North East Association for Learning Laboratories NEWS & NOTES Fall 1996

With help from the Culpeper Foundation, Swarthmore College has opened a new state-of-the-art Language Resource Center. The lab combines a Sony 9000 system with computer and video equipment in a space designed for teaching and independent work. It was installed in the middle of February 1996 and weÕve worked out the technical kinks and gotten faculty and students up to speed.

The language faculty have been fully committed to the Resource Center. They were integral to the design of the facility and invested weeks of time in a series of workshops this summer and again this fall. TheyÕve used the time to learn about the equipment, evaluate software and explore a number of authoring systems. Spanish, German and French faculty who had the opportunity to attend the Mellon Technology Workshop this summer have hit the ground running with projects they developed for their classes in Middlebury. TheyÕve shared their knowledge with colleagues and been the impetus for an effort to collaborate more closely with faculty at Bryn Mawr and Haverford. WeÕre working to identify projects we can develop together and share among the schools.

It's been an exciting time at Swarthmore and we look forward to welcoming you in person when we host NEALL this Spring. For now stop by and visit at www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/langlab. Let me also take a minute to plug Clicnet, Carole NetterÕs index of francophone resources at www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/clicnet.