NCSU Libraries Focus Online
Volume 25 number 1 - Fall 2004
Collaboratory Supports Group Study
By Carolyn Argentati, Administration
Students at NC State have few options when it comes to finding well-equipped
space for group study and collaboration. Computer labs and library-seating
areas are typically designed for individual work and discourage conversation.
Students involved in team interactions often meet in dining halls or dorm rooms,
where they cope with issues such as noise, lack of seating appropriate for
groups, minimal flat work surfaces, and uncertain computer connectivity.
The NCSU Libraries now offers the Collaboratory to faculty and students as
one solution to these problems. Located near the Digital Media Lab in the Learning
and Research Center for the Digital Age (second floor, East Wing, D. H. Hill
Library), the Collaboratory is a computer-equipped room designed to facilitate
collaboration and discussion by small groups. Presentations and other digital
materials may be displayed using the computers in the room or with laptop computers
owned personally or checked out from the Libraries' Laptop Lending Service.
A reservation calendar on the Web allows users to see when the Collaboratory
is available and reserve it in advance http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/dml/roomreservations/.
Collaboratory reservations may also be made by telephone through the Digital
Media Lab (919) 513-3855, where the staff provides on-site support for the
Collaboratory.
The NCSU Libraries is working as a partner with the Information Technology
Division and the Learning in a Technology-Rich Environment (LITRE) initiative
(http://litre.ncsu.edu/) on a project
called "Flyspace." This pilot project will establish and test the
effectiveness of well-equipped, technology-enabled work spaces for student
group work and learning. The goal is to create a collaborative work environment
that is inexpensive, easy to use, and requires minimal support. The Collaboratory
is one of three rooms identified for the "Flyspace" project; the
other two rooms are located in the Talley Student Center and are expected to
be operational during the fall 2004 semester.
The Collaboratory at the D. H. Hill Library is equipped with a PC and a Macintosh
computer, each equipped with a large display for viewing by a small group and
with software for creating presentations and manipulating multimedia materials
created in the nearby Digital Media Lab. Seating is available for two groups
of six to eight people. Videoconferencing equipment can be reserved for use
in the room, and wireless networking is provided. Networked printing is available
from printers in the Digital Media Lab. Additional equipment and furniture
will be added to the Collaboratory as recommended, based on the findings of
the "Flyspace" pilot project.
Quote by Jason Swarts, Assistant Professor, Technical and Professional Communication:
"Over the summer, my graduate student and I have used the Collaboratory
to . . . jointly work on a large body of verbal data collected in a study of
PDA use at NCSU's Veterinary Hospital. The Collaboratory is a nice setting
for this work because the designers of that space . . . recognize that collaboration
does not always take place in one medium. At times, it is best to sit around
a table, spread out sheets of paper and talk. At other times, collaborators
need to sit at a computer and produce something. At the Collaboratory we were
able to do both. . . ."
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