Teaching Philosophy
Kelly Stack, Ph.D.
Documentation
Documentation enables us to deliver information in a persistent format that can be available on an as-needed basis, but we must always remember that information is processed differently by novices and experts, and therefore presenting the same information in a variety of formats is likely to benefit more people.
Cheat Sheets and User Guides
Printable "cheat sheets" can be paired with online demos, one-on-one tutorials, email support, and workshops. They are brief step-by-step instructions for accomplishing a single task. (View an example "Cheat Sheet" that I created as part of an online tutorial for UCSC.)
User Guides typically cover more information and/or are longer than Cheat Sheets. (View an example User Guide I created for CENIC Videoconferencing Services.)
Quick Demos
Video demos that provide step-by-step procedures for performing simple tasks can be repurposed as modules within a longer tutorial while retaining their usefulness to answer or reinforce answers to support requests. Modern technology makes it relatively easy to include closed or open captions using the script developed for voice-over narration. (View an example Video Demo that I created as part of an online tutorial.)
Brochures, refrigerator magnets, coupons...
Remember that administrative staff who support instructors are also important targets for outreach. While brochures may contain more information than a faculty member wants or needs to know on a topic, they can be useful for creating a visual impression ("I know I saw something about that in some kind of brochure recently…") or for retention or posting by departmental staff. Coupons, refrigerator magnets, and other novelty items make an impression as well, and as long as they contain contact information they need not be overstuffed with detailed descriptions. (View a brochure about choosing among videoconferencing options at UCLA that I created.)