Jackson State University continues its tech revolution by officially unveiling its newest Cyberlearning initiative, Create, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the digital intellectual commons located on the first floor of the H.T. Sampson Library.
Create offers an innovative opportunity for students to complete digital projects and assignments. It is a student component to Innovate, another cyberlearning development strategy that equips faculty with tools for designing, implementing and teaching courses.
Jasmine Douglas, a junior civil and environmental engineering major from Dallas, is a student coordinator for the new center. She says, “Create means the opportunity to do more because engineering majors must create a senior design projects. Now, we can discuss what it will be like, conceive and plan out projects using computer programs such as AutoCad and Photoshop to create in a 3-D space. We can take the knowledge we learn in class and create our own version of the concepts.”
The event provided a showcase for students, who guided faculty, staff, peers and other guests on a tour of the facility. They displayed iPads, Mac desktops and explained the WiFi connectivity for sharing information via personal devices to television monitors.
President Meyers described the unveiling of Create as a pivotal moment for JSU and its educational stakeholders. “No kids deserve an old education. This is the 21st century. This is a different world, and these are the people who are going to solve the problems,” she said, adding that the university must do the very best it can to prepare students for the future.
Dr. Robert Blaine, special assistant to the provost for cyberlearning, says Create’s technologically advanced ecosystem is a journey to new discoveries, opportunities and knowledge.
Blaine says another crucial benefit is that digital textbooks will cost significantly less for students.
SGA President Keonte Turner, a native of Benton Harbor, Mich., says Create is innovative and has the potential to boost the learning experience at JSU. “It’s really pivotal for the trends of learning today,” the senior biology/pre-med major said.
Turner envisions that cyberlearning will change the physical and digital landscape of the university for years to come by bringing in a lot of students. He says he hopes technology will germinate throughout the campus to “cultivate and develop the growth of our students as one university.”
Create was officially opened on Thursday, Sept. 10.