The Language Lab Arrives at Tarleton!
The new language laboratory, a major addition to Tarleton State College, was used for the first time on October 29, 1962. It was located on the third floor of the Administration Building, the building which is now the Howell Education Building.
Accommodating thirty students at a time, each booth was lined with acoustical tile and equipped with individual microphones and earphones. This conveyed the concept of individual instruction. The instrument panel enabled a student to listen to one of as many as five different tapes by using a channel selector.
The cost of the electronic equipment was about $2800, not including furniture and labor. Future plans included the addition of a console so that the instructor could listen to the students individually as well as enabling the students to call the instructor if help was needed.
At first only freshmen labs were using the new facility. Pattern-sentence drill was used where students used their knowledge to complete given statements. Dictation courses could also be taught in the lab. The area included a large instruction room and three offices for the Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Dr. Russell Peterson, and instructors Barbara Alsup and Mr. R.D. Godwin.
An open house was held for the lab on December 20, 1962. All features were demonstrated and explained, and all the new equipment was on display. The Spanish and French tape recordings that were being used were also played so that the attendees could experience firsthand the new teaching tools.
Dr. Peterson and Dr. Godwin were long time professors at Tarleton.
Grassburr, 1963.
JTAC, December 18, 1962.
No comments:
Post a Comment