Orange Coast College Computer Center
Orange Coast College the first two year college to ever teach computers, has made the move from the sphere of the mainframe to that of the personal computers. These pictures were taken during the week of the open house. {a nice cake other goodies were served at the open house}
The most impressive part of the facility is an 85 seat open lab open designed in such a fashion that it can not be turned into a classroom. Workstations are arranged 4 to a table and the tables layed out at 120 degree angles forming a molecular structure. The work tables are arranged around triangular stands. This arrangement guarentees this lab will always be open to all the students. Following a tradition started in 1960's the lab is open like the library, but when push comes to shove students have priority.
The open lab is "L" shaped below is a view of the other part -- note the overhead lights project the light down and very little to the side which makes working on the CRT easier.
| On each of the CRTs in the open lab a small clip is located.
A student ID card is to be place here when the lab starts to be full. |
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Class room 101 -- my favorite. Note the projector mounted in the ceiling. There are 4 other classrooms in the building with similar arrangement.
Room 102. Usually an open lab, but may be used as a classroom since it has a projector. These projecters are good and present a very clear picture at a 70 degree angle from the axis of projection.
Room 109. Used primarily for desk top publishing classes.
Each class room has an instructors console -- note the keyboard height is ajustable and may be used standing or seated or as a foot rest while waiting for projects to be completed.
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My old office for the 1970's has now been converted into the switching room for the building. All terminals are connected to the internet with PacBell providing fiber optic connections to the rest of the world wide web
The college has some 2200+ computers located in faculty offices and other labs around the campus. Here is one set up for Journalism classes. Computers around all 4 walls. {note the lights are a bit different than in the computer center}.
A Physics Class/Lab room. Computers are on movable stands
Language Laboratory
Over the years, Coast has been an inovative leader among the two-year schools. It started by taking over the WWII Santa Ana Army Air Base. The first new building constructed was one for technology -- the last was an administration building -- Not many schools go that way. Orientation was always toward the students and to provide job training as well as college transfer classes. One of the first technical buildings was the planetiarum constructed before 1960.
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