Inside Iowa State
February 18, 2000
Come see the new ITC
by Anne Krapfl
It took three years to accomplish
(more if you count wishful
thinking), but the units that make up the Instructional
Technology Center united under one roof (the Communications
Building) this winter. ITC staff will hold a dedication and
open house for their new facilities Friday, March 3, and
the university community is invited.
The move has brought greater efficiency, said Don Rieck,
ITC director. "We're fitting together and organized better,
with some central support systems (accounting, secretarial
support)," he said. "It has eliminated some lost time and
created a real potential for growth because we're more
efficient."
ITC has about 38,000 square feet now -- compared to the 11,000 it once packed itself into in three different buildings. A big chunk of that is a facility called "University Studios," two state-of-the-art, digital TV recording studios created in the former WOI-TV studios. As television moves from analog format to digital, Iowa State is just the third university in the country to offer digital TV production services. The studio project cost about $1.2 million; the new construction and other space renovation was a $2.8 million project, according to Rieck.
One of the studios is reserved largely for student learning projects, including the student-managed station ISU-9; the other is used for video and audio production. In addition to ITC, the three partners (and heaviest users) of the studios are Extension Communications, the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and WOI Radio.
The studio facility is unmatched at any university in the country, Rieck said. "Most universities don't have one this size, and could never afford two, so this is very unusual."
Rieck said the other "new" service ITC gained in the move is a training classroom that seats up to 45 for lecture-based learning or 16 for hands-on computer-based training. In addition to creating space for more training in instructional technology, the room also will be used as an open lab for faculty. ITC staff are available to offer help, but the "lab" gives faculty time to experiment on their own with various classroom technologies.
"Seminars introduce you to a technology, but an open lab environment really gives you 'learn' time," Rieck said.
Rieck said eventually the center will have a similar walk- in facility for students to prepare class presentations.
ITC's March 3 dedication will begin in the TV studios at 1:30 p.m. From 2:30 to 5 p.m., guests may take their own tours of the various facilities. Self-guide maps will be available and ITC staff will present about a dozen demonstrations that showcase their services.
ITC is a support service unit under the umbrella of the Provost Office, which funds about 75 percent of its budget. Other revenues -- nearly $800,000 annually -- are collected through fees for projects that are for non-instructional use, such as personal portfolios or professional conferences.
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