from "Griffin, Thomas" <[log in to unmask]>

Hello

At NEIU in our lab which is dedicated to language and departmentally "owned", we have all three scenarios you describe. Block reserve classes that are media or computer intensive such as film studies classes, or when there is no campus space to put them and we need to avoid cancelation. Open access learning where students do the voice, document or online exercise textbook internet tasks, and training for all new beginner and intermediate classes during the first weeks of the term along with occasional reservation by instructors thorough the semester.

We have two rooms in our lab of 30 and 5 workstations plus a workstation outside our front door in the main part of the library that is open on weekends when the lab isn't.

We also use CAN8 to get some of the audio and computer based drill tasks done online. We also have a region free NTSC/PAL DVD player that teachers can bring to the ir class to plug into the podium and projector rig that our media services provides in every classroom. Those podium setups have laptop hookups and network jacks, but their VHD/DVD players are NTSC only.

Sometimes students do complain about the course fee which for us is only 10 bucks for General Education classes only (beginning and intermediate) which uses the bulk of the time there.

Thomas Griffin
Coordinator, Language Learning Lab
Department of World Languages and Cultures
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 N Saint Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773-442-4753 (phone)
773442-4752 (voicemail)
[log in to unmask] (e-mail)
www.neiu.edu/languages