Unique learning experience for Ohio University students
ATHENS, Ohio - Thanks to technology and dedicated faculty, Ohio University students now have the opportunity to create multimedia projects in a facility that rivals the most up-to-date production houses in the country.
The Scripps Howard Multimedia Lab, located in 020 Scott Quadrangle on the university's Athens campus, will be dedicated at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5. Following comments by Ohio University President Robert Glidden and College of Communication Dean Kathy Krendl, attendees can enjoy tours of the lab and an informal reception in the Scott Quad courtyard.
Named in honor of the Scripps Howard Foundation that donated more than $290,000 for the project, the state-of-the-art lab will allow students to create animation, digital voice and audio projects, interactive Web sites, CD-ROMs and interactive DVDs seamlessly.
According to Chris Weibel, director of the multimedia lab, the technology used throughout the lab will be transparent to the project outcome. "We're not teaching software programs; we're teaching students how to produce content," explains Weibel.
The technology that allows instructors to focus on content production rather than software training includes the use of fire wire, which provides a high-speed connection -- especially important for digital transfers -- and the ability to patch multimedia equipment into multiple workstations by simply repositioning one wire.
Not only is this method cost-productive since it alleviates the need for each workstation to have its own set of multimedia equipment, but it is also easy for both faculty and students to use. As a result, many Ohio University faculty members have embraced the new facility and have integrated the new technology into their curricula. Weibel, who also has a teaching background, says he designed the lab from a teacher's perspective.
Creating an environment that offers the same type of opportunities that exist in the professional world has drawn students from various disciplines together, which has the positive effects of idea-sharing, collaboration and cross-training-all of which are needed in a communication industry where the boundaries between print, broadcast and the Web now overlap.
