--- Forwarded Message from "Peggy" <[log in to unmask]> --- >Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> >From: "Peggy" <[log in to unmask]> >To: "'Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum'" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: RE: #7311 Language "Lab" or "Resource Centers" Regained >Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 08:47:32 -0800 >Organization: Language Learning Center >Importance: Normal >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> >Disposition-Notification-To: "Peggy" <[log in to unmask]> ------------------ Reasons for our Language Learning Center: 1. We sell "service." It is a double-edged sword because we get blamed when the technology messes up, but we also receive a lot of praise for the complete customer service we offer. This includes a technician to run the complicated oral assessment software in our language classroom lab and/or to teach mini-workshops to the students on popular software such as PowerPoint. It also includes staff who show the students how to access and use the software their teachers assign. Additionally, we digitize materials for instructors once we have permission, we help instructors create multimedia materials, and we teach staff development workshops. 2. We emphasize purchasing new technology that is not available to our students via the Internet. 3. In addition to language software, we offer VHS videos, DVDs, audio cassettes, sign language interpreting stations, video recording stations, high quality microphones for digital recordings, satellite TV for various languages, staff multimedia development stations, and audio and video digitizing stations for staff. This includes a 36 station oral language assessment classroom by reservations only that is 70% occupied at all times and a student drop-in lab with over 90 stations. I mention all of this because we have been so successful at growing our attendance and staff multimedia project lessons that we expect to expand our square footage by about 35% in the next year. What we find is that for every instructor who removes the language lab requirement from their class because of media available with the textbook or online, we always manage to replace that with a new instructor who is just discovering the services available in our lab so that we stay pretty steady in our numbers. Our biggest dip came when the French Department removed the language lab requirement for a year. However, after that year, they were able to see a serious decrease in the average grade of their students, so they returned to the lab requirement even though all the homework media was available online. Thanks, Peggy C. Marcy > -----Original Message----- > From: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of LLTI-Editor > Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 10:41 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: #7311 Language "Lab" or "Resource Centers" Regained > > --- Forwarded Message from Katherine Sharnoff <[log in to unmask]> --- > > >Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 10:07:40 -0500 > >From: Katherine Sharnoff <[log in to unmask]> > >Subject: Language "Lab" or "Resource Centers" Regained > >To: [log in to unmask] > >cc: Katherine Sharnoff <[log in to unmask]> > > In recent conversations with faculty at various institutions, I have heard > about colleges and/or universities that have "lost" their language "lab" > facilities only to find that they really need them. > > We are looking for the reasons that people have used to justify their > language resource facilities. For example, what needs does the facility > meet that simply serving materials from a server does not? > > Why did you or someone to whom you could refer me lose their facility and > then regain it? > > You may reply to the list or to me directly.