Instructional Technology Coordinator, Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning
by Carman Plank - July 25, 2014
“The unique thing about Ferris is that it is career-oriented, and we hire faculty that have experience in the field,” said Jackie Hughes, the coordinator of Instructional Technology in the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. “Where I come in is to assist those faculty that are coming in with the technology that Ferris uses, like Blackboard.”
Hughes earned her Bachelor of Science in Office Automation from Ferris State University. This degree, and that is no longer available at Ferris, taught her how to automate an office using fax machines, email and other tools.
“I really enjoyed the technical side of it, and how we could use that technology to make our daily lives more efficient,” Hughes said.
She later worked for Meijer and Ranir, a company that manufactures toothbrushes. After her time with Ranir, Hughes and her family moved to Texas where she worked as a computer programmer at Abilene Christian University and received a second bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication. She then finished with a master’s degree in communication from Abilene.
“The focus of my second bachelor’s degree was electronic media,” Hughes said. “My degrees all had communication threaded through them and that really helped me develop as a professional.”
At Ferris, Hughes enjoys finding and helping faculty learn different ways to interact with their students whether that is through engaging discussion board posts on blackboard, or through virtual lectures using Tegrity. FCTL makes it a responsibility to provide a welcoming learning community for faculty and students.
“Ferris has always been and continues to be a career-oriented University,” she said. “Being a part of us continuing to be a career-oriented University and making sure that we have the most qualified faculty in the classrooms teaching students what they need to learn is the most satisfying part of my job.”
Hughes, and the rest of the FCTL have been instrumental in assisting faculty with their journey of learning how to better teach students and to better prepare them for life after college.
Carman Plank is a News Services student writer in University Advancement and Marketing.
For others featured in the Faces of Ferris series, visit:
https://ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/faces/