The College of Business at Florida International University (FIU) has launched a microsite that features conversations with its newest faculty members, who speak about their research interests and what they think makes for teaching excellence.

The online approach—replacing previous printed publications that introduced new faculty members primarily to deans of other business schools—was chosen for a number of reasons.

First, the short videos enable the faculty members to convey more information, giving viewers a deeper view of their interests.

Second, the site makes it possible to reach several different audiences with different priorities.

“We designed the content to be relevant to our students, FIU faculty and the press,” said Ellen Forman, assistant director, media relations and communications, Marketing and Communications, who conducted the interviews.

The interviewees comment on their teaching: what they love about it, or what, in their view, makes for an effective teacher. Their animated observations will interest students in their courses, or those contemplating enrolling in them.

Comments about research will prompt faculty members from across disciplines to look for synergies. The research comments also validate the important contributions FIU Business makes to helping FIU fulfill its role as a public research university.

Press accessibility plays strong role.

Finally, the short videos will enable members of the press to quickly identify experts they can interview for news stories.

“We have a wealth of knowledge among our faculty, from the newest to those who have been here the longest,” Forman said. “The videos, along with extensive information in the faculty experts section of our website, will help reporters seek out the right person to comment on breaking news or on trends across various industries.”

Webmaster Alexis Puentes shot and edited the videos, and along with Osmel Matos, computer programmer/analyst, helped design the site.