Renovations to the Cal State Long Beach Liberal Arts buildings 2, 3 and 4, which were originally slated for completion in August 2013, have been postponed for more than a year to include the addition of smart panels and active learning classrooms.
The new expected completion date is December 2014, according to Vice President of Administration and Finance Mary Stephens.
The renovations, which began in summer 2012, were initially set for seismic retrofitting and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
However, over the past year, the project has grown to encompass a number of additional renovations, including an electrical overhaul, roof repairs, window replacements, air conditioning and the addition of smart and active learning classrooms, according to Stephens.
Director of Instructional Technology Support Services Leslie Kennedy said that the existing LA buildings’ classrooms are being transformed into about 15 high-tech classrooms.
Kennedy said all of the classrooms would be equipped with smart panels; however, the amount of technology in each room will vary, as some rooms will be smart classrooms and others will be active learning classrooms.
In the smart classrooms, smart panels will be installed on the walls, allowing instructors to use various modes of instruction, including PowerPoint presentations and instructional videos, by simply plugging in their laptops, according to Kennedy.
In the active learning classrooms, on the other hand, there will be interactive screens, moveable furniture and walls painted with white board paint that students will be able to write on, according to David Salazar, vice president of physical planning and facilities management.
“One of the big components we’re looking [at], that wasn’t part of the ongoing project, is installing active learning classrooms,” Salazar said. “That’s going to take a little bit of extra time in terms of our design process.”
There are currently four active learning classrooms on campus — two in the College of Business Administration and two in the Academic Services building.
Stephens said the budget for the LA buildings’ renovations, which was originally at $4 million, has increased to more than $10 million. Proposition 30’s passage in 2012 provided additional funding to the Cal State University, allowing for a less conservative budget process, according to Stephens.
The renovation’s budget has risen again because it now incorporates the addition of smart classrooms to the LA buildings. Stephens said the university is waiting to hear from contractors about the estimated cost of the additional renovations.
After the numbers are worked out, a proposal for additional funds will be sent to the CSU Chancellor’s Office for approval, Stephens said. An answer to the proposal is expected in four to six weeks.
“Who knows when we will get any additional money from the state,” Stephens said. “We invested [in the renovations] because they are so critical to the instructional program.”
College of Liberal Arts Dean David Wallace said the extra costs are necessary to keep up with increasingly digital course construction and should be viewed as a long-term investment for CSULB students.
“We have to think about those costs as affecting students for 10, 20, even 30 years,” Wallace said. “Using digital technology is an increasingly popular and effective means of instruction. These buildings need the infrastructure to do that.”
Wallace said he has heard of cases where teachers prepared courses with extensive multimedia use only to find that their classrooms lacked the capabilities to use them — an issue that smart classrooms aim to eliminate.
Wallace also said that active learning classrooms have proven to be more effective for teaching.
“There is a good deal of educational research that shows active learning is much more efficient than traditional lectures in most cases,” Wallace said. “Since we’re doing a substantive renovation, we want the classrooms in it to support the best possible pedagogy.”