Summer 2008 - Digitized Resources Murphy Library University of ...

continued from page 20
without adequate seating. Makeshi spaces that have been hastily adapted to
accommodate popular course offerings do not provide the infrastructure
required for emerging educational techniques. Add to that the impact of UW-L’s
Growth, Quality and Access agenda, which will allow the university to admit 500
additional students over time and add faculty and staff positions to support
them, and the need for more space becomes increasingly evident.
However, providing an effective learning environment extends beyond
providing adequate space. e manner in which lessons are delivered — and
how students receive them — has changed. e proposed Centennial Hall will
feature exible seating that adapts to interactive teaching methods, small group
discussions and project work.
ough some might suggest that the genesis of the Digital Age is the
epicenter of the current revolution in classroom learning, those who have been
around for a while are quick to point out that today’s innovations may be relics of
the next revolution — whenever that will be.
e namesake of Wimberly Hall itself, who taught his last American
Government class in 1966, fondly recalls the advent of the audio-visual
revolution he witnessed during his time as a professor.
“We made great use of the blackboard, but that meant we had to turn our
backs to the students,” Wimberly remembers with a smile. “at was replaced by
overhead projectors and transparencies. at was the audio-visual age as we
knew it!”
Much has changed since then, of course. Even now, the long-term usefulness
of the internet as a method of abeing education is being questioned. “ere are
so many changes (in technology). I can only imagine the challenges those who
are planning the building are facing,” Wimberly empathizes.
Advanced technology shapes how lessons are delivered
Among those experienced in designing the learning environments in the
new academic building is Jim Jorstad, ’78, UW-L’s director of educational
technologies.
While he acknowledges that the traditional approach to delivering lessons —
a professor delivering a lecture to a group of students — is appropriate in some
circumstances, the emergence of mobile devices and high-speed data transfer
have had a profound inuence on shaping the way students learn.
“Being mobile and having the capacity to access information and resources
worldwide is a major shi in how we learn and teach,” Jorstad explains.
“Technology allows us to learn anytime, anywhere. Students don’t stop learning
at 5 p.m. Being able to provide access to students and faculty 24/7 is the new
learning landscape in which we exist.”
Providing experiences that promote interaction and collaboration between
students and faculty are most conducive to learning, Jorstad contends. Webcasts
of presentations, electronic response systems that permit students to interact
with professors in real time, tablet PCs that permits students to take notes with
digital ink, and teleconferencing that allows students, faculty and staff to connect
to anyone in the world with a click on a computer screen are among the
technologies that will be part of the new facility.
“Centennial Hall will provide us with a unique opportunity to blend
innovative teaching and learning environments with techniques that promote
collaborative experiences,” Jorstad says. “It’s our chance to create a legacy of
innovative teaching and learning that will celebrate UW-L’s excellence.”
Conceiving learning environments that promote interactivity and inquiry,
continued on next page
How to give
c o v e r s t o r y
Every alumnus of UW-L shares an
inextricable link to a place that values
integrity, embraces intellectual
challenges, rewards innovative
approaches to solving problems, and
respects the contributions offered by
individuals of different backgrounds and
perspectives.
The $6 million campaign for Centennial
Hall represents the most ambitious
academic initiative the UW-L Foundation
has attempted. If we are successful, we
will receive $38 million from the State of
Wisconsin to construct a building that
will help to ensure that today’s and
tomorrow’s students will continue to
experience all that UW-L has to offer.
It is, by all measures, a once-in-acentury
opportunity to establish a legacy.
Supporting this historic campaign is
easy. You can contribute via check, credit
card or EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer).
Or, if you prefer, you can be billed in
regular increments by the UW-L
Foundation.
To make a pledge or to give online, visit
www.uwlax.edu/campaign. Or simply
mail your gift in the attached envelope.
Many employers have matching gift
plans. Check to see if your workplace
offers such a program and how you can
use it to leverage an even larger gift for
UW-L. Payments on pledges are
deductible for income tax purposes as
provided by law.
If you would like more information or
have questions, contact:
Al Trapp, Acting President,
UW-L Foundation
trapp.alle@uwlax.edu | 608.785.8496
u w - l a c r o s s e a l u m n u s • s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 • 2 3