Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Sara Norgon Students pack up their laptop computers after Wednesday's class in the new Cargill Business Lab. Meg Devine, professor of accounting and finance, taught Accounting 315, "Accounting Systems," in the lab Wednesday.

Who says learning can't be stylish?

Brightly colored walls, plush carpet, modern seating, patterned glass and chic wall dividers now adorn Schneider 203, the new Cargill Business Lab.

"It's definitely not your standard classroom," said Dawna Drum, coordinator of instructional technology and Schneider's building manager. "That's intentional. We didn't want it to be normal."

The lab is designed to develop student collaboration and teamwork skills, Drum said.

Junior Paul Wech said the lab is ideal for computer-centered classes such as the one he attends, Information Systems in Business 240, and he is hoping to have more classes there in the future.

"I love it," he said. "It's relaxed. I feel more apt to talk versus other classrooms."

Business faculty members designed the lab with the help of Cargill executives and an interior designer and feng shui specialist. The lab includes three LCD screens so students can share ideas across the room, a drop-down projection screen, convertible left- and right-handed desks, and furniture with handles and wheels to create infinite possibilities for group interaction, Drum said.

Construction began at the end of the 2007 spring semester, and the lab was ready for the first day of classes this semester. Drum said the only remaining work is cosmetic; walls will soon surround the conference area in the corner of the lab to allow private meetings.

The lab was almost entirely funded by Cargill, Drum said, except for standard updates that would have been completed with or without the new lab, such as new servers.

"If we were using state dollars, this never would have happened," she said.

Mark Hosmann, an information technology talent consultant for Cargill and a 1996 UW-Eau Claire graduate, was one of the company's representatives involved with the lab's development. He said Cargill, which often hires Eau Claire's IT and Information Systems majors, hopes the lab will prepare students for the working world.

Continued...

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