DCAL fellow Williams will bring new media to the classroom
Mark Williams, Associate Professor and Chair of Film and Television Studies, has been awarded a fellowship from the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL). The fellowship will allow him to collect course materials and digitally package the items for use in the classroom and as a resource for students and faculty.
Mark Williams (photo by Joseph Mehling '69)
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In courses such as Cyber-Theory and Cyber-Disciplinarity, Williams and his students explore the many ways that "new media" touch our lives. He defines new media as anything that has at some point been handled or processed by a computer.
"New media surrounds us," said Williams. "This produces a synergy with Film and Television Studies. Right now, we are experiencing a historical transition to the ubiquity of computer culture, and students are studying the effect that these media have on our everyday life and our perception of history. The rise of digital culture provides many fascinating trajectories to explore."
Williams often uses clips of television programs and news reports in his teaching, and creating a digital repository of video, audio and web clips will make it easier to use them in class. He also hopes that students and other scholars will be able to access this digital collection to prepare for class or for research purposes. The DCAL fellowship will also support Williams as he learns to utilize the many ways to digitally capture and archive these materials.
"Digital media are changing the way we think about scholarship and teaching," said Williams, "In some ways, this is exciting because it enables us as teachers to facilitate and enhance learning; in other ways, it's a little overwhelming because there's so much new technology to keep up with."
Williams explains that the DCAL fellowship will help him "develop his capacity to work across media formats toward a kind of digital dexterity" that will generate new ideas for assignments and research projects for his students.
Thomas H. Luxon, the Cheheyl Professor and Director of DCAL and Associate Professor of English, said, "One of the main initiatives of DCAL involves incorporating technology in teaching, and the fellowships were established to support faculty as they develop and improve courses with technology. DCAL is very happy to support Mark as he enhances his cyber-theory offerings. His project will help not only the course, but also other courses in his department."
By SUSAN KNAPP
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