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WIU College of Education and Human Services' Interactive Multimedia (IMM) Lab Open House Oct. 1, 2 Will Showcase Redesign

September 17, 2015

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MACOMB, IL — Western Illinois University's Interactive Multimedia (IMM) Lab, a resource for students and faculty in the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS), has recently undergone a redesign to better service those on the WIU-Macomb campus. According to Instructional Development Services (IDS) Manager Dawn Sweet, the IMM Lab has been around since the late 1990s, and it offers a host of technology-related services.

"We provide help to students in need of instructional-technology support, as well as hands-on individualized assistance with technology-related homework assignments. We also provide students with video and other equipment for projects they may need to complete in their coursework," Sweet explained. "For faculty members, we can aid them in their selection and integration of new technology into their courses, and we provide design assistance for online courses. We also offer WIU staff members services that can help them improve or refine their software skills for making their daily work routines more efficient."

The COEHS IDS staff will host an open house to showcase the redesigned IMM Lab from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1 and noon-4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, Horrabin Hall 104. The open house will provide the public with the opportunity to see the IMM Lab's upgraded services, which Sweet said were undertaken over the summer because many areas within the lab were underutilized based on configuration and furnishings.

"We redesigned the space to be more appealing to current students, as well as to prospective students, by providing a more modern and flexible learning space. We now have additional resources to enable departmental faculty, graduate assistants and students to conduct meetings, tutoring and training on specific concepts, as well as offer upgraded resources for the development of classroom materials and marketing materials," she noted. "We have a private group-meeting and recording space equipped with chroma-key video-recording capabilities, as well as an LCD teleprompter that doubles as a presentation screen for small-group presentations and meetings. Additional furniture and equipment at the front of the facility provides a relaxed study area and meeting space, with furniture that can be easily moved based on the users' needs. In the space leading into the IMM Lab, COEHS IDS provides a modernized comfortable area for students to rest between classes, work on homework, eat and socialize."

The IMM Lab provides a valuable resource to Western students who will be pursuing careers in education and the human services fields.

"Professionals with a strong technology foundation are highly needed. The members of the IDS team and the IMM Lab provide a catalyst to give students, faculty and staff the resources—both human- and technology-oriented—they need to achieve the value-added technology skill sets many employers look for today. Additionally, these areas are primarily operated by student workers and graduate assistants, providing them with valuable hands-on learning opportunities," Sweet said.

For more information, contact Sweet at (309) 298-2993 or via email at DR-Sweet@wiu.edu. Visit the IMM Lab's website at www.wiu.edu/coehs/technology/imm.php.

Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing