Media Commons gathered in mid-July to hold the annual summer “Whiteboard Experience”, a chance for the whole staff to get together and both reflect on the past academic year as well as apply lessons learned to planning for the coming Fall and Spring semesters.
For the 2014 edition of the retreat, the team met up in the Business Building at University Park where two appropriately white board-festooned conferences rooms became a home away from home. Things opened with a review of the three year goals set out in early Spring – as well as the specific accomplishments since then that had addressed each of six primary categories. Once this topic was unpacked, the staff looked for trends that might point the way towards new goals to pursue and refinements for existing areas of focus.
On day two, project ideas outlined by each consultant were introduced to the group at large and a pitch session style introduction helped others decide which they’d want to collaborate on during work sessions. Items that were brought to the table included:
- exploring badges for Media Commons users
- a faculty services and resources promo
- creating an online video modules best practices guide for faculty
- initiating strategies for integrating 3D printing
- finalizing the scheduling modules system
Before work started in earnest, though, MC invited Dean Blackstock in to discuss possible points of collaboration as regards hybrid and online courses. This turned out to be fortuitous as, in addition to possible courses for the Collaborative Video Pilot, World Campus has much expertise to lend to project 3 from above. This expanded guide will take shape on the Media Commons site soon and will also be the first part of a much larger dialogue between our two departments.
Keep an eye out for finished versions of the items Media Commons staff began developing during the Whiteboard Experience 2014 in the months ahead!