Richard
S. Croft
Associate Professor
Computer Science & Multimedia Studies
Eastern
Oregon University
La Grande, OR
I have lived in La Grande, OR since August 2000, when I moved here to take an assistant professorship. From 1996 to 2000 I was an assistant professor in Western Illinois University's department of Instructional Technology and Telecommunications. I have worked as a high school math teacher, computer programmer, and systems analyst. I have also been an armed guard, a horse groom, a symphonic oboist, and a roller-coaster operator--and many other quaint vocations as well, all of which has left me with something of an identity crisis (and, I hope, a very broad perspective on things). Before moving to the flat mid-west and then to the rugged high desert, I lived for close to twenty years in Blacksburg, Virginia, which is nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. My formative years were spent in central Florida (the land of the mosquito and the tourist).
I spent many of my adult years as a student at Virginia Tech, studying a variety of subject areas including forestry and wildlife, geology, anthropology and computer science. My varied interests coupled with the pleasure I derive from figuring out how to use new technology have led me to my current niche.
I completed my Ph.D. in the Instructional Technology program in Virginia Tech's College of Education (which is now the School of Education). My primary research effort was an investigation of the effects of attribute emphasis in photographic illustrations for multimedia instruction. During the last two years I was a student I designed and programmed multimedia systems for the College of Forestry and Wildlife and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. While I have spent much time on development projects, I am also concerned with the development of a sound philosophical basis for the use of technology in education.
When I am not involved in technological concerns, I spend some time examining psychological and biological information in the hope of constructing a better understanding of how individuals learn.
For recreation, I
enjoy photography, hiking, and (once upon a time) caving and scuba diving.
Like some men approaching middle age I have developed an inexplicable
attraction to fly-fishing, which occupies more hours of the summer months
than I can account for. I have been an avid photographer since I was seven,
occasionally free-lancing weddings and portraits. The arrival of digital
tools for image editing and three-dimensional imagery has given me new
creative avenues to explore. In
the years since my arrival at EOU I have had the fortune to take part
in several stage productions with EOU's theater
department and had a small part in a locally-produced independent film.
Vita
More About Dr. Croft:
Short Biography
Web Development Philosophy
Learning and Teaching
