--- Forwarded Message from Karin Thomeier <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 10:17:32 -0200
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum    <[log in to unmask]>
>From: Karin Thomeier <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Lab User Orientations

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Derar Rachida and LLTI'ers,
     Our first-year language enrollment has risen dramatically
since the implementation of a second language requirement
in our Bachelor of Arts programme. As a result, there are 
about 35 course sections (orientations) of first-year French 
alone this term in the Multimedia Language Centre, in addition 
to the 6-8 German class labs we run per week.  Out of the 46 opening 
hours we have throuout the week, not many remain for regular users!
      My experience this semester has been that often times individual
instructors will have special wishes for the orientation to the MLC.
They might request a focus on their personal website where course 
outlines, tutorials and supplementary websites reside, or they might
want to highlight primarily the Mais Oui! resources that accompany the
textbook we are using. They could also choose to split their class 
between the computer lab and the Audio Lab, switching groups at half 
time. My point is that the orientation video I put together with the help 
of our Centre for Academic Media
Services last year turns out to now be too general for the very specific needs
of most professors. These specific wishes call for experienced student
staff working in the computer facility (who run the orientations), and 
not all student monitors have the same level of know-how. It appears that 
the monitors need to be trained with this kind of flexibility in mind, which 
is something I hadn't anticipated. Initially it was set up such that all the 
orientations would be more or less identical.  If anyone has further ideas
or experience with custom-tailoring orientations (for each language, too!),
I'm all ears!
   Doing the video through Memorial's Centre for Academic Media  Services
cost me nothing except for the final copies (ca. CDN $4.00 each). 
   Hope this is of some help to you. Good luck!

   Best regards, 
     Karin
--
Dr. Karin Thomeier
Director
Language Laboratories 
Faculty of Arts
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NF   CANADA   A1B 3X9
Tel.: (709) 737-8585    Fax: (709) 737-4000
http://www.mun.ca/langlabs