BENTONVILLE -- Faculty members seeking technical help recording lectures or creating presentations with a variety of media elements now have a place to go at NorthWest Arkansas Community College.
More than 50 faculty and staff members crowded a first-floor hallway of Burns Hall on Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the college's Teaching and Learning Center.
At A Glance
Teaching And Learning Center’s Mission Statement
The Teaching and Learning Center exists to support NWACC’s learning-centered mission by helping faculty find innovative ways to accomplish their teaching goals through providing collaborative development opportunities in the use of specialized instructional technology.
Source: NorthWest Arkansas Community College
"Using multimedia has become a very integral part of our job," said Diana Nagel, president of the college's faculty senate. "The idea there will be people willing to help us use this stuff is thrilling."
The center -- referred to commonly as the TLC -- also will host professional development sessions related to research, best practices and practical implementation of innovative teaching practices and technologies.
"TLC is the perfect acronym," said Evelyn Jorgenson, college president. "It really embodies what this center is all about."
A committee of faculty and staff members organized a year ago to begin developing the vision for the center. Kate Burkes, director of distance learning, said the purpose was to provide a "one-stop shop" where faculty members who need technical support and instructional support could go. This kind of center is very common for colleges to have, Burkes said.
The college used some federal grant money to provide about $30,000 worth of computers and software for the center, Burkes said. The center also includes a recording studio.
The center, which is connected to the library, will be open Monday through Friday. Staff members manning the center will be provided by the distance learning, professional development, library and faculty development departments.
One of the main reasons for the center is the increased interest in online courses. About 23 percent of all the college's credit hours are taken online, and about 42 percent of the college's students take at least one online class during a given semester, Burkes said.
"It's what students demand," she said.
Faculty members can get assistance not only with recording their lectures, but also with adding captioning to them. That's an important aspect of video material, said Amy Robertson-Gann, college director of disability resources and a member of the committee that planned the center.
"It's a huge step in the right direction," Robertson-Gann said about the center. "We're excited about it."
Eventually, students will be permitted to use the center for multimedia projects as well, Burkes said.
The center is housed in a room that until this year was home to the Eagle View, the college's student newspaper. The newspaper office has been moved to a larger space elsewhere in Burns Hall.
NW News on 08/20/2014