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A Lesson in Technology
In Central Michigan U.’s new $50-million classroom building,
the computer hardware alone cost $5-million.
Next-Generation Classroom
Professors and students in the health
professions program at Central Michigan
University are using state-of-the-art
technology in their recently completed
building to find new ways of teaching and
learning
Marvis J. Lary, dean of health professions, at Central Michigan U.
For web posting only. Reproduction or distribution prohibited.
The Next-Generation
Classroom
By SCOTT CARLSON
Central Michigan University’s new health-professions building, which opened for classes
in January, was designed by the SmithGroup, an architecture firm in Detroit, Mich. The
building, which encompasses 175,000 square feet of total space and cost $50-million,
features classrooms, laboratories, and a clinical wing for the departments of psychology and
communication disorders. The building was designed around what university officials call the
ethic of “body, mind, and spirit.” Stairways connecting the two levels are emphasized over
elevators. Communal spaces with comfortable couches and armchairs are scattered
throughout, offering students places to socialize or study in groups. The grounds feature two
central michigan university “healing gardens” (bottom photograph), where people can gather.
Mount Pleasant, Mich. and he could expound on any part of hardware alone.
R
ichard Parr, a professor of the material he had taught for more There is no chalk in this building, the
exercise physiology at Central than 36 years. Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College
Michigan University, describes His perspective changed when he con- of Health Professions. Even whiteboards
himself as an “old school” instructor. sidered the challenge of teaching in take a back seat to enormous, super-
Until recently, he didn’t know much Central Michigan’s new $50-million high-definition video screens.
about technology and avoided it in the classroom building, one of the most tech- Faced with the prospect of feeling out-
classroom. Just give him a stick of nologically advanced in the country. dated and out of place among tech-savvy
chalk and a gaggle of students, he says, About $5-million of its budget went to students in this swank new space, Mr.
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Parr instead became an apostle of advantage of teachable moments,” he Professors can control much of the tech-
change. In a wired classroom on a snowy says. “They are letting the academic goals nology through a simple touch-screen
afternoon, he is giving a talk on obesity, and the pedagogy drive the technology. system on a podium. They can even use a
throwing PowerPoint slides, documents, Everyone talks about doing that, but few digital pen to enter comments over what-
and videos up on the big screens. He’s really do it.” ever is being projected on the video
wearing a tiny wireless microphone, screens, just like John Madden outlining
clipped to his dress shirt. His lecture is Health Tech a play on Monday Night Football.
being recorded for a set of DVD’s he is Other rooms include state-of-the-art
putting together. If he wanted to, he Richard J. Coluzzi, a higher-education- laboratories, outfitted with digital cam-
could pull in a live video of an expert technology consultant in Glen Burnie, eras, along with observation rooms and
from miles away, or stream his lecture Md., says that over the past 15 years holding pens for animal experiments;
onto the Web. many colleges have barely used the clinical wings for the communication-dis-
Like other professors at Central expensive equipment they have installed orders and psychology departments; and
Michigan, Mr. Parr has found that teach- in classroom buildings. “People were put- a nearly completed virtual-reality room,
ing in a wired environment requires ting in technology just to say they had where professors can study body move-
more preparation and planning, along technology,” he says. But in the past ment and mechanics.
with old-fashioned teaching experience three years, as instructional hardware All of the rooms feed into the build-
at the rare times when the technology and software alike have improved, “col- ing’s technological nerve center, called
breaks down. But the professors here leges are really starting to embrace tech- Master Control. From this room, techni-
seem to have found new energy in their nology in teaching.” cians can record lectures and save them
work. Mr. Parr didn’t want to go into Central Michigan’s building, which on tape, burn them onto disks, or send
retirement without taking advantage of opened last month, houses the public them out over the Internet.
the new technology and teaching meth- university’s health-professions program.
ods that are growing more prominent in Here the departments of communication More Teachable Moments?
higher education. “I want my last three disorders, health sciences, physical educa-
years to be the most exciting,” he says. “I tion, physical therapy, and psychology, Marvis J. Lary, dean of the college,
want to go out on top of my game.” among others, hold classes, provide facul- plans to use the new building to raise the
Warren Arbogast, president of ty offices, and conduct research. Large visibility of her programs. She says pro-
ideaReserve, a consulting company that video screens in many classrooms can fessors want to collaborate with col-
helped design the building, says its tech- project a computer display, a snippet of leagues at institutions in Italy and
nology is not a glitzy add-on, but is video, or other media; cameras can cap- France, sending videos of lectures over-
meant to be integrated into the learning ture lectures for later viewing; and seas. She also hopes that the college’s
process. Central Michigan officials microphones and speakers can foster technological advances will help it win
“wanted a building that could take interaction with guest lecturers far away. government grants for homeland-securi-
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George Bottomley (above, center), director of the physician-assistant program, instructs students as they try to “revive”
SimMan, a simulated disaster victim. A camera records the scene and sends the images to the screen behind the students. It’s
difficult to get more than six people around the SimMan at one time, Dr. Bottomley says, but the camera can stream live video
of the goings-on to a classroom full of people, and beyond. “We have thought about having lectures here and having that
transmitted to hospitals and clinics in other areas,” he says.
Richard Parr, a professor of exercise physiology, went from what he calls an old-fashioned teaching style to lectures that incorporate
multimedia. Here he uses a digital pen to highlight details in the video presentation behind him. This classroom also has cameras, and some
professors train the devices on students in class, an inconspicuous way to keep an eye on those who have a tendency to goof around or nod
off. Professors can also push a “privacy” button, which blocks all video and audio feeds going out of the room.
Reprinted with permission from The Chronicle of Higher Education, Volume L, Number 25, February 27, 2004 by The Reprint Dept., 1-800-259-0470.
For subscription information go to http://chronicle.com/subscribe or call 1-800-728-2803.