Al Weiss

Al Weiss is the Founding Director of the Center for Educational Technology and Curricular Innovation at Pacific University where he supports and leads initiatives to integrate digital technology into teaching and learning.

Al has been engaged in teaching with technology since 1992 when he used a simple spreadsheet program to help teach math and science skills to seventh and eighth graders. Since then, he has used technology in a number of different classrooms and settings, including an elementary school in Hawaii, a junior high school in Japan, and when teaching a variety of graduate and undergraduate classes. Most recently, he coordinated the instructional development and faculty support programs for campus-wide e-learning platforms at the University of Illinois. He has also given numerous workshops and presentations at regional and national conferences on e-learning and has published articles on virtual learning environments and gaming.

In his free time, Al enjoys exploring the great outdoors with his family and, if he is not in his office, you can probably find him on one of the beaches, trails, or ski slopes of the Northwest.

Professional and Research Interests

E-Learning
Digital Rhetoric and Literacy
Blended Learning
Online Learning
Moodle
Online and Educational Games

Publications

Weiss, Alfred & Kunkel, Marita (in press). A Sustainable Commons: Bringing Multimodal Composition and Digital Media Production to the (Physical) Center of Pacific University. In Russell Carpenter, Richard Self, Shawn Apostel & Kristi Apostel (eds.), Next Generation and Sustainable Learning Spaces. Logan, UT: Computers and Composition Digital Press.

Hua, Len, Goodwin, Denise, & Weiss, Alfred (2013). Traditional versus blended learning of pharmacology. Optometric Education 39(1), 28-34.

Weiss, Alfred & Tettegah, Sharon, (2012). World of racewar: Race and learning in World of Warcraft. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations 4(4), 33-44.

Weiss, Alfred (2010). If the walls could talk back: Dialogic space in Second Life. In Sharon Tettegah and Cynthia Calogne (eds.), Identity, Learning and Support in Virtual Environments, Boston: SensePublishers.

Varvel, Virgil & Weiss, Alfred (2010). Conclusion. In Sharon Tettegah and Cynthia Calogne (eds.), Identity, Learning and Support in Virtual Environments, Boston: SensePublishers.

Weiss, Alfred (2007). Creating the ubiquitous classroom: Integrating physical and virtual learning spaces. The International Journal of Learning, 14(3), 78-84.

Weiss, Alfred (2005). Putting Class Material on the Web. Teaching and Its Evaluation: A Handbook of Resources. University of Illinois Center for Teaching Excellence: Urbana Champaign.

Conference Presentations

Weiss, Alfred, Piataova, Tatiana, & Baird, Robert, “Promoting Digital and Media Literacy Across the Disciplines Through Course-Specific Assignments,” Idea Lab at New Media Consortium Summer Conference, June 19, 2014.

Weiss Alfred, “The New Media Commons: Bringing Multimodal Composition and Digital Media Production to the (Physical) Center of Pacific” Presentation at Ubiquitous Learning Conference, Urbana-Champaign, October 13, 2012.

Weiss Alfred, Composition 2.0. The Rhetoric of Multimodality, Participation, and Convergence.” Invited Plenary Address at Ubiquitous Learning Conference, Berkeley, November 11, 2011.

Weiss, Alfred, “Mapping Across the Curriculum.” Presentation at Oregon Technology in Education Network (OTEN) Inspiration Conference, Salem Oregon, September 24, 2011.

Weiss, Alfred & Robert Baird. “Composition 2.0: Enhancing Knowledge Discovery and Rhetorical Craft Through Multimodal Essays and Assignments.” Poster session at Educause Learning Initiative Annual Meeting, Washington DC, February 16, 2011.

Calongne, Cynthia, Sharon Tettegah & Alfred Weiss. "Libraries and Museums in the Cloud." Invited keynote address at The Future is Now: Libraries and Museums in Virtual Worlds. Junot Park on Innovation Info Island in Second Life. March 5, 2010.

Weiss, Alfred & Robert Baird. "WAC 2.0: Rethinking Writing Across the Curriculum in the Age of the Participatory Web." Presentation at Educause Learning Initiative Annual Meeting: Learning Environments for a Web 2.0 World. Austin, January 21, 2010.

Weiss, Alfred. "Teaching Inside the LMS Box." Invited Plenary Address at Ubiquitous Learning Conference, Boston, December 6, 2009.

Weiss, Alfred & Robert Baird. “Writing Across the Curriculum 2.0: Rethinking Writing Across the Curriculum in the Age of the Participatory Web." Presentation at Ubiquitous Learning Conference, Chicago, November 17, 2008.

Weiss, Alfred & Robert Baird. "Writing Across the Curriculum 2.0." Presentation at the Midwest Educause Regional Conference, Chicago, March 18, 2008.

Rangin, Hadi & Alfred Weiss. "Collaboration: A New Approach for Addressing and Resolving Accessibility." Presentation at Blackboard World, Boston, July 11, 2007.

Weiss, Alfred & Robert Baird. "Writing Across the Learning Management System." Presentation at Blackboard World, Boston, July 12, 2007.

Weiss Alfred. "Creating the Ubiquitous Classroom." Virtual presentation at International Conference on Learning, Johannesburg, South Africa, June 26, 2007.

Weiss, Alfred & Mills, Doug. "Faculty Development in the Age of Courseware and the Dawn of Web 2.0." Panel Discussion at Thinking Outside the CMS Box, CIC Learning Technologies Conference, Minneapolis, November 6, 2006.

Weiss, Alfred & Yfantis, Konstantinos. "Leveraging Online Technology to Teach (Very) Large Classes." Presentation at IMPACT 2006, Chicago, July 14, 2006.