May 9, 2008
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Reprinted with permission from Business Network, a Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Publication
Viewpoint: An Interview with Chuck Wilson
To say that Chuck Wilson, executive director of the Agency for Instructional Technology (AIT) is enthusiastic about his work is an understatement, to say the least. Rather, the enthusiasm he exudes as he leads this non-profit agency, nationally headquartered here in Bloomington, is practically palpable. When Business Network met with him recently to learn more about AIT and his leadership, he opened with a disclaimer. “Fair warning…I’m so excited about what we’re doing here at AIT I could talk to you about it all day!” Business Network could have listened to Chuck Wilson all day and while, in reality, the time spent with him was closer to an hour and a half, it was chock full of interesting and impressive information about an organization celebrating 45 years of producing educational and instructional materials.
By Elizabeth Lyon
BN: Let’s start at square one. Explain exactly what AIT is—who you are, what you do, whom you serve.
Wilson: My favorite line, simply stated, is this—we serve learners. AIT is a non-profit agency who develops, acquires and distributes electronic, technology-based resources to the educational, learning community.
BN: Give us a little more detail. For instance, who are AIT’s customers or clients?
Wilson: Most of our products and services are geared toward the K-12 learning audience. But we also target colleges and businesses, and we’re starting to work more with service agencies, too. BN: When you say products and services, what exactly do you mean…what do they encompass?
Wilson: We began as a film library, back in 1962. Through the years, though, this has changed, closely mirroring changes in technology. We progressed to video, software, broadcast media and any print material needed to support our products. Currently, our world is very digital, and AIT provides digital content that can be accessed by a computer, such as DVDs and server-based or Internet-streamed video-on-demand systems. That does sound pretty high-tech, doesn’t it? But to repeat what I said earlier, we serve learners. Even though our services have become increasingly more digital, we continue to provide distribution in whatever format our customers want.
BN: What are some of the subjects or topics of AIT’s instructional products?
Wilson: Wow, now I really could talk all day! They run a full gamut, so let me just mention a couple. “Mathemedia” is a multimedia curriculum consisting of 12 instructional modules serving to bring basic principles of mathematics to life and helping students to discover their real world relevance. Listening to a teacher explain the Pythagorean Theorem using a chalkboard might not pique a student’s interest, but show that same student how it’s used in determining how many tiles it’ll take to lay a floor, in a diagonal pattern, and suddenly you have a very engaged learner. Another is “Applied Communication,” a series of modules designed to teach communication, language arts and English skills in an applied setting. More specifically, they help students fine tune their work related reading, writing, speaking and communication skills so that, like the Pythagorean Theorem example I just mentioned, students understand practical applications to what they are learning. All at once there is some rhyme and reason to what they’re learning.
BN: Are these products geared at addressing findings from the US Department of Labor’s SCANS* report?
Wilson: Absolutely they are! The workplace is not about memorizing facts and data and spitting it out for an exam. Rather, it’s about taking this knowledge and applying it in meaningful ways. You may have heard the term soft skills? Well, they are anything but soft! Students entering the work force will be expected to think creatively, to problem solve, to manage, to lead, to follow, to teach, to learn and to apply what they know in achieving goals. AIT understands this. Our products and services are designed with this in mind.
BN: This is all quite impressive. And Bloomington, Indiana is home to your national headquarters. Lucky for us!
Wilson: Our relationship with Bloomington began back in 1965. At the time, we were operating as the National Center for School and College Television and Herman Wells brought us to Bloomington as part of the IU Foundation. Just like media and technology have changed and progressed at rapid rates during the past few decades, so have we. Our name changed to its current one, AIT, in 1984, to more accurately reflect our core mission. And we moved into this facility in November of 1994.
BN: Speaking of which, your dwelling is quite nice, and the display of awards garnered by AIT in the main lobby is impressive. Isn’t that a coveted Emmy Award among them?
Wilson: It is an Emmy Award, and by all means, we’re extremely proud of it. But it’s the big, bright, colorful hand-painted banner hanging at our entrance that we’re most proud of! We’ve placed it there, front and center, to ascertain that it captures the attention of everyone visiting us. That banner says it all—it tells what we're really all about!
BN: You’re referring to the giant message from the Banneker Center thanking you for your generous gift to them recently, right?
Wilson: Yes. Through an Excelerator grant from the AT&T Foundation, we’ve helped to establish a state-of-the-art learning center at Banneker. AIT has installed five computers, each loaded with educational program packages. It’s really pretty awesome. There is nothing greater than seeing, firsthand, a kid turned on to learning, and that banner reminds us of this every day.
BN: Is the Banneker project indicative of more locally based services and ventures in AIT’s future?
Wilson: AIT has been a well-kept secret in the Bloomington community, and that’s something I’m committed to changing. It’s just not acceptable anymore. Our products have enhanced literally millions of lives globally—in Korea, China, Australia, Canada. Now it’s time to do more right here, and we are. The Banneker project stands in the forefront of recent activities, but we’re engaged in a host of other efforts to connect with the local community. We’ve partnered with Solution Tree, New Learning Concepts, and AECT. We’re in dialogue with both Ivy Tech Community College and Indiana University. Our facility is used by IU Continuing Education, Leadership Bloomington and the Cub Scouts. If you look at Bloomington and think about who we are, there’s no reason that the educational community can’t be more like what the life sciences community has become. We’re doing our part to make that happen. AIT is here!
Within an hour of meeting with Business Network, Chuck Wilson followed up to enthusiastically share some good news. He’s just learned that AIT’s “The Four Keys” video production had won the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Added Wilson, “We make a point that if you’re going to do it…you’d better do it right!”
* SCANS stands for the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills and addresses skills and competencies necessary and required to enter the work force.