August 1, 2013

Murley to oversee VUSN’s educational informatics

Jerry Murley, M.Ed., was recently named assistant dean for Educational Informatics at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN.

Jerry Murley, M.Ed., was recently named assistant dean for Educational Informatics at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN.

Jerry Murley, M.Ed.

In his new role he is responsible for implementing new educational informatics ideas, serving as the School’s representative to technology support groups at Vanderbilt and helping solve educational challenges through technology.

Murley has been a member of the School of Nursing faculty for nearly 20 years, involved in many of the school’s technological advancements and learning innovations.

He joined VUSN as director of the Helene Fuld Instructional Media Center in 1994 and rose to director of Instructional Technology, where he helped usher in new learning platforms, including the early days of virtual learning for students.

“Much of the School’s technological advancements and success are due to Jerry’s tenacity and persistence,” said Betsy Weiner, Ph.D., R.N., senior associate dean of Informatics. “He never forgets that technology is meant to help students, enrich their education and prepare them for their real world roles.”

Working with a dedicated support team, he has helped advance the distance learning efforts, database management and Web-based testing, evaluation and communications systems at the school. He has managed a team of Web programmers and videographers who have delivered instructional content to enrolled students on a daily basis since 1996. The video team recently developed one of Vanderbilt University’s pilot Coursera courses.

“I consider this extension of responsibilities as a recognition of all that we have accomplished together with technology and as a challenge to make technology work more smoothly for the school each and every day,” Murley said.

He earned his Master of Education from Vanderbilt and his bachelor’s degree in History from Memphis State University. Prior to joining Vanderbilt in 1991 he was the president and art director of Mixed Media Inc.