developing detailed operator procedures, maintenance procedures, troubleshooting procedures, fault isolation procedures, and operation checklists for all technical documentation. Source material was derived from engineering drawings, specifications, and electrical schematics.
I taught two training courses at U.S. Steel in Lorraine, Ohio on all aspects of the the use and operation of the Quantotest 36000 Metal Analyzer. Click here for a pdf file of evaluations for the first course I taught. I believe the training was so effective because of my contemporaneous experience teaching as a Professor at UC Santa Barbara.
University of California, Santa Barbara
7/79 – 6/86
I was employed at UCSB as an Associate Professor in the College of Creative Studies (CCS).
Before attending UCSB, at the age of 17, I composed my first symphony “Portraits of the Gulf Coast“. Because of this rather unusual accomplishment, I was admitted to the prestigious College of Creative Studies. (In fact, I was recognized as one of its star student alumni in an article written for a 1985 edition of OMNI magazine by William K. Stuckey entitled “Encouraging Creativity in Students“). The College of Creative Studies is one of the three undergraduate colleges in the University of California, Santa Barbara, and unique within the University of California system in terms of structure and philosophy. Its small size, student privileges, and grading system are designed to encourage self-motivated students with strong interests in a field to accomplish original work as undergraduates. A former student has called it a “graduate school for undergraduates”. The college has fewer than 350 students in eight majors and approximately 60 professors and lecturers. There is an additional application process to the standard UCSB admission for prospective CCS students, and CCS accepts applications for admissions throughout the year.
University of California, Santa Barbara
7/79 – 6/86
I was employed at UCSB as an Associate Professor in the College of Creative Studies (CCS).
Before attending UCSB, at the age of 17, I composed my first symphony “Portraits of the Gulf Coast“. Because of this rather unusual accomplishment, I was admitted to the prestigious College of Creative Studies. (In fact, I was recognized as one of its star student alumni in an article written for a 1985 edition of OMNI magazine by William K. Stuckey entitled “Encouraging Creativity in Students“). The College of Creative Studies is one of the three undergraduate colleges in the University of California, Santa Barbara, and unique within the University of California system in terms of structure and philosophy. Its small size, student privileges, and grading system are designed to encourage self-motivated students with strong interests in a field to accomplish original work as undergraduates. A former student has called it a “graduate school for undergraduates”. The college has fewer than 350 students in eight majors and approximately 60 professors and lecturers. There is an additional application process to the standard UCSB admission for prospective CCS students, and CCS accepts applications for admissions throughout the year.
The College considers students to be the most important people involved, not the faculty or administration. One of the unusual aspects of CCS is that students are encouraged to teach, as well as learn. So, at the age of 18, as an undergraduate Freshman, I began teaching courses at CCS. During my four years, I taught music theory, calligraphy and notation, 20th Century Techniques, and, ear training. By the time I finished as an undergraduate in June 1978, I was an experienced college instructor. in August, 1978 I made a proposal to teach Computer Music based on the research I had done in the field as an undergraduate. On August 18, 1978 I was appointed as a Lecturer at the College of Creative Studies. Click here for a pdf copy of the letter from Robert Michaelsen, Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs. That letter started an association with the CCS that would last for seven years. Over time, I was promoted to the position of Associate Professor.
During the period from 1978 until 1981, I lived and worked in the Los Angeles area as a Technical Writer, but traveled to UC Santa Barbara every weekend to conduct classes at the CCS. I taught 5 one-hour classes from 12:00 PM until 5:00 PM on Saturdays. The courses, with some variation, were typically:
I also served as Faculty Head and Administrator of the Electronic Music Studio from 1980 until 1983. In 1981 I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. I continued to teach a very popular three-day seminar in Computer Music at the CCS every quarter. Click here for a letter I wrote to Marvin Mudrick, Provost and founder of the CCS concerning the classes. Even after moving the the Bay Area, I regularly drove to Santa Barbara to attend faculty meetings and manage the Electronic Music Studio through my assistant, Tim Burliegh.
Except for the 8 months I spent living in West Germany in 1982, my association with UCSB continued, despite moves and a very busy career. Click here for a pdf file of evaluations by some of my students from a course I taught in May 20, 1984. I finally stopped teaching at UCSB in 1986 because my consulting company (TME) began to demand too much of my time, and because I was planning to marry the next year.
The thing I am happiest about, looking back over my long time at CCS, is the fact that young minds were awakened to the possibilities of creative engineering through technology. I was able to take people from all disciplines at UCSB, many of whom knew nothing about either music or computers, and turn them into budding music technologists in three days. Click here for pdf files for a small sampling of the wonderful projects my students have submitted over the years.
During the period from 1978 until 1981, I lived and worked in the Los Angeles area as a Technical Writer, but traveled to UC Santa Barbara every weekend to conduct classes at the CCS. I taught 5 one-hour classes from 12:00 PM until 5:00 PM on Saturdays. The courses, with some variation, were typically:
- 12:00 – 1:00 PM: Music Notation
- 1:00 – 2:00 PM: Ear Training
- 2:00 – 3:00 PM: Advanced Notation
- 3:00 – 4:00 PM: Beginning (or Advanced) Music Theory
- 4:00 – 5:00 PM: Theory of Computer Music
I also served as Faculty Head and Administrator of the Electronic Music Studio from 1980 until 1983. In 1981 I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. I continued to teach a very popular three-day seminar in Computer Music at the CCS every quarter. Click here for a letter I wrote to Marvin Mudrick, Provost and founder of the CCS concerning the classes. Even after moving the the Bay Area, I regularly drove to Santa Barbara to attend faculty meetings and manage the Electronic Music Studio through my assistant, Tim Burliegh.
Except for the 8 months I spent living in West Germany in 1982, my association with UCSB continued, despite moves and a very busy career. Click here for a pdf file of evaluations by some of my students from a course I taught in May 20, 1984. I finally stopped teaching at UCSB in 1986 because my consulting company (TME) began to demand too much of my time, and because I was planning to marry the next year.
The thing I am happiest about, looking back over my long time at CCS, is the fact that young minds were awakened to the possibilities of creative engineering through technology. I was able to take people from all disciplines at UCSB, many of whom knew nothing about either music or computers, and turn them into budding music technologists in three days. Click here for pdf files for a small sampling of the wonderful projects my students have submitted over the years.