Red Deer College’s Donald School of Business’s first course will begin Aug. 15th in the downtown core in the recently renovated portion of the Millennium Centre.
Joanne Packham, dean of the Donald School of Business (DSB), said this is an exciting time for them and that they feel the school will contribute to the downtown community.
“Our mandate is to participate in the community and we believe we can contribute to the downtown revitalization.”
The DSB is spread out over three floors of the Millennium Centre and consists of 11 learning centres, or what would be otherwise known as classrooms, as well as many student common areas.
The classrooms range in capacity from 30 to 40 and some can be doubled up to accommodate 80 students at a time.
“This is a multi-use facility for students where they can do everything from just hanging out to project work.”
The first floor of the DSB features an information desk, common areas, nutrition centre, patio access and learning centres as well.
Also on this floor is a wide-open reception area, which Packham said has already garnered some interest from community groups as a meeting place.
“For the Donald School of Business it’s all about taking learning into practice.”
Packham explained some of the innovative technology that has been incorporated into the school had even been described as “intense” by some of the installers.
“The smart boards we have are a multi-use technology that are interactive. You can move things around on the screen, show power points or spreadsheets and they are totally touchable and allow displays to be manipulated.”
The smart boards are in each of the learning centres and are accessible to students for use during project work and presentations.
Students will also have full access to a printing centre where they can complete projects and hand in a paper copy without leaving the building.
Packham said some of the design ideas for the DSB were taken from what students enjoy the most at the RDC main campus including the booth setup for seating.
“There are LCD screens in the booths that students can hook up to and use for project work and where they can plug in and charge whatever device they may be using.”
On the second floor of the DSB there is a computer lab which hosts some of the latest technology that allows students to work on a virtual desktop.
“It’s really neat because everything is wireless. You can open your desktop from home and it will look the exact same as it did at work or school.”
This technology allows students to access all programs available to them in the school from any computer where they might need to continue their projects.
Student orientations run on Sept. 2 and 6 and classes will begin fully on Sept. 7.
“We feel this location will allow us to truly engage students in a business atmosphere. We plan to work with students to guarantee relevant and current program needs.”
For more information, visit www.rdc.ab.ca/dsb.
kpalardy@reddeerexpress.com
