Students today are quite different from their counterparts of only a few years ago. Student learning today still includes lecture and notes, but also integrates computing, data, networks, and digitally enabled sensors, as well as observation, collaboration, social networking and experimentation with new and changing technology. New capabilities are evolving for educational simulation, real-time data collection and decisioning. Students are able to overcome issues of time and place. They can share content, collaborate, meet online, customize their learning and get assistance from experts, all in their nightshirt and slippers.

As the type of students change, so does the role of educators and educational institutions, and, of course, the processes by which students and scholars share knowledge. This results from the coalescence of human knowledge into a dynamic, interactive repository, the National Information Infrastructure (NII), accessible by virtually anyone at any place and at any time.

What has evolved the development of more “virtual” learning experiences that allow for hands-on practice and testing to actively engage the student in learning, imagination and discovery.

The University of Texas-Houston is dedicated to utilizing a repository to provide the highest quality education possible in the health sciences. In addition, the University is committed to the development of scholarly courseware and content for the repository that is designed to meet the specific needs of the health sciences.

The Multimedia Scriptorium is a creative resource that facilitates this mission. The Multimedia Scriptorium team assists the university in development of a variety of projects ranging from complex courseware to simply designed departmental web pages. The team provides some fee-for-service work, as well as contributing their time to worthy projects at no charge.