Faculty Spotlight
April - May 2007: Dr. Joan Rentsch
The Story of the Perfect Match
So how does something like this work at the University? Well, in this case it started with a low technology user, a trip to the ice cream shop, and a rediscovery of assistance.Sounds like a long story, you say? Yes, it is a relatively lengthy story, but who doesn’t like a great story when there is a happy ending?
It all began years ago when Joan was assigned to teach a new course to a large number of students. She thought technology might be a way to increase the students’ interest level and had a vision of
MTV-like presentations involving video interviews with local business people and music. The College of Business awarded her a grant to give it a try. This is the first time she found the Innovative Technology Center back in 2002. She first worked with Cyndy Edmonds, who taught her how to create videos, integrate music, develop enhanced PowerPoint presentations, and so on. Then Michael Burke helped her with the Smart Board. Joan commented, “Both were extremely patient – thankfully – I imagine I put them to the test, because having high-tech dreams does not translate to high-tech skill. Although I did not completely pull off my MTV-type vision (that would have taken more time and money), the presentations were pretty cool and the students liked them. Cyndy and Michael were very knowledgeable and were eager to provide support. The project would not have been completed without their help.”Her story continues as she talks about how, traditionally, “I have been low-tech with high-tech visions.” In the past she never had any technical support, but the only way she could get a grant was to promise research supported by high-level technology. The short of it all is that the promising worked and she had to fulfill her promise. She got the grant, but then she had to build a lab that supported two teams of three distributed members communicating through computer mediation. The quick summary of the project is that it is for the Navy and involves the study of team-based sharing of information. In order to make it work she needed to video-record them, and from her past experience working with low-quality technology, she knew she needed better. Also, she knew she needed software that she wasn’t even sure existed.
Joan was overwhelmed. “I was not sure what to do. I did what anyone experiencing high stress would do — went for ice cream. Feeling distressed over my lab predicament and facing a tough ice cream flavor choice, which only added to the stress, I was about to give up when I looked up and saw Alec Reidl bringing in his family for ice cream. The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew the answer – ITC! Duh! I don’t know why this group did not come to my mind earlier. I guess I had associated it with teaching – not with research.”