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May 2008
Electronic Classrooms in Gelman Library Earn Rave Reviews
By Jamie L. Freedman It’s a transformational time for college classrooms, as chalkboards and clunky metal desks give way to sleek, high-tech learning environments. GW is at the center of the action, propelled in part by a special endowment payout financing the recent construction of two state-of-the-art electronic classrooms on the third floor of Gelman Library. The e-classrooms, which opened their doors to GW students last year, are receiving rave reviews from faculty and students alike. Demand is soaring for the popular wireless classrooms, funded as one of five University-wide strategic initiatives. During the fall semester, 138 classes were taught in the new spaces, which contain the latest high-tech equipment, including ceiling-mounted projectors, Smartboards, and motion computing tablet PCs for instructors. Both rooms come equipped with 20 laptop computers for student use and are furnished with movable furniture and a moveable wall, allowing the two classrooms to be combined into one larger space. “The e-classrooms were built to maximize flexibility, ease of teaching, and student engagement,” says Jennifer Nutefall, instruction coordinator for Gelman Libraries, who directs a team of 12 librarians teaching research and writing techniques classes in the new facility. “We’ve had extremely positive feedback about the rooms, and the number of classes that we teach there is rising each semester.” The technology-rich rooms were created to support the way students learn today, says Gale S. Etschmaier, associate University librarian for public services. “A decade ago, students would sit at single desks with an instructor at the front of the room and a chalkboard, and listen primarily to lectures,” she explains. Library research instructors touted handbooks, databases, and the trusty old card catalog. “Many students had difficulty retaining what they were taught in that kind of setting,” she says. “The emphasis today is much more on group work and active learning, supported by a variety of multimedia and electronic information resources, and these classrooms really support that kind of learning.” The new e-classrooms, along with a third technology-integrated, donor-funded classroom completed in 2005, were built in the space previously occupied by Gelman’s microform and photocopying center. “We learned some lessons from our original e-classroom, and applied them to the design of the new rooms,” says University Librarian Jack Siggins. “It’s been a great team effort, and GW should be proud of the fact that we have an administration with such outstanding vision, along with donors willing to support that vision and librarians with the expertise to implement it.” According to Etschmaier, the new e-classrooms have made a world of difference to Gelman Library’s fast-growing instructional programs. “One of the biggest challenges our librarians faced when we had just one electronic classroom was that they were competing with each other for classroom space,” she states. “The system works much better now because we have the flexibility to use one of three classrooms, so we can schedule classes when they are of the greatest benefit to students.” Last year, Nutefall’s staff conducted classes for 32 departments in the classrooms. “Many days, sessions are scheduled back to back all day long, and we work with students across the disciplines on their research and writing skills within the themes of the courses they are taking,” she says. “In 2006-07, 67 percent of the classes we taught were for the University Writing (UW20) Program. We also work a great deal with History 199, an undergraduate thesis course, integrating our teaching at the most appropriate moment to help students in their various research areas.” GW students give the high-tech classrooms a huge thumbs-up. “Our students walk into these beautiful rooms with their state-of-the-art technology, and they’re excited to be here,” says Etschmaier. “There is a real ‘wow factor’ to these classrooms.”
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