A large new computer lab and study space on the fourth floor of the Florestano building on West Campus is attracting students who visit it to collaborate, take classes and do homework.
Called the IDEA Lab, which stands for Innovation, Design, Accessibility and Engagement, the space, which takes up an entire floor, combines a computer lab, conference room, recording studios, classrooms, and offices for information technology and distance learning faculty and staff.
“The IDEA Lab in itself is … a whole department in such that it’s made up of a lot of different services, as far as like, instructional design, distance learning, accessibility,” operations specialist Elizabeth Shaw said. “It’s so many different things.”
The four-story Florestano building closed in 2021 for a total renovation. The fourth floor reopened last fall, and the other floors are scheduled to open in 2026.
On the fourth floor, classrooms are equipped with features like speakers that pick up sound all over the rooms, Shaw said.
“So it doesn’t matter where you are in the room, the students can hear, whether they are in person or online,” Shaw said. Those classrooms were designed with the need for accessibility in mind, Shaw said.
The computer lab, which houses multiple computers and a printer, is open for students between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on school days.
“You’re welcome to come in and use the computer lab if you have, like, a test, or, let’s say, you just want a quiet place to sit and do homework or write out a paper,” Shaw said.
Fourth-year plant biology student Troy Spencer said it is beneficial to take a restoration ecology class in one of the IDEA Lab’s classrooms.
“You have more open seating, tables that can move around, space for computers, and it makes it easier to do activities beyond just listening to a lecture,” Spencer said.