Language centre up and running
Cathy Murphy-Jones

Laurier language labs have now been replaced by the Laurier Language Centre. Essentially, this means that instead of simply listening to a tape to learn a foreign tongue, you can now access resources as diverse as CD-Roms and the Internet to help students gain another language.

The computer-assisted language learning broadens the scope of the material that can be used for instruction. On the web there are resources that provide eager students with access to French films of the '40s and '50s, German exercises, and newspaper and journal selections with answers simply a mouse click away.

The changes have yet to be completely initiated, but once they are fully integrated all existing lab material will be digitized. Dr. James Skidmore, Chair of the department of Languages and Literatures is excited about the changes and the alterations they will mean to the job of th instructor. "(the instructor) can manipulate the material at her computer and broadcast it throughout the classroom, or a student can manipulate the material at his or her computer and the instructor can then broadcast it for everybody else to see and hear."

The new-look Language Centre is not just about equipment and services, an aesthetically pleasing face-lift involving a paint-job, photos and new wooden tables.

The new space is designed to ergonomically pleasing as CPUs keyboards are recessed and 17-inch monitors are easy on the eyes.

"That will be a big incentive for our students. We need to always be finding innovative ways of presenting information to students," stated Dr. Skidmore.