| For all students enrolled in Kutztown University's Department of Electronic Media, there is just one room dedicated to A/B roll editing, and one live truck with similar, though not identical editing capabilities. These facilities are simply not enough to meet the demands of everyone with a legitimate need to use them.;To address all of these concerns, the researcher created a computer software program designed to simulate A/B roll editing. Research shows that Computer-aided instruction, utilizing software programs such as this, can greatly enhance the learning process. Now, before venturing into a strange new place filled with unfamiliar pieces of equipment, students can enter a virtual edit suite, housed in a comfortably familiar PC.;The A/B roll computer program was created using Authorware, an authoring tool used in Kutztown's Interactive Video course. Authorware is icon-oriented. Instead of mastering a complicated programming language, programmers use icons, which have predetermined attributes, to bring their ideas to life. The researcher's program was modeled after the handout, "Sony 910 Editor Instructions for Basic Operation," which is traditionally utilized by Department faculty teaching A/B roll editing.;To create the virtual edit suite, a combination of 35mm photographs and digital images were taken, and imported into the program. Authorware's text tool was used to add informative and corrective statements, as well as hints where deemed necessary. It was also used to recreate labels that, through the importing process, became difficult to read. Once completed, the program was loaded onto the computers in the College of Arts and Sciences lab, located in Old Main.;Further, for beginning students just learning the process of A/B roll editing, these facilities can be quite intimidating. Novice editors enter a room filled with towers and tape machines, switchers and switches. The whole experience can be overwhelming.;The program was then presented to twenty undergraduate students enrolled in a beginning production course at Kutztown University. After viewing a demonstration of the program, students were asked to go through the program again, on their own, and then complete a questionnaire to rate the program's overall effectiveness.;The questionnaire covered seven topics, including written instructions, image quality, labeling, ease of navigation, unanticipated problems encountered, suggestions for improvement and the general helpfulness of the program. Respondents were quite candid, offering a number of valid criticisms as well as helpful hints for improving the program. By and large, however, their comments were extremely encouraging. Most indicated the program gave them a better understanding of the editing process and made it seem a little less scary. Mission accomplished. |
