Work History
University of North Carolina - OASIS, Chapel Hill, NC
Academic Computing Expert (Feb. 2006-Present)
In current position at OASIS I provide desktop, web, and instructional technology support eight departments on the UNC campus. This involves everything from assisting setting up e-mail, managing spyware and viruses, completely rebuilding computers, web consultation, to instructional training. I perform these duties for both PCs and Macs.
A significant portion of my time is dedicated to exploring new technologies and their potential uses in the classroom. I frequently update an instructional technology blog and part of my job. I was also the Project Director for Auralog, a large instructional project that facilitates language acquisition. I also plan and teach training classes for departments according to need and desire.
I helped coordinate and write dozens of documentation documents for our departmental help website. I also provide Content Management System (CMS) web support (Plone) within our group and to the Dean’s office.
When I started I was primarily responsible for deploying new university supported computers around the campus to the different departments. This includes data backup/restore, set-up and configuration of new computers, installation and configuration of department specific software, campus networking, printers, and troubleshooting hardware/software issues.
University of North Carolina - Foreign Language Instructional Resource Lab, Chapel Hill, NC
Technology Teaching Assistant (2004-2006)
My overall responsibility was to provide personal IT support for teaching staff in the Romance, Germanic and Slavic Languages departments. The responsibilities changed quite dramatically from one year to the next so I will split them up into years.
Year 1:
My primary responsibility was to help teachers implement new technology into the classroom. I did this a variety of different ways. I helped implement a project (PALS) which taught TA’s and students how to use Wavepad (an audio recording program) on their computers for language assignments, as well as instructions on how to submit the assignments through blackboard. I helped teach blackboard workshops for faculty and TA’s. I also spent time helping teachers set-up and use a Access grading database, as well as created a grade sheet for users that preferred Excel. I also spent quite a bit of time teaching users how to scan documents with Adobe Acrobat and post them on Blackboard sites. There were also several times throughout the semester where I helped TA’s set up or maintain personal web pages for their classes.
In addition to my role in helping instructors I also gained excellent experience in installation maintenance of UNC computers. Users often brought their laptops to us to troubleshoot so I gained experience with sypware, virus removal, data recovery, system restoration, system configuration, networking, and printer set-up.
I also created a webpage (using Dreamweaver and Adobe Photoshop) with links to online resources that could be used by the German department.
Year 2:
With the restructuring of the Foreign Language Resource Center a audio/visual position was eliminated so the second year I was asked to take over many of his responsibilities. I maintained the online Media Library and helped plan and implement a restructuring of database to take out of Cold Fusion into a user friendly open source PHP/MySQL database. I also helped begin a transition of the media from analog to digital audio and video recording. I implemented digital recording for classroom projects and suggested we update our recording capabilities to include the ability to burn DVD on a computer. I researched DVD burning software and suggested a burning software that was bought and implemented in the lab.
In addition to these responsibilities I continued to help out with instructional technology by on a scale similar to the year before. I also trained teachers to convert analog video into digital video and edit it into usable clips using Movie Maker.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Web Master - Medieval Studies (2004-January 2006)
My primary responsibility was to maintain the Medieval Studies Website (Dreamweaver) and listserv’s (UNC Listserv’s).
I created and maintained two new listservs to serve the medieval studies committee members and a exhaustive faculty list for the proposed Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) Curriculum. I also assisted in the initial planning of the proposed MEMS program so I have very good organizational skills that allow me to work independently and effectively.
In addition to these primary responsibilities I also preformed some research about similar programs at other universities in the world and was responsible for keeping a record at meetings.
LoanLink Lending Center, Grand Prarie, TX
Loan Counselor, Member Service Representative (March 2000-June 2000, March 2004-August 2004)
I began the job as a member service representative, but was soon promoted to Loan Counselor. As a member service representative I answered customers questions about loans and tried to help them decide what type of loan they wanted, as well as answered general lending and banking questions.
As a loan counselor I processed telephone and internet loan applications for over 200 credit unions and banks. I decisioned low-risk loans as well as learned valuable skills about resolving concerns and selling and cross selling a product.
My experience there taught me valuable skills about a high intensity, high pressure job and performing in a circumstance like that. It also taught me excellent skills about navigating through a computer quickly and efficiently while pulling information from 5 or 6 different places. Although I was only there 5 months (before I came here to North Carolina for Graduate School) I was named employee of the month my last month there.
Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT
Adjunct Professor of German/Research Assistant (2003-2004)
A need arose for a faculty position for one year and although there was no graduate program in German and I was still an undergraduate student, a special exception was granted and allowed to teach 2 courses of beginning level German. I took over all aspects of teaching the class (planning, teaching and grading). I implemented technology into the classroom by having students complete online activities out of our workbook and assigning online German radio listening assignments. I also wrote a excel grading sheet for tracking all grades in the classroom.
The summer after I taught I was also asked to work as a research assistant to another professor in the German department. I researched and compiled comprehensive list of articles about specific medieval authors out of German studies journal for over 40 years.
The professor originally wanted me to write the references out but I digitized and modernized the process by scanned the information using OCR software and organized it in a way that was searchable for. I also proofread over 100 pages of text when it was done to find errors in the scanning software.
Play it Clean Video, Cedar City, UT
Manager (2002-2003)
As the manager, I was responsible for hiring and running a small video store. I supervised 3 other employees and their time schedules while I worked as well. While I was working there I helped the business become profitable for the first time. Soon after I left (we had our second child and my wife needed me at home) the business was so profitable that it was sold.
A major part of my job that is important on this application was my technological work on the computer system that we used to track video rentals. I rewrote parts of the programming for the program to produce different types of reports. I also created simple excel databases that were used to show visual graphs of different parts of the business.
State Bank of Southern Utah: Cedar City, UT
Bookkeeping, Proof, Night Operator (2000-2002)
My time at SBSU was split up into several different positions. I began in Bookkeeping and balanced ledger accounts daily, as well as provided general account information and research. I only did that for four months, after which I began my undergraduate degree and went to part time work.
As a part time employee I worked ~10 hours a week in the proofing department doing data entry. While I was there I noticed there were several errors that kept appearing and so I wrote several queries within computer programs to find those errors and expiate the proofing process.
The majority of my part-time employment was spent running system backups and updating programs on the computer at night time. About once a week something would go wrong and I would work with the IT manager to fix the problems.