T+B Portfolio: Wheeler by B-Hooved

J. Ryan Wheeler Portfolio

Table of Contents Hiring Documents Resume

・ Cover Letter

Technical Documents Instructions

・ Infographic

Business-Style Reports

Formal Proposal ● User-testing Report

Hiring Documents Resume & Cover Letter

J. Ryan Wheeler 512.810.1178 | ryan.wheeler.atx@gmail.com | Austin Texas

Profile

Graduating student with experience in editing, teaching composition, research, organizational management, and leadership offers proficient skills in Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, and Google Tools as well as social media, and working knowledge of successful teambuilding and management.

Education

Bachelor of Arts | Double Major | English Writing and Rhetoric and Psychology Austin Tx. | August 2013 - August 2017 GPA 3.63

Highlighted Coursework

Experience

Freshmen Studies Teaching Assistant | St. Edward’s University Writing Teaching Assistant + Lecture Intern 2015 Teaching assistant for Freshman Writing and Composition class and Sex, Drugs, and Counterculture Lecture. Graded assignments, helped students one-on-one, kept attendance, and lead lectures.

Communication Coordinator | Student Life | St. Edward’s University Present Gathers information from various organizations one campus and disseminates it to appropriate groups using social media, newsletters, fliers and posters. Plans and coo events and info sessions.

Research Assistant | Dept. of Psychology | St. Edward’s University Present Work alongside university professor, Dr. Green, to edit and prepare research reports for publication and presentation in various conferences and psychology journals.

Editor in Chief | B, Hooved Humor Magazine | St. Edward’s University Present Working with other students to publish comedy articles and satires written by St. Edward's community members both online and in print. Coordinating submissions and organizing editing staff. Budgeting and fundraising. Creating and disseminating advertising.

Social Media Manager | Psi Chi Honors Society | St. Edward’s University Present Manage social media outlets to ensure that all information is current, accurate, and consistent across platforms. Share events and generate content to share.

Intern | Write Well Austin Present Collaborate with local businesswoman to set up writing classes and workshops and help facilitate those workshops. Edit and update LinkedIn profile. Create and Manage excel workbooks for budgeting. Generate content for blog.

Herd Leader | Anchor’s Program | St. Edward’s University 2015 Collaborate with other student leaders to put on day event. Facilitated discussions and activities with incoming students. Develop leadership skills.

Mentor | Hilltop Mentors | St. Edward’s University 2015-Present Meet with student mentees weekly to engage with them socially, advise them academically, or guide them through confusing university processes. Encourage them to take advantage of opportunities and make the most of their time in undergrad.

Special Projects

Research Project for Counseling + Guidance: "Case File-Sherlock Holmes" Research Project for Theories of Rhetoric: "Neosophism and Modern Pedagogy" Research Co-authorship: “Teaching Counseling + Guidance at Undergraduate Level Senior Thesis: "Should academic tenure in higher education be abolished?"

Honors and Awards

Psi Chi International Honors Society— Social media Manager Recognition and initiation given to students of psychology with GPA above 3.5. Students are provided opportunities to participate in meetings, events, and conferences. 2016Current Dean's List Students are recognized for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or above. 2013-Current Faculty Scholarship Students with 3.5 or higher GPA are eligible to apply. Faculty reviews the applications and makes a selection. 2016-2017 Freshman Studies Intern Students apply for positions as teaching assistants for freshman writing classes and lecture classes. Applicants must have GPA above 3.5 and demonstrate ability to adequately aid and advise students and professors. 2015

References

512.810.1178 | ryan.wheeler.atx@gmail.com | Austin, Texas

J. Ryan Wheeler 512.810.1178 | ryan.wheeler.atx@gmail.com | Austin Texas October 27, 2016

Texas Monthly 816 Congress Ave #1700 Austin, TX 78701 Dear Internship Coordinator, I am writing to express my interest the Custom Publishing or Editorial Internships at Texas Monthly for Spring or Summer 2017. With my classes taken to receive a Bachelors degree in English Writing and Rhetoric and Psychology, teaching skills, and experience as the Editor-in-Chief of the St. Edward’s University Humor Magazine, B-Hooved, I would be an ideal candidate for the Custom Publishing or Editorial Internships at Texas Monthly. I had the opportunity to serve as the Editor-in-Chief of B-Hooved, the St. Edward’s Humor Magazine. This rich experience building the publication from the ground up, collaborating with excellent team members, and bringing the magazine to print gave me profound insight into leading a team and solidified my passion with working on publications and working extensively with content editing. I also enjoyed the process of generating creative content and the ability to give others the opportunity to express themselves and making people laugh. During my time at St. Edward’s University, I have had the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant in the Freshman Studies Internship Program. Working with freshman students allowed me to share my passion for writing, work one-on-one editing and proofing assignments, lead study sessions, and engage in other classroom activities such as grading and taking attendance. The invaluable skills that I shared with others and took away from this experience will help me be a productive and supportive team member. As stated in your “About Us” page on the Texas Monthly website, Texas Monthly staff value storytelling. As a student of English Writing and Rhetoric and Psychology at St. Edward’s University, I have a special appreciation for taking a piece of news or culture and building it into a rich, compelling story that inspires readers. Because we share this value, I believe I would be a strong fit for the Custom Publishing or Editorial Internships at Texas Monthly. I have enclosed my resume. Please contact me at ryan.wheeler.atx@gmail.com. Sincerely,

J. Ryan Wheeler

Technical Documents Instructions & Infographic

How to Remove the Background of an Image in Photoshop CS6 Introduction This guide will teach you how to simply remove the background of an image in Photoshop CS6 using the Magic Wand Tool and the Quick Selection Tool. Depending on your needs, you may use a transparent image to add beautiful background-free images to documents, presentations, and websites. This guide explains how to remove the backgrounds of simple images using selection and deletion. This method works best for images with simple backgrounds with a solid background color, smooth edges around the object, and a distinct contrast between the foreground and the background. These instructions may not be for you if your image is detailed or intricate around the edges or has a background with a similar color to the foreground. The rest of this guide will introduce you to the basic selection tools in Photoshop CS6, provide step-by-step instructions to remove a background using the Magic Wand and Quick Selection tools, and how to troubleshoot potential problems when removing a background with this method.

Overview of Photoshop CS6 Navigate the major Photoshop CS6 selection tools with Figure 1. To remove the background of your image, you may need to use the tools in the diagram below.

Figure 0 - Overview of Photoshop CS6

Photoshop Tools Overview:

Background Eraser Tool: Change particular colors of a layer to transparent by clicking and dragging. Eraser Tool: Change parts of the layer to transparent by clicking and dragging. Layers Panel: Displays all layers within the document. When a particular layer is selected, your actions will only affect that layer. Magic Eraser Tool: Change all similar pixels to transparent by clicking a particular color. Magnetic Lasso Tool: Select an object with

magnetic points that snap to the edge of an object. Add points by clicking and moving your cursor. Remove points by pressing backspace (Windows) or delete (Mac). Magic Wand Tool: Select similar pixels by clicking the layer. Move Tool: Move objects in a given layer around the Photoshop canvas by clicking and dragging. Quick Selection Tool: Select an object by clicking and dragging.

Materials Needed •

Adobe Photoshop CS6

•

Image file with an unwanted background (JPG or PNG file preferred)

Directions There are many different methods to remove a background in an image; however, no matter the method you choose, prepare to remove the background with the following steps.

Open Photoshop CS6.

Figure 1 – Opening Photoshop CS6

Open Photoshop CS6, preferably on a Windows or Mac operating system. If you are using an earlier version of Photoshop, the tools should hold similar functionality; however, they may appear differently or be located in different places within the program.

Figure 1 – Opening the Image

Open the image you want to edit.

Select Layer from Background.

Figure 3 – Opening the Image

Select FILE from the menu bar, then click OPEN. Browse for your image file, SELECT the image, then click OPEN. Figure 4 – Layer from Background Figure 5 – Layer from Background

In the Layers Panel, RIGHT CLICK the LAYER named Background. Click LAYER FROM BACKGROUND. RENAME your layer to the name of your choice. Press OK. Without removing the layer from background, your background cannot be transparent.

Remove a simple background with the Magic Wand Tool. The Magic Wand Tool selects pixels based on tone and color. Since this selection tool does not select pixels in an image based on shapes or by detecting object edges, this tool is best for images with simple backgrounds with a solid background color, smooth edges around the object, and a distinct contrast between the foreground and the background.

Select the Magic Wand Tool on the vertical toolbar.

Adjust your selection settings on the top horizontal toolbar.

On the left vertical toolbar, right click the wand icon and select the Magic Wand Tool. (See Figure 1 on page 1.) Figure 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Changing Settings on the Options Toolbar

Select ADD TO SELECTION, change your sample size to POINT SAMPLE, change your tolerance to 32, and CHECK anti-alias, contiguous, and sample all layers. (See Figure 6.) While these are good default settings, you may need to adjust them based on the image. Refer to the descriptions of each setting below. New Selection: Useful to generate a single, new selection. When chosen, generates a new, different selection with every click. Add to Selection: Useful to select multiple objects or multiple parts of an object. When chosen, creates a new selection and adds to the current selection with every click. Subtract from Selection: Useful to correct mistakes or remove parts of the selection. When chosen, every click removes a portion of the current selection. Intersect with Selection: Useful to select intersecting parts of an image. When chosen, this tool views your initial selection, and your current selection, and keeps only the area where both sections overlap. Tolerance: A tolerance of 32 would select our current selection, plus any pixels that are up to 32 shades darker or 32 shades brighter. Therefore, a higher tolerance value would increase your selection size and a lower tolerance value would decrease your selection size. Anti-alias: When selected, smooths out edges by applying a slight blur to them. Contiguous: When selected, only pixels that fall within the acceptable tone and color determined by the tolerance option and are side by side will be selected. Sample All Layers: When selected, all layers, regardless of if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re active or not, will be included in your selection.

Figure 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Selecting the Background

Make your initial background selection. To avoid selecting your object, CLICK a portion of the background FAR from your object to make your initial selection. You should see animated dotted lines indicating your selection (see Figure 7). You should only need to click once to select a good portion of your background. Best practices: As demonstrated in Figure 7, CLICK within the GREEN CIRECLES to ensure a GOOD selection that does not overlap your object. Worst Practices: Do NOT click within the RED BOX as this includes shadows, uneven backgrounds, and your object. NOTE: You do not need to select the entire background on your first click, and it is ok to have small parts of your object selected. If you have selected your entire object or only a small portion of your background, press Control (Ctrl)+D (Windows), Command (â&#x152;&#x2DC; Cmd)+D (Mac) to deselect and try again. If you have selected most of your background, proceed to Step 4.

Figure 8 – Subtracting with Quick Selection Tool

Figure 9 – Changing the size of your selection tool

Refine your selection with the Quick Selection Tool. In this step, you will select the remaining details of your background that you may have missed in Step 3. To REMOVE a portion of your selection, RIGHT CLICK the WAND icon on the vertical toolbar. Click QUICK SELECTION TOOL. On the horizontal toolbar, click the SUBTRACT FROM SELECTION icon (see Figure 8). To change the size of your brush, click the DOWNWARDS ARROW to the right of the Subtract from Selection icon, then drag the slider to the right (larger) or left (smaller) (see Figure 9). Figure 10 – Select Add to Selection To ADD smaller portions to your selection, follow the instructions above to select and resize the QUICK SELECTION TOOL. Click the Add to Selection icon (see Figure 10). To UNDO your last move, either press Ctrl+Z or ⌘ Cmd+Z (Mac). To REDO what you just undid, press Ctrl+Shift+Z (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd+Shift+Z (Mac). To RESTART your selection and restart, either press Ctrl+D (Windows), ⌘ Cmd+D (Mac), or right click and choose DESELECT. The animated dotted lines should disappear.

Figure 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Final Selection Refine your selection until the entire background is neatly selected. As shown in Figure 11, the animated dotted line should outline your canvas and the object. If any part of the animated dotted line overlaps with the object, you may accidentally delete a portion of the object. If your line overlaps the object or does not outline the canvas, continue to refine your selection. If your line neatly outlines the canvas and object (see Figure 11), proceed to Step 5 on page 8.

Figure 12 – Delete your Background

Press BACKSPACE (Windows) or DELETE (Mac) to remove your background.

Press Ctrl+D (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd+D (Mac) to deselect your selection.

Once you press delete, you should see a gray and white checkerboard pattern where your background once was. This background indicates transparency; therefore, if you place the image into a Microsoft Word document, PowerPoint presentation, or on a website, the image will stand alone without a white background. Figure 13 – Deselect your Selection The animated dotted line should disappear and you should still have the checkerboard pattern in place of your previous background, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 14 – Select File, then Save As

Figure 15 – Select the Format Dropdown Menu

Figure 16 – Select PNG Save your Image as a PNG file.

Figure 17 – Select OK on PNG Options

In the Menu bar, hover over FILE and click SAVE AS (Figure 14). If you’d like, change the name of your file, then click the FORMAT dropdown menu (Figure 15). Change your format to PNG. When presented with PNG Options, click OK.

Congratulations! You may now use your beautiful background-free image to create beautiful documents, presentations, and websites without looking like it was made in the 1990’s!

BEFORE

AFTER 9

Troubleshooting Having trouble? Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a guide to some frequently encountered problems. Error Message

Probable Cause

Could not use the magic wand because no layers are selected.

No layers are selected.

Table 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pop-up error messages.

Solution Click the layer in the Layer Panel to select the layer you would like to work with.

Business-Style Reports Formal Proposal & User-testing Report

TO: Beth Eakman FROM: Ryan Wheeler DATE: November 30, 2016 RE: Letter of Transmittal I propose that St. Edward’s University should undergo planning, implementing, and executing a new section of orientation that would make Hilltop mentors a mandatory program for incoming freshman students. This program would aid students in transitioning into college, build their confidence, and help build community. In the current proposal, I will explain the present system of Hilltop Mentors, problems with the program, objectives, proposed solution, development of the program, and scheduling.

Present System Currently, students of any standing may sign up for the Hilltop Mentors Program through Collegiate Link to be either a mentor or a mentee. Students and staff in Student Life currently facilitate this program. All students fill out an application for the purpose of pairing mentors and mentees. This application does not determine eligibility for the program. In the application, mentors describe themselves and any communities they identify with, for example, first-generation college student, minority group, gender, LGBTQ community, major, etc. Mentees also fill out these characteristics. Both groups also include personality traits and hobbies. Mentors identify how many mentees they would like to take on as well. These characteristics help Student Life pair mentors with mentees. In the final part of the application, both groups reflect on why they would like to be part to the program or what they would like to receive from the program. Students also now have to opportunity to sign up for a group mentoring experience or a one-on-one experience.

Problems With The Present System Because students sign up for the program, there may be many students who fail to sign up for several reasons such as missed deadlines, confusion in the sign-up process, or even feeling to shy to get involved. Students may even intend to sign up, but they are too caught up in Welcome Week and the first week of school to sign up. Another issue is that students may not realize how valuable the program could be to them. While they are encouraged to sign up by, seventeen or eighteen-year-old students may be confident they can handle classes, career planning, and socializing be themselves.

Objectives The objectives of the administration, this project, and Hilltop Mentors are to give students access to all resources that would: • Aid their transition from high school to college • Build their confidence • Give them helpful advice about balancing their responsibilities Additionally, the administration values high retention rates and academic success. Studies have clearly shown that mentor programs in retention rates as well as improved student learning outcomes. Building this program into the first year experience may influence these factors.

Proposed Solution Hilltop Mentors has grown from a small, student-run organization, to a large-scale program facilitated by Student Life. Now, it is time for Hilltop Mentors to take the next leap, and become a mandatory program for all incoming freshmen students. The process of enrolling would be built into orientation with presentations to explain the program and a designated time for sign-up with assistance. The program itself will remain the same. Older students, faculty, and staff would be mentors offering either group or one-on-one mentoring depending on preference.

Developing The Program Administration will work with Student Life to help inform incoming students and plan for implementation. This will be completed in the following four steps: informing, implementation: training, and testing the program. Informing A dialogue between Student Life and Administration will occur that would provide information about the program to administration. However, administration may need to update recruitment presentations and new student information packets. Planning and Implementation Student Life will add space into the Orientation schedule for an informative presentation and an assisted sign-up time. These two processes should take 20 minutes to 45 minutes. After Orientation, Student Life should hold their annual Hilltop Mentors Dinner two to three weeks later to meet their mentors. Mentors and mentees will be charged with scheduling their meet-ups based on their schedules. Training Mentors will have to attend or two comprehensive training session to prepare them for their experience and give the best advice they can to their mentee. They should learn about all student recourses available at St. Edwardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as well as empathy training, QPR training, and title IX training. Testing the program The first year of this new programing should be considered a pilot program. Freshmen students and mentors should be surveyed before, between semesters, and after their experience to establish some helpful metrics that will determine how the program can be enhanced.

Schedule The Planning phases can begin in Spring 2017 to prepare for the Implementation and Informing phases in Summer 2017. Final data should be gathered by Spring 2018.

Conclusion I am enthusiastic about the possibility of growing Hilltop Mentors and giving perspective students greater support in their first year of college. I hope that implementing the program will be successful.

Usability Testing Report: How To Remove The Background Of An Image In Adobe Photoshop CS6 J. Ryan Wheeler St. Edwardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University

Abstract In order to test the usability of this instruction set to help beginners remove a background from an image in Adobe Photoshop cs6. The research team designed and constructed a process analysis. This test consisted of three phases (testing, post interview, and analysis). The purpose of the report was to identify obstacles in the user experience and to clarify the instruction to increase the usability of the document. Analysis indicates problems at stepsâ&#x20AC;Ś. This report will document and identify stronger and weaker areas in the process and provide recommendations for improving usability.

Usability Testing Report: How To Remove The Background Of An Image In Adobe Photoshop CS6 Introduction The purpose of this report is to identify strengths and weaknesses in the instructions document, “How To Remove The Background Of An Image In Adobe Photoshop CS6,” and provide recommendations for improvement. A usability test was conducted on students in a classroom setting. The research team collected data on unclear language or design. From this data, our researchers formulated suggestions for revision. Method Participants The sample for the current study was a sample of convenience recruited from St. Edward’s University campus with 3 participants. (N=3) Participants included one male and two females between the ages of 18 and 21. The sample represented Caucasian and Hispanic ethnicities. The participants ranged from some experience with Adobe Photoshop to no experience. Materials Testing Materials. Participants completed usability testing on Mac desktop monitors running Apple software and Adobe Photoshop CS6. Known confederates documented the participants experience with video recording software and note-taking. Instruction Document. The participants read and attempted to follow the instructions document. This document included a description materials needed to complete the process, a set of step-by-step directions, and troubleshooting advice. This document also included images to help the participants.

Post-test Interview. Participants were given a post-test interview with 5 questions about their experience. Questions included how much experience participants had with Adobe Photoshop, what confused them, what they would change, and whether or not they thought the instructions document was helpful. Procedure Participants were instructed to attempt to remove the background of an image using Adobe Photoshop CS6 using the instructions document. They were also asked to explicitly explain their thought process as they encountered the document. While the participants completed this task, two confederates took notes and one other recorded the participant’s experience. After the participant completed the task, they completed a post-test interview about their experience. Results Users experience setbacks or confusion at Steps 2, 3, and 4. Users struggled to find the Magic Wand tool because they had to double-click the icon and this step was not reflected in the text of Step 2. Users also struggled with some jargon specific to Photoshop in Step 2. Users reported too much text in Step three, resulting in users feeling overwhelmed and skipping over this section. In Step 4, users struggled to distinguish actual steps from “helpful hints.” Discussion The most salient issues that novice users encountered was feeling overwhelmed by large blocks of text. These blocks of text also decreased readability and our users were unwilling to read them thoroughly. Our research shows some suggestions for improvement would be to break large blocks of text down into smaller subsections and frontload the instructions with images and icons.

We also suggest to add in â&#x20AC;&#x153;quick tipsâ&#x20AC;? and separate them out from the main body of the text specially and with color. Strengths and Limitations: The current study was limited by the small sample size. Also, the sample was not representative of the population. The population our study was targeting was sophomore level students with some experience using Adobe Photoshop. Our sample was senior students with very little experience. However, the small sample size allowed the research team to closely assess the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process in detail.