How Suite It Is: Collaborative Tech Suites in an Academic Library

1. How Suite It Is: Collaborative Tech Suites in an Academic Library Amy Ricci, Assistant Director, Academic Technology Center Matt Hall, Assistant Director, George C. Gordon Library WPI

2. WPI • 2,861 undergrads • 1,042 grad student • 324 full and part-time faculty • Majors in Engineering, Science & Management • Students come from 44 states and 46 countries

3. What is a Tech Suite?

4. Background • Based on ACELABs at Bentley: http://www.bentley.edu/acelab/ • Library had traditionally accommodated student project groups • Library space available due to renovations

5. Space Planning

6. Tech Suite Equipment • 50” plasma display • Dedicated networked PC • VHS VCR • DVD player • Four network ports and wireless coverage • Two laptop hookups to the display • Table and chairs for 6 people • Approximately $16,000 per tech suite • Cables, webcams, and microphones available for checkout

7. WPI’s IT Division CIO Computing and Communications Center Academic Technology Center Gordon Library

8. IT Collaboration • ATC provides the equipment and furniture; does the installation • Library provides space, daily responsibility for rooms, scheduling, and security • CCC maintains images; troubleshoots • ATC/Library staff promote tech suites to students and to faculty through the IT Liaison Program

9. Quality Control

11. Tech Suite “Kits”

12. How Students Learn Today • Most learning activity for students takes place outside the classroom • Social interaction is a growing part of learning • Technology is natural • Students construct content rather than just consume it

13. Trends in Collaborative Learning • More real world issues are becoming interdisciplinary in nature • Learning Commons - Learning spaces beyond the classroom that sustain the learning experience

14. WPI’s Project-based Curriculum • Students complete two major group projects in their undergraduate programs, outside of regular class work. • Groupwork becoming increasingly common for regular class assignments.

15. Tech Suite Uses • Project groups • Library instruction sessions • Web conferencing • Other

16. Project Groups • Collaborative planning and writing sessions • Practice presentations

17. Library Instruction Sessions

18. Web Conferencing • Interactive, live events • Shared graphics, documents, screens • VoIP • Videoconferencing capabilities • Kits with webcams and microphones are checked out at the circulation desk • Used by project groups to meet with project sponsors off campus

20. Student Surveys

21. Usage Trends Year # of Suites # of Sign-outs Turnaways 2002-03 2 13 (June launch) 2003-04 4 1153 2004-05 4 1925 2005-06 4 3593 96 (1/2 year) 2006-07 7 4331 (3/4 year)107 (3/4 year)

22. Don’t Get Too Suite • Is this what your user community wants? • Line of sight issues

23. The Future of the Tech Suites • Investigating online reservation system • Space for 3 more tech suites in the library –pending on funding • Possibly adding IP videoconferencing in at least one room • Possibly providing videotaping kits for students to record practice presentations • Upgrade/replacement cycle

24. The Future of the Tech Suites • Four tech suites being added to a new dorm

25. Student Perspective

26. Sources for Additional Information Brown, Malcom B, and Joan K. Lippincott. “Learning Spaces: More than Meets the Eye.” Educause Quarterly 26.1 (2003): 14-16. Wilson, Maureen E. “Teaching, Learning, and Millennial Students.” New Directions for Student Services. 2004.106 (2004): 59-71.

27. For Additional Information http://www.wpi.edu/+Library/About/itlab.html Matt Hall at mhall@wpi.edu Amy Ricci at aricci@wpi.edu