INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / JUNE 20, 1989

 

 

 

Vancouver Community College
First in Canada to Install New
Language Lab Technology

Vancouver Community College
has just installed Canada’s first
tapeless language lab, at its King
Edward Campus.

The new lab is manufactured by
the Sony Corporation, an industry
leader in advanced language lab
technology. There are only six
other similar facilities currently in
operation in the United States, one
located at Gilroy, California.

The Sony ZL 10 system uses
digital voice memory instead of the
traditional audio tape cassettes, and
offers students and instructors
many advantages over current labs.

Digital audio technology means
a recording signal is converted
directly into computer data, instead
of being transferred onto magnetic
tape. That way, sounds, words, and
even sentences can be rapidly
retrieved, repeated or re-arranged,
with awkwardly shuttling a tape
machine back and forth. The tech-
nical quality of the voice
reproduction is also very high with
this new system.

The new technology allows a stu-
dent to listen to any part of a lesson
at random, and make digital record-
ings in response. Two different
lessons can be simultaneously
placed in a master memory, which
operates four times faster than tradi-
tional language labs.

This ability to rapidly review
and re-arrange material gives
teachers and students a lot of
flexibility during lessons. At the
same time, the lab has all the usual
features, including instructor

 

monitoring, intercom, all call, pair-
ing, etc.

Vancouver Community College
technical staff needed to replace
their aging language lab at the King
Edward Campus when they learned
about the new digital technology
being developed by Sony. Aftera
fact-finding trip to California to see
the ZL 10 in action they were con-
vinced.

“This new system represents a
significant improvement in lan-
guage lab technology,” says Bruce
MacLean, Director of Instructional
Media Services for the college.
“We're really pleased to be able to
offer our students such quality in

 

learning opportunities.”

MacLean also hopes VCC can
share its experience with the new
lab among the other educational in-
Stitutions. The lab will be on
display at the upcoming convention
of the Association for Media and
Technology in Education in
Canada, to be held June 19-21 in
Edmonton. MacLean will be on
hand to discuss VCC’s experience
with the new lab.

 

Students Get Cheaper Fares

(Reprinted from the Vancouver Sun, June I, 1989)

The Vancouver Regional Transit Commission voted today to give post-
secondary students a $40-a-month discount on B.C. Transit fares for

multi-zone travel for one year.

The commission agreed to remove restrictions for those students travell-
ing through more than one zone. Currently, students pay $50 a month for
one-zone travel, $67 for two zones and $90 for three zones.

The decision means they can now travel three zones at the $50 rate.

The commission plans to ask the provincial government to help cover the

cost of the fare break.