Page 30 - Campus Technology, March/April 2018

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2017 CT IMPACT AWARDS IN DEPTH meg lloyd
A Hub for Innovation and Learning
A dedicated space in the University of Oklahoma’s Bizzell Memorial Library connects community members to cutting-edge digital tools they can use in new learning experiences and innovative knowledge creation.
Category: Education Futurists
Institution: University of Oklahoma
Project: Innovation @ the Edge
Project lead: Matt Cook, head of emerging technologies, Knowledge Services
Tech lineup: Google Cardboard, Hatchbox, HTC Vive, Leap Motion, Lulzbot, MakerBot, Nvidia, Oculus Rift, Raspberry Pi, Sparkfun, Unity
THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA has built an inclusive, technology-rich space called Innovation @ the Edge (IE), where faculty, staff, students and other members of the university community may use technologies like virtual reality, 3D printing, visualization, software carpentry, microcontrollers and other new and emerging tools for
innovative knowledge creation and learning. Housed in the school’s Bizzell Memorial Library, the facility serves as an “intellectual crossroads” where ideas and technology come together.
Project lead Matt Cook, OU Libraries’ head of emerging technologies, and his colleagues in Knowledge Services have been testing and refining the concept of the IE space since its opening in January 2016. Broader goals for the space include: 1) bringing the campus user community from separate colleges together so they can collaborate — both virtually and in an attractive and challenging physical space — on higher achievements in teaching, learning and research; and 2) giving students the opportunity to work with the latest technologies in their coursework.
As Cook commented, “The Innovation @ the Edge space is now a regular part of the coursework offered by many colleges across campus. In these cases, faculty are doing more than merely exposing students to emerging technologies
— they are incorporating in-depth assignments and modules into teaching that relies upon virtual reality, 3D printing, microcontrollers, robotics [and more]. This is also important because engagement with the library — along with its spaces, tools, and expertise — has become central to the undergraduate experience as a result of the Edge’s success.”
A key aspect of the success Cook refers to is the power of the technologies within the IE space to afford the kind of knowledge creation and sharing that gives the community a fuller library experience, by leveraging the resources and expertise found in the library and throughout the colleges on campus.
For example, in conjunction with the university’s 125th anniversary, OU Libraries developed and featured an exhibit of highly valued university resources called “Galileo’s World.” The exhibit included an impressive VR station that became a popular and productive experience for both students and campus visitors. In another program, OU Libraries found a
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | March/April 2018