Inside:

Philip Ahn is your typical freshman. His major is undeclared, he is unsure about a future career path, and he has CORE requirements to fulfill. With a variety of course options to enroll in, and virtually no restrictions, Ahn kept one thing in mind while making his fall schedule: he knows how to navigate a computer.

"Technology is our generation’s comfort zone," Ahn said.

So instead of taking sociology or math, he chose to enroll in Professor Ron Yaros' JOUR 150: Introduction to Mass Communication.

The class isn't your typical college course, according to Ahn. "I've never met a professor who is so adamant about us being on our electronic devices during class. We kind of have to be," he said.

As a part of the curriculum, students enrolled in JOUR 150 use blogs, Twitter, ELMS, and Wimba every day for class. Students aren't discouraged, but rather are required to bring laptops, cellphones, tablets, and iPods to lecture.

JOUR 150 is one of 10 pilot courses for the Blended Learning Initiative, a program sponsored by the Office of the Provost and supported by the Division of Information Technology and the Center for Teaching Excellence, during the Fall 2011 semester. Blended learning classes incorporate various technologies into the coursework, in addition to traditional lecture-style class meetings.

For Yaros, who is also a Mobile Learning Fellow in the university's Mobility Initiative, teaching with technology is about educating professors as much as it’s about educating students.

"A lot of professors say to me, 'Well, it's easy for you [to use technology in the classroom] because you're teaching journalism students -- their industry is information,' but then I tell them I don't have any journalism majors in my class," he said.

Yaros and Ahn agreed the course offers unique benefits to students. To Yaros, the course is unique, because it "builds a community where there's more [of an] opportunity [for students] to learn from each other, but at the same time I can also interact with them more." For Ahn, using technology in class "has really created a much more efficient and comfortable means of education."

The Blended Learning Initiative courses will continue to bring students innovative, technology-based learning opportunities.

During the summer and fall of 2011, the computer lab in Worcester Hall got a facelift. The lab, managed by the Division of IT, had not been renovated since it opened in 1989.

With this refresh, the Worcester lab will be a test case for making other computer labs managed by the division more collaborative environments. In addition to new paint, carpet, and ceiling tiles, the lab has all new furniture. Gone are all the partitioned computer carrels. The new furniture layout is more open to give you space to work with a classmate or friend. The lab also has a couple of booths that provide large shared displays, so that groups can collaborate on projects. For bigger groups, the lab has a new large display that can be used in conjunction with movable furniture and white boards.

The lab also now houses three high-end multimedia stations with large dual monitor configurations and lots of RAM to facilitate video editing and other multimedia projects. Capping off the upgrades are two counters with power outlets so that you can plug in your laptop while working or printing in the lab.

Planned additional enhancements for the lab include new multimedia stations and computers, as well as soft seating such as couches and armchairs.

Stop by the Worcester lab for your next group or multimedia project!