Michael Taylor

Instructional Support Specialist

Responsibilities

Michael offers programs and consultations to faculty, teaching staff and teaching assistants on basic to intermediate use of learning management systems and related instructional technologies.

Education

• M.M., Computer Music and New Media Technology, 2004

Applause

The following comments from NIU faculty were shared through NIU Today Applaud a Colleague:

"I just wanted to applaud Michael Taylor at CITL for his extensive support and help in assisting me today in the studio recording a video for my online class I am designing. He was very kind, patient, and accommodating even when things went wrong, and we had to restart the system (I had to record my video three times). Michael was especially wonderful in helping me learn Katura and how to optimize my video quality on Blackboard." (February 29, 2024)

"Michael showed empathy with my emergency Blackboard error, working with me until 5:30 p.m. to solve the problem. THANKS!!!" (December 10, 2023)

"Michael Taylor is extremely knowledgeable in Blackboard Ultra and goes out of his way to help faculty. If students and faculty need some help right away, he doesn’t hesitate to work past regular working hours, to solve their problems. People like Michael make NIU a wonderful place for the Huskies!" (October 12, 2023)

"Our department needed some data for a report due that same day; Mike was quick to respond with a solution to the problem so that we could meet our deadline." (June 11, 2023)

"Mike answered all of the questions I had about the new Ultra Blackboard learning platform. He listened intently and then covered lengthy explanations with knowledge, courtesy and professionalism. He allowed me to work hands on, ensuring I understood and could duplicate the results in the future. He’s an amazing teacher, and I was so very lucky to be able to work with him!" (June 9, 2022)

"On a Friday night at 4:30 p.m., I needed to add a student to my course after 4 weeks so that over the weekend, they could get started on the first four weeks of work. Michael helped make that possible and even offered to watch his email over the weekend in case problems developed. I have had questions in the past and Michael has always been very receptive but in this case, I really needed to help this student and he happily made that possible even though it was very late in the day. Thanks, Michael, I appreciated the support!" (February 17, 2021)

"Mike is always friendly and willing to assist me with any technical issues that I may be having." (January 21, 2021)

"Michael Taylor assisted me with submitting student exams online when the system would not allow them to be submitted. This was an evening exam after office hours so no one was available, yet it was his vacation day! The questions were BB-related or Examity-related, and he has helped me with BB Ultra a lot this semester. While this was a troubling experience for the students, they appreciated that he and I were working to assist them. I was especially appreciative since I had the entire class, who were very concerned, emailing me after they completed between 5 to 9 p.m. I was very grateful for his willingness to assist me, especially since this was not planned!" (October 16, 2020)

"Michael Taylor has been my "hero" as he saved me a few times when I was dealing with some urgent, technical issues. No matter it was lunch time or 6 pm on a Friday, he always responded to my requests promptly, and walked through all the details until the problems got resolved. A huge shout out to Mike and his colleagues who are working around the clock to support us during this difficult time." (April 1, 2020)

"I do not know what I would have done without your help, patience, availability and, of course, your expertise in Blackboard Collaborate and Blackboard video posting. You were there for consults, answering emails, and even phone calls. You were always prompt and polite. Thanks for being there. You are an asset to our university!" (April 1, 2020)