Joseph Borkowski

Professionally and personally, Joseph Borkowski is a problem-solver. The Systems Administrator and Instructional Technologist for Global Languages stays sharp with membership in professional organizations like the International Association for Language Learning Technology, where he is the membership coordinator and a regional leader, and by working with colleagues to find solutions. “Instructional technologists more broadly need to understand education and social problem solving more than they need technological proficiency,” he says, “so there’s a huge practical shout out to the humanities and social sciences!”

Describe your roles and responsibilities.

I manage Global Languages’ technology resources, including hardware, software licenses and troubleshooting, audio-visual assets, web, and systems administration for internal digital humanities projects. I work closely with the language groups and individual lecturers in our unit to develop strategies for using instructional technology in classes. I sometimes joke that if it’s plugged in, I’m responsible for it, but instructional technology here is very inclusive; my role includes small but significant elements of classroom design and space management, curriculum development, and user experience.

How long have you worked at MIT?

I’ve worked at MIT since the summer of 2017, so it’s been more than seven years now! My role was more technically oriented in the beginning, but over the years (through iteration and education) I’ve shifted my responsibilities to more directly support Global Languages’ educational mission.

What’s the best thing about your job? 

One of the best things about my job is that at its core, it’s about finding, developing, and implementing creative solutions to problems. But it means so much more to me that I get to do that in a field I care about, with brilliant and creative colleagues, in support of education. Language education has a long history of using creative technological interventions in service of direct instruction, and I think it’s neat to be a small part of that.

What advice would you offer someone interested in doing what you do?

I got into this by finally taking what I enjoyed doing (problem solving with others) and then trying to find a way to combine that with an intellectually fulfilling environment. Learning to roll with setbacks while embracing new responsibilities has enabled me to carve a career from this.