Prestigious Magazine Names German CD a Silver Medalist From: University Currents Date: May 3, 2000 By: Marianne Kunnen-Jones Phone: (513) 556-1826 Photo By: Dottie Stover Archive: Campus News, Research News An interactive CD-Rom authored by a UC doctoral student hasn't even hit the bookstore shelves yet, but already it has been catapulted into the realms of award-winning electronic publishing. Wie geht's? by Michael Shaughnessy, a doctoral student in Germanic languages and literatures, is the silver medalist in an interactive media competition sponsored by I.D., the nation's leading critical magazine covering the art, business and culture of international design. Shaughnessy's CD and other award-winning products will be featured in the June issue of I.D. and on the prestigious magazine's web site at www.idonline.com. Three years ago, Shaughnessy created a web site that has grown into one of the world's largest online bibliographies of German language software. Used by teachers worldwide, the site caught the eye of Harcourt College Publishers, a textbook publisher that invited Shaughnessy to create an interactive CD-Rom to accompany a textbook. The resulting compact disc, Wie geht's? which means "How are you doing?" or "How does something function?" is slated to reach the market in June as a supplement to the second- leading German language textbook in the nation. Shaughnessy uses a four-skills approach in the language CD to boost speaking, reading, listening and writing abilities. He conceived the CD's exercises and games, while Cortex Interactive provided software and technical assistance. Support also came from the Center for Educational Technology in Middlebury, Vt., where Shaughnessy attended workshops on multimedia. In addition to running the online bibliography, which generates about 20 e-mails a week, he learned more about German language software through his involvement with a pilot program to incorporate computer technology into UC German classes. The pilot program received funding from UC's Institute for Global Studies and Affairs. Wie geht's? has been tested in German classes Shaughnessy teaches for UC undergraduates. "Through them we found out what works and what doesn't," he said. With the finished product during one recent lab session, students listened to a narrative about Bill the ape, or "Affe," and his trip to town. Students aligned images of Bill in the order the narrative described. "I find this much more useful than going to the language lab," said Tom Roberts, a 42-year-old geology major. "You get feedback immediately if you're making a mistake."