THE FUTURE OF THE FLETCHER JONES CENTER
The outer walls will stay, but virtually every room within the Fletcher Jones Center (FJC) will change. The design of the new FJC promotes innovative teaching and learning in a time of wireless and  mobile computing.  Work is set to commence in June of 2008.  The current offices and labs will relocate in May of 2008 to modular office spaces and various classrooms across the campus.  The new construction will take approximately one year. 

The floor plan for the new FJC calls for a number of computer laboratories with flexible layouts as well as spaces for individual and group activities (similar to the current Collaborative Learning Space described on page 4).   The overall design is a reflection of a series of meetings with the campus architect, a review of the current research related to academic computing, and an examination of several other campus computing spaces that have recently completed similar renovations.

In addition to the formal learning spaces, the new center will feature a large open-air foyer identified as The Paseo, which will include a coffee bar that is sure to appeal to the campus community. Designed as a hub for small group meetings, laptop users who gather in The Paseo will have wireless access to the Internet.  The renovated FJC will continue to house the ITS offices of ResNet and Media Services.  The Armacost Library will also have its own space within the center.   The plan also calls for a computing area that allows secured after-hour access.

A drawing of the new design is available for viewing in both the ITS main office (in the Willis Center) and the FJC.  For more information on the renovation, contact Linda Spugnardi at extension 8322.

USE OF BLACKBOARD SETS A RECORDS
Blackboard, the university’s course management system, is a Web-based tool that allows faculty to post a variety of course materials for their students to view online.   The University of Redlands has experienced a considerable increase in the number of Blackboard-enhanced courses offered by all three schools. 

For the fall 2007 semester, over 100 College of Arts and Sciences faculty members have requested that their courses be added to the Blackboard system.  Students, in more than 250 courses, have access to information that their faculty members have posted online.  In the School of Business, all Masters of Business Administration and the undergraduate Bachelors of Science in Business courses are making use of Blackboard.  In the School of Education, all students in the teacher education program and the doctorate program make use of this tool.  For more information on the use of Blackboard, faculty should contact Catherine Walker at extension 8321.


OFFICE 2007 - COMPATIBILITY AND CAMPUS MIGRATION
Microsoft has released Office 2007 for Windows-based systems.  While the university is still using Office 2003, many students have already migrated to the new version.  The Office 2007 default format for saved documents cannot be read by earlier versions of Microsoft Office. The new file formats can be identified by the following file extensions:

• Word 2007 extensions are .docx

• Excel 2007 extensions are .xlsx

• PowerPoint 2007 extensions are .pptx

Late in this academic year, ITS will begin introducing Office 2007 to the campus. Until then, faculty can download a file compatibility pack directly from Microsoft (go to http://www.microsoft.com and search for “Office compatibility pack”).   Installing the compatibility pack will allow faculty to use their current version of Office to read the new file formats. In addition, students using Office 2007 can use the ‘Save As’ feature to save files in earlier Office formats (e.g. .doc, .xls, and .ppt).