The Foreign Languages and Literatures Resource Center (FLLRC) will host an open house 3:30-5:30 p.m. today in Pardee Hall room 419. The event was rescheduled because of snow.
“An open house is both a celebration and a way to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has been involved,” says Mary Toulouse, director of the FLLRC. “Many of these people have never had a chance to see the resource center up and working. We’ll have demonstrations so people will have a chance to try out new programs and equipment.”
The FLLRC has changed significantly since its establishment in 1990, transforming into a full-service, multimedia facility.
Located on the fourth floor of Pardee Hall, the center is home to two state-of-the-art computer rooms (Mac and PC), a software development studio, “encounter space” with satellite connections, and an interactive Smart Board for annotating and editing students’ written assignments, videos, and presentations.
Other learning tools include newspapers from different countries and a fashion exhibit that showcases clothing trends from around the world.
“The main goal is to create a cooperative learning center,” says Toulouse, who adds that even the hallway has become an informal working space where students “not only encounter each other, but also different cultures.”
Many students have benefited from the FLLRC and its technology, including Meghan Jackson ’05 (Yokosuna, Japan), a double major in French and philosophy.
“She used the new I-movie software to subtitle a long clip from a commercial,” Toulouse explains. “She did a really professional job.”
English major Kathy Schubel ’06 (Holmdel, N.J.) used the Smart Board to do a presentation on Japanese cartoons, and many students have used the center’s language software, which allows them to view and record their voices over silent film clips.
“I think [the language software] is an amazing tool for interactive learning,” says Simon Mushi ’06 (Gaborone, Botswana), an electrical and computer engineering major. “After using it for about 20 minutes for the first time, I could immediately tell that it was a good way to sharpen my comprehension and feedback skills in French, both of which are essential if you aim to be fully conversant.”
“Over the past few years, I have noticed more professors integrating the video, moderated language laboratory teaching, and computer-based grammar and oral exercises into their curricula,” adds Hart Feuer ’05 (Portland, Ore.), a double major in economics & business and German. “It’s a very powerful arrangement and a unique opportunity for language students at Lafayette.”
For more information, including excerpts from student video projects, see the FLLRC web site.
Mary Toulouse, director of the Foreign Languages and Literatures Resource Center, works with Andrey Chelebiev ’05 on the new Smart Board, a giant computer monitor on which students and professors can interact through writing and drawing.