Present:
Dianne stated that the purpose of this meeting was to bounce another ideas off of the department representatives and brainstorm on a solution.
Dianne came up with an idea taking into account that in the initial meeting, the group came to the idea there needed to be two language labs to meet the needs of ESL and FOLA; and it was her understanding that FOLA needed a space for classes and open lab that is not necessarily set up with computers, just more for multimedia access.
Diannes idea consists of:
Discussion ensued about implementing this plan.
Jim B. said one issue he noticed in PGC was FOLA has blossomed again and there is a growth matter that needs to be addressed. Will LATC be able to handle an increase of FOLA open lab? Amelia stated that as of right now, the 112LS students require a lot of attention and time. If they were gone, and more self-sufficient students came in, the LATC could accommodate more students.
Jody stated she was hoping for a collaborative, shared lab for FOLA and ESL. Her idea was to add another lab but not necessarily assigning one lab to each department.
Jim D. voiced concerns about scheduling if labs are not dedicated twhich department would have schedule precedence? Jim D. believes the idea of assigning another room is great but there hasnt been any information about each departments specific needs. Jim also has a major concern about growth, and is concerned about more students overwhelming the LATC.
Amelia stated that she understands the FOLA students need a place to go to feel the culture and sharing with ESL does not necessarily help with this need.
Monica suggested department have an assigned room, but if there is time/space available, the two can coordinate and allow the other to use the room.
Jody stated the ESL current usage has dropped off considerably because of the equipment currently available in the language lab. This skews the current usage estimations and she believes that one space is not going to be enough and the departments will have to share to make it work for everyone. Jody asked if there was another room close by the language lab to use that is wired?
It was recommended that the Math lab and language lab switch. This would get Jackie closer to the LATC and she could then help with coverage.
Dianne stated that if Math moves over to S2-501, the language lab would be separated from the ethnic kitchen. Also the configuration of the Math lab is odd, it is not convenient for class.
Marsha stated that the math lab could be split into two using moveable dividers.
Jim D. asked how many sections need dedicated section times in these rooms? Is the greater need of both departments is for dedicated classes or open labs?
Monica stated that her departments plan is to make the lab required. Due to current limitations in the lab, it is impossible to require the lab at this time. Monica distributed and explained her handouts and her vision for the use of the language lab. Monica figured out that if all FOLA classes were scheduled in the lab, it would free up 10 classrooms on campus. Both departments agree this is not the ideal situation because it is very difficult to teach lecture classes in the lab.
Jim D. asked if ESL had a better lab, would they move to required labs? Jody stated they would do both. Some classes are taught in there but not all classes but they do go in maybe once a week or every other week. ESL does not have required labs because of the facility and since ESL is revising their curriculum, they may require the labs be used more.
Marsha distributed and explained the ESL statistics. She also stated that she does agree it would be a good idea to load the 112LS. The issue is the FTE. Currently these classes are .5 unit which is a 0.063 load.
Jim D. suggested using Diannes idea, the equipment is the same in both rooms so both departments can use the rooms.
Amelia said that the FOLA students are floating out there and dont seem to have a space that creates the ambience these students should have.
Jody suggested that maybe the art room behind the language lab and ethnic kitchen be combined to create a language lab corner. Jim D. said the art room is where a good many of the drawing classes are being taught. We would have to work with Helayna Thickpenny. This is great to keep the proximity of these rooms together.
Discussion ensued about the use of the ethnic kitchen.
Dianne stated that we have a finite amount of FTEF and students we can serve so we may not be able to grow as much as we want. Enrollment management is an important part of this and growth may be mediated by the demands of the college.
Marsha believes that E2-401 is ideal since it is already networked, the proximity to LATC is not bad and prefers the idea of the 112LS getting FTEF and moving out of the LATC.
Marsha spoke with Mina Jahan and it would be no problem for students to use the Tech Center for homework if the software would work in there. Mina is willing to work with us.
Monica stated that she needs an identifiable space where they can have open labs and occasional use for classes. The current language lab is ideal, it just needs to be expanded.
Jim D. offered a possible solution to money issues: there is software that will turn a Mac into a PC. Marsha stated that G3 will not have enough power to run the virtual PC and the software. If there were G4s, it would work. If they went with the Genesis software, they need PCs.
It was mentioned that if a plan is produced and shared with Phil and Lin, the money may be available to get E2-401 ready for Spring 2003.
The discussion about sharing math lab and tutoring center can be discussed at the Instructional Support Services meeting to determine if this would be financially beneficial.
Marsha has put information about Language Lab on the web at http://www.missioncollege.org/depts/esl/langlabproj/
Next steps:
The next meeting is Thursday, October 17th from 12:00 to 1:30 in Conference Room S1.
Meeting notes submitted by Jennifer Ludwick