Professional Activities
Michael Scott Sheerin, M.S., Director of SCJ Online, associate professor and a professional in the broadcast and new media industry for the past 28 years, has developed interactive TV prototypes for Disney and has worked as a designer, animator, art director, creative director, commercial director and producer for such clients as ABC, U.S. Armed Forces, DirecTV, J. Walter Thompson and Nickelodeon.
Michael Scott Sheerin has been teaching at the SCJ since 1994. Starting off as adjunct professor in the TV Production track, he fell in love with the profession. He was brought on board full time at the school as a visiting professor in 2002, expanding his teaching capabilities into the Advertising and PR tracks. In July of 2004, he was named assistant dean of technology and external initiatives. The title was changed to assistant dean of technology the next year, as Sheerin focused on updating the school and curriculum to meet the ideals of a converged industry. He has also served as the chair of the previous Advertising and Public Relations department for the school, as well as the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.
Using his professional knowledge, gained from almost two decades of work in television production and interactive television (as both an art director and creative director), Sheerin advanced many aspects of technology at the school, including the transformation of the TV studio from analog to digital. He also repurposed many of the labs, adding new computers, up-to-date software programs and high-end graphic stations for both Mac and PC users. Understanding the school’s need for a more robust infrastructure, he oversaw the construction of a new server room and helped make the entire SJMC area a wi-fi hot spot. Additionally, he was the lead designer in the creation of the SJMC website that won a national award from the AEJMC for best web design in 2007. Sheerin stepped down from the assistant dean position in 2007 to get back to his teaching and research, but he is still very active in keeping new technology initiatives at the forefront of the school’s mission. That mission includes helping launch the online masters Global Strategic Communications program in his current position as the Director of SCJ Online.
On the teaching and research side, assistant professor Sheerin has been an advocate of incorporating online pedagogical methods into his courses. One of the first SCJ faculty to offer hybrid courses with extensive web tools (his course designs have been used by UTS for many years as “best practice” examples), he continues to bring real world experiences into the classroom. He is proud of the fact that his students are streaming, pod casting and blogging and winnings awards for their work. Streaming student work made it to Nike’s Joga Bonita website during the 2004 World Cup and PSAid’s website, where one spot was the leading internet vote-getter and a finalist in a 2006 national competition. Sheerin’s research includes many aspects of new technologies and television. He has written chapters and articles on the history of television, post-production, and digital imaging, and he co-authored the book “Writing and Reporting for Digital Media,” that was published in 2105 by Kendall Hunt. He has also presented papers on online education, convergence, and post-production issues at national academic and technology conferences. He was SCJ’s “Professor of the Year” in 2006 and was awarded merit recognition from FIU’s Academy for the Art of Teaching for his “Excellence in Teaching” in 2002.
Awards & Recognition
- 2015 – Outstanding Advisor Award, Kappa Tau Alpha, AEJMC Convention, San Francisco
- 2014 – Quality Matters accreditation for Introduction to Television online course
- 2012 – Finalist, Wynwood Photographic Contest
- 2007 – AEJMC 2007 Best Web Site (Designer)
- 2006 – SJMC Professor of the Year
- 2002 – Awarded Merit Recognition for Excellence in Teaching by the Academy for the Art of Teaching, FIU
- 2002 – Inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha (National Honor Society of Journalism & Mass Communication)
- 2002 – Awarded F.I.U. Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year
- 1989 – Awarded F.I.U. Outstanding Academic Achievement
Professional & Creative
- 2015-current – Photographic Curator, ViewBug
- 2005-2012 – Board Member, Florida Chapter, Association of Independent Commercial Producers
- Addy Awards: Art Director, 1999 (3), Armed Forces Radio & Television Services Spots (AFRTS), 1998 (2) AFRTS, 1994 Waterbed City, 1993 AFRTS
- 1996 – Designed & Created Kiosk Demonstrating Interactive Television for Disney/Epcot
- 1992 – Designed/Art Directed Animations for Miami Film Festival Trailer
- 1988, 1989 – Best of Photography (publication), Finalist
- 1987 – Miami Beach Art Festival, Fine Art Photography – Best in Show
Presentations
- Developing an Online Master’s Program: The Nuts and E-Bolts, Campus Technology Conference, Boston (2015)
- Cutting the Cord, Tuesday Times Roundtable for the New York Times, (2015)
- Photojournalism in the Digital Era Panel, Capture the Moment: Pulitzer Prize Photographs Exhibition, FIU’s Frost Museum (2014)
- Innovations in Online Teaching: Global Strategic Communications, SJMC Faculty Talks (2014)
- Suitable for Framing: Online Education in the 21st Century, Tuesday Times Roundtable for the New York Times, (2013)
- Making Ends (and Bytes) Meet: The Challenges of Teaching Multimedia at an Urban, Underfunded University (3-U), October 2011, Convergence and Society: Journalism, Sustainability, and Media Regeneration academic conference at the University of South Carolina.
- Jump to Screen: The Digital Image in the Metaverse. October 2008, Convergence and Society: The Participatory Web academic conference at the University of South Carolina.
- Seminar Panelist: Television Commercials and Beyond: Content Creation for the Digital Multimedia World, November 2006. Presented at the Digital & Cine Expo
- Online Courses: How do students feel about distance learning? November 2006, Convergence and Society: Ethics, Religion and New Media academic conference at the University of South Carolina
- Post Mortem? Are the full service post houses dead? November, 2003, Expanding Convergence: Media Use in a Changing Information Environment academic conference at the University of South Carolina
- Media Convergence: What are educators perceptions of it and how are they preparing students of Journalism and Mass Communications to utilize it? November, 2002, Dynamics of Convergent Media academic conference at the University of South Carolina
Published Works
- Chapter on Digital Photography for the 15th Edition of Communication Technology Update (Focal Press, August Grant, ed.), 2016
- Writing and Reporting for Digital Media. Book author. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2015.
- Chapter on Digital Photography for the 14th Edition of Communication Technology Update (Focal Press, August Grant, ed.), 2014
- Making Ends (and Bytes) Meet: The Challenges of Teaching Multimedia at an Urban, Underfunded University (3-U), Journalism & Mass Communication Educator (JMCE) January, 2013.
- Chapter on Digital Photography for the 13th Edition of Communication Technology Update (Focal Press, August Grant, ed.), 2012
- Digital natives vs. digital immigrants: A case of false labeling? The Convergence Newsletter, University of South Carolina, 2011
- Chapter on Digital Photography for the 12th Edition of Communication Technology Update (Focal Press, August Grant, ed.), 2010
- Chapter on Digital Photography for the 11th Edition of Communication Technology Update (Focal Press, August Grant, ed.), 2008
- Chapter on Digital Imaging for the 10th Edition of Communication Technology Update (Focal Press, August Grant, ed.), 2006
- Article on Convergence in the Communication Industry, The Convergence Newsletter, University of South Carolina, 2006
- Chapter on Digital Imaging for the 9th Edition of Communication Technology Update (Focal Press, August Grant, ed.), 2004
- Post Mortem? Are the full service post houses dead? Article written from research paper for Post Magazine, February 2004
- Chapter on Television for the Mass Communication in the Information Age textbook, Northport, Ala.: Vision Press, 2003
Education
- Florida International University, 2001-2002, North Miami, FL, Masters of Science in Communications, Media Advising
- Florida International University, 1987-1989, North Miami, FL, Bachelor of Science in Communications, Honors, Major: Television Production
- University of Miami, 1978 – 1982, Coral Gables, FL, Bachelor of Science, Medical Technology
- Mount Sinai Medical Center, 1982, Miami Beach, FL, School of Medical Technology
Continuing Education
- 2013– Quality Matters – Applying the QM Rubric
- 2006 – Socrates Distance Learning Group – Online Facilitator Training Program
- 2006 – New technology and the Digital Whirlwind – Miami Film Festival seminar
- 2006 – Photo Marketing Association (PMA) Conference
- 2004 & 2005 – NAB Roadshow – seminar
- 2003 – The Next Generation of the Internet Economy – seminar
- 2003 – Fletcher Group/Chicago seminar on HD cameras and HDTV new practices
- 2003 – Media Use in a Changing Information Environment Academic Conference
- 2002 – Dynamics of Convergent Media Academic Conference
- 2001 – Spruce DVD Seminar
- 2000 – Adobe AfterEffects Seminar
- 1999 & 2002 – Discreet Logic Seminars
- 1998 & 2001 – Media 100 Non Linear Editing Systems Seminar
- 1997 – Macromedia Director Seminar
- 1996 – Western Cable Conference on Interactive TV
- 1995, 1998 & 2002 – Adobe Photoshop Seminars
|
