Interactive Learning Center

Boise State broke ground on the first construction project of it’s Campus Master Plan earlier this month. The $13.5 million Interactive Learning Center, a 54,000 square foot building, is being constructed near the Multipurpose Classroom Building.

The building is being financed through bonds issued by BSU and is repaid through pledged revenues of the university, according to BSU officials. The project is expected to take around 16 months to complete.

This new construction has caused an inconvenience for some students, as the entire area located just east of the Multi-purpose Building has been closed off.

“The detour is often frustrating, but it’s worth the wait and the hassle for what an exciting addition the building will be to our campus,” said BSU student Jacqui Taylor. “This building is going to be a great place to study.”

Other facilities like the Interactive Learning Center are located at other universities like Virginia Tech, George Mason University and the University of Arizona.

“The new building represents a new way of teaching and learning. Students have typically sat and listened,” said Project Director Doug Suddreth.

Suddreth explained the building will be a way to facilitate an alternative to traditional learning by providing a means for more group interactivity.

“It will symbolize our commitment to our students to facilitate state-of-the-art learning with cutting-edge technology,” said BSU Pres.Bob Kustra.

Kustra said the Interactive Learning Center is “part of the university’s efforts to accommodate its growing numbers of students and provide them with a quality learning experience.”

“People call this ‘my baby,’ it’s a very exciting project,” Suddreth said.

The center will include a 200-seat lecture hall and 12 standard classrooms, a multi-media lab, multi-purpose/distance learning classroom, a visualization classroom, an experimental classroom, as well as numerous study lounges.

“Learning is a complex undertaking and even the best teacher may not succeed at reaching all students successfully,” Kustra said. “Our Center for Teaching and Learning will serve as a resource for our faculty to review new theories of cognitive development, to adopt learner-centered classroom practices and to experiment with strategies for motivating learners.”

Lombard-Conrad Architects of Boise is the project architect, and Opsis Architecture of Portland is the design architect. CM Company of Boise is managing the project.

Ben Hambleton, director of academic technologies at BSU, was also instrumental in developing the program statement that guided design of the Interactive Learning Center.

 

Interactive Learning Center Layout

 

1st Floor

-Lecture Hall

-Food Services

a. Broiler/Grill

b. Pizza

c. Euro Style Market

-Cyber Cafe

-Study Lounge

-Multi-media Lab

 

2nd Floor

-Classrooms

-Virtualization Classroom

-Distance Learning

 

3rd Floor

-Classrooms

-Experimental Classroom

-Faculty Commons

-Workgroup/ Teaching Learning Area

-Study Lounge (3rd and 4th Floors)

 

4th Floor

-Will include an enclosed shell to close off space to be finished later.

Jessica Christensen / News Writer

Related Posts:

1. Center for Teaching and Learning opens
2. Computer learning negates students’ classroom experience
3. Kustra focuses on faculty-student relationships, research agenda
4. Kustra pursues change, research
   in State of the University address
5. Idaho SySTEMic Solution enhances student learning