TORONTO, January 20, 2004 -- York University and Seneca College of Applied Arts today opened the most technologically advanced teaching facility in Ontario at a ceremony on York’s Keele Campus. The $88 million Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building features wireless communications, multi-media lecture halls and computer laboratories that will be used by 4,000 York and Seneca students.
York President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden and Seneca President Rick Miner presided at the ceremony and welcomed The Hon. David Caplan, Ontario’s Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal. The Government of Ontario provided $46.9 million towards the cost of the building, the largest single grant awarded any project in the infrastructure program.
"Our investment in the TEL Building indicates the importance the Government of Ontario places on bolstering the learning opportunities for students," said Caplan.
"This is truly a beautiful building and a tremendous workplace for students, faculty and researchers at York," said Dr. Marsden. "The TEL building's state-of-the-art technology redefines the classroom by allowing teaching and learning to take place outside of their traditional limits – which is what we always strive for at York University. The TEL building also offers us the great opportunity to work more closely with Seneca College, benefiting both institutions."
"The TEL Building is an exciting and dynamic environment for our students and faculty to work and learn," said Seneca College President Rick Miner. "Together with York University, Seneca College has been answering the needs of education and educators for some time, and we plan to build on that record here. This is more than a building, it is an instrument that will help us further the work that has already been done and launch exciting and innovative new joint ventures such as the TEL Institute."
Visitors to the official opening viewed demonstrations of the TEL Building’s capabilities in its main lecture halls, classrooms and central public space.
The TEL Building was designed by Toronto’s Moriyama & Teshima Architects which also created the concept for the adjacent Seneca@York building. Envisioned as "a place of discovery, where visual and spatial experiences unfold," the TEL building features flexible classroom and office spaces in an energy-efficient structure with abundant natural light and places for social interaction. The building is designed to support sustainability and a 25 per cent reduction in energy consumption.
Students and visitors to the "TEL" can stroll down a central indoor street where they will see two large video screens capable of broadcasting news, information and event coverage. In the spaces provided for social interaction students can meet, catch up on their studies by logging into TEL’s wireless network or just relax between classes. In the lecture halls and classrooms, faculty can call on a range of built-in multi-media facilities to enhance their presentations that can be recorded for viewing live or later from a web-based course archive.
The TEL building contains state-of-the-art technology and is designed to accommodate future innovations. Technology and new ways of applying it are also being designed at the Technology Enhanced Learning Institute (TELi), on the building’s main level. A partnership between York University and Seneca College, TELi promotes research and development of new modes of teaching and learning that take advantage of technology. Researchers at TELi are currently working on many projects that will develop or showcase the use of technology in education.
The TEL building brings together York’s theory-based programs with Seneca’s practice-based programs promising unique opportunities for development of new ground breaking methods and technologies.
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For further information, please contact:
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David Fuller |
YU/007/04
