Special Programs

Freedman Fellows

As originally conceived, the Freedman Fellows Program exists to assist faculty in developing curricula and assignments that combine both multimedia and information competencies and research skills; that involve the Freedman Center in the production activities, and the outcomes of the newly developed curricula (with specific objectives that encourage students to use the Freedman Center); that promote experimentation with new teaching and learning strategies; that demonstrate innovation and creativity; that focus on enhancing student engagement in learning; and that indicate careful planning and feasibility. However, there has been discussion with representatives of the Baker Nord Center for the Humanities to explore how the Freedman Fellows Program can also encourage the use of new technologies in the research that the faculty does on campus—specifically, providing immersive instruction in the tools that would benefit their scholarly pursuits. This emphasis slightly expands the focus of the Freedman Fellows Program from active participation in the instruction that occurs on campus to active participation in the research and discovery that happens on campus.

Additionally, it seems only logical that the Freedman Fellows Program also consider a stance that is at once one of reflection as much as of foresight: namely, working closely with faculty to ensure that materials that are generated (or have been generated) are permanently retained in Digital Case. Digital Case is the institutional memory for CWRU, and the Freedman Fellows Program is actively partnernering with faculty to ensure that their existing (analog) materials are transitioned to this permanent memory bank, as well as their born-digital materials. Such a focus in the Freedman Fellows Program ensures that faculty are given the tools and training necessary so that they can actively participate in the movement of their materials to the digital environment—activity which gives them a much greater stake in this institutional memory project, but also provides them with a personal level of control over how their content is treated, managed, and made available to posterity.

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Digital Case

As mentioned above, Digital Case is the institutional repository for Case Western Reserve University. As well, it is the Digital Library for preserving and providing access to content that may only be available locally and in some cases is rare enough that it is only available locally to select researchers--that is, it is extraordinarily fragile or valuable or both.

The Freedman Center plays a significant role in Digital Library Programs in that it provides the physical space, physical tools, and knowledge necessary to transition analog and print materials into the digital realm. Foremost amongst the many tools available through the Freedman Center, and relevant to Digital Library Programs, is the Planetary Scanner. This scanner, also known as the AIAXact High Resolution Digital Reprographic Workstation, is comprised of a 6,000 x 8,000 pixel tri-linear CCD array (48 MP) BetterLight Digital Camera Back attached to a modififed Linhof 4x5 medium format camera with a Rodenstock APO lens. The scan unit is attached to a 60" motorized column that lets the operator adjust the camera position for height and focus. Needless to say, the image quality is stunning.

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New Media

New Media promotes rich and innovative new media experiences in education at Case Western Reserve University by providing new media support and by facilitating projects and strategic alliances inside and outside the Case Western Reserve community.

New Media Services provides education through the CaseLearns program; assists in New Media Production, which includes Virtual Reality Media Elements, Stereoscopic Photography, Stereoscopic Videography, QuickTime VR Objects, QuickTime VR Panoramas, 3D Modeling & Animation, Virtual Worlds Design, Educational Game Development, Interactive Multimedia Authoring, PDA Development, and DVD Production.

Special Projects undertaken by New Media Services includes: Multi-User Timeline Creator-- Allows groups of users to work in collaboration to build an interactive multimedia timeline; VR Gallery Builder-- Allows the user to create an art exhibition by taking an empty space, adding and rearranging the walls, and populating it with art (with no knowledge of programming or modeling via a simple drag and drop interface); and Pachyderm -- First developed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Pachyderm is an easy-to-use multimedia authoring tool designed for people who have little or no multimedia authoring experience. New Media is working on new instruction as well as new features for this very rich authoring tool.

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Future Connections

The Freedman Center is proud to participate in the Future Connections Program. 2008 will be the third year for Freedman Center participation. The Future Connections Program is sponsored by University Circle Incorporated and is a partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. This program provides qualifying high school students the opportunity to spend four weeks learning and working on the campus of Case Western Reserve University (and other University Circle institutions) and four weeks to learn and earn with area businesses.

In 2006, the Freedman Center coordinated the efforts of Future Connections students in the creation of a DVD on the Cozad-Bates House, an historical house on the campus of University Hospitals Health System that was formerly a stop on the Underground Railroad. In 2007, the Freedman Center opened the project to encourage Future Connections students to select their own topic, so long as it was associated in some way with Cleveland. In 2008, much the same process will be used.

The Freedman Center project encourages Future Connections students to research, write, coordinate, and execute the technical process of creating a DVD. Kelvin Smith Library staff support the learning of research methods, the gathering of materials, and the Freedman Center coordinates the capturing of multimedia and the execution of the production. The Freedman Center work with Future Connections is the paramount example of who teaching, learning, and multimedia experiences can effectively combine.

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