New technology has come to campus once again. The Language Lab, now the Language Learning Center, has made a few changes that benefit both students and faculty alike.

The Language Lab, formerly located in University Hall, contained cramped booths with “1970s vintage cassette players,” said Ron Skulas, Language Learning Center coordinator. “It was horribly outdated and cramped.”

The cassette players produced poor sound quality, which is one reason why the dean of the college of Arts and Sciences directed Skulas to submit a grant proposal to redesign the Language Lab.

“The Language Learning Center was a big step for us. We didn’t have any computer technology before,” said Lynn Pearson, assistant professor of Spanish. “I am very pleased (with the computers).”

The redesign began in September 2001. A $90,000 grant was awarded by the Ohio Board of Regents in December that enabled the buying and installation of the 42 new iMac computers plus one Power Mac server in June 2002.

Skulas organized a team involved in different agencies on campus. This team went out to find what would be most beneficial to the people who would be using the lab. The conclusion was to go with the new flat screen iMacs.

“Mac’s were 99.9 percent of the time the computer of choice,” Skulas said.

The break down of computers ended up being 40 for student use and two for faculty stations. They all have 15-inch swivel-necked monitors, with faculty features that include a super drive that can read and burn CDs and DVDs, and Plantronics Digital Headsets with boom mikes for listening and recording assignments.

Students can use the iMacs to burn CDs and view DVDs. The computers are also equipped with the headsets.

According to Skulas, who has used the iMac in his office since June, he has not had a system crash.

“I have only had to reboot twice, and both times I had over 10 programs running at the same time,” he said.

The iMacs are a unique setup because they contain three special software programs. The first is Microsoft Office for Mac OS X, which is what the iMacs are currently using. This program enables the user to open a file made on a PC and read the file, as well as use it and update on an iMac. The reverse is also possible when converting from an iMac to a PC.

Next there is a program called Mimio. This program enables the instructor to write on a white board, using markers in electrode holders, and save the board work to electronic files. The instructors can then e-mail this to their students.

Another program is Mimio Mouse. This allows the instructor to control the computer from the white board. The instructor can set up and run programs without having to run back and forth between the board and the computer.

One last feature that is included in the new center is the Apple Remote Desktop. The instructors can control all the computers in the lab. The instructor can lock the students’ keyboards, turn programs on and off and even instant message students.

Also, with the new technology, the quality of sound, from the cassette players to computers, is much better. “There is mp3 quality now,” Skulas said.

Not only is the sound quality better, but it was such a change that it shocked students and faculty, Skulas said.

With the new technology offered in the Center, Pearson’s students can now listen to the different dialects of Spanish over the computer.

“Normally when students study dialects, they read about them in books. But now they can also do examples. They can make up oral exams and turn them in on disks or CDs,” Pearson said.

Extra practice outside of class is also possible. Students can use different labs on campus because they are hooked into the campus network.

The Language Learning Center is now located in Mosley Hall, but after the renovation in University Hall, it will move back.

The equipment is expected to be available to everyone in the next three to five years.