Students can expect to see changes in the top floor of the library this fall as construction begins on the AT&T Learning Studio, set to open sometime in the spring semester.
The studio is a product of the $1.8 million grant AT&T gave the university to enhance mobile learning. The studio will include small group rooms and conference rooms as well as equipment and specialists that will help students record and edit media presentations. It will also help faculty bring media to the classroom.
Until the AT&T Learning Studio is built, students can continue to meet their digital communication needs in the Digital Media Center located on the bottom floor of the library.
Kyle Dickson, director of the Digital Media Center, said the AT&T grant has made it possible to welcome the expertise of trained media specialists. The specialists will work with students, train staff and help with strategic projects like Cornerstone.
This summer, the DMC partnered with Cornerstone faculty to help produce the Cornerstone website where students can find media such as podcasts from the week and resources connected to particular speakers.
“It is just an extension of the Digital Media Center’s continued support of blogging as well as audio and video,” Dickson said.
Kyle Trafton, media specialist in the DMC, said he hopes the AT&T Learning Studio will spark creativity for students and faculty.
“I’m a firm believer in that everybody is creative. Regardless of how you think of it, you have creativity in you,” Trafton said. “My vision for the new learning studio is a place where you can come, and we can help you communicate more efficiently and more creatively and help draw that out of you.”
Dickson said the DMC and the AT&T Learning Studio will continue to work with faculty to help bring media to the classroom. He also said they will continue to provide support and training for all levels of expertise for anyone wanting to record a video or audio project.
“As we welcome over 1,000 new iPhones to campus, now HD recording is not something you have to come to the library to accomplish. It’s not something that’s focused on a particular room on campus,” Dickson said. “So, we’re excited to be a center that’s exploring changes in mobile media, even if we know that much of the production of that content will happen wherever you are.”
