[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Trzeciak_Jeffrey.jpg” caption=”University librarian Jeff Trzeciak has been appointed to the EDUCAUSE Advisory Committee on Teaching and Learning (ACTL) for a three-year term. File photo.”]University librarian Jeff Trzeciak has been appointed to the EDUCAUSE Advisory Committee on Teaching and Learning (ACTL), which consists of professionals who have extensive experience using innovative technology to create new learning environments. Trzeciak is the only librarian and the only representative from a Canadian institution on the committee.

The ACTL is one of nine advisory committees within EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of information technology in higher education.

“EDUCAUSE and the ACTL are widely considered to be leaders internationally in the development and promotion of new learning environments,” says Trzeciak, who has been appointed for a three-year term. “As such, I am honoured to serve and feel I bring both a library perspective and a Canadian perspective as well. By interacting on this international level, I hope I can have an impact that extends well beyond my normal scope.”

Using their leading-edge, visionary ideas about higher education teaching and learning, members of the ACTL suggest methods of integrating these ideas into new learning environments. Last year, the ACTL compiled a list of the top 10 teaching and learning issues and published an article about them in the EDUCAUSE Quarterly.

“In particular, I am interested in the integration of gaming and virtual worlds in educational settings,” says Trzeciak. “I'm looking forward to discussing the role of these immersive environments in higher education.”