Coastal Carolina University announces the opening of the TEAL (Technology in Education to Advance Learning) Center in University Hall 221 on campus.

The Center was opened at the beginning of the fall 2003 semester as a part of the initiatives supported by $1.7 million in lottery funds and will serve as a faculty and student support and training center to assist in incorporating all aspects of technology into traditional classroom courses.

Examples of how the Center might impact faculty instruction include adding audio or video components to courses, creating WebCT courses, scanning images and documents or creating faculty Web pages. In addition, beginning in the spring 2004 semester, it will be possible for courses to be delivered to and received from the Georgetown Higher Education Center and the Myrtle Beach Higher Education Center through the use of videoconferencing technology.

According to Dennis Wiseman, associate provost for academics, "the TEAL Center represents a significant commitment on the part of the University to increase the use of technology in instruction and support faculty in that use. In the end, Coastal students and Coastal's academic programs will be the real beneficiaries of this commitment."

The TEAL Center is staffed with a team of technology professionals, graduate students and undergraduate students who are ready to assist faculty in all their technology needs. Nils Rauhut, assistant professor of philosophy, is the faculty director of the center. Hours include evenings and weekends. For more information, call the Center at 349-2836 or visit the Web site at www.coastal.edu/teal.

The Center is also the support center for all aspects of WebCT including training, administration and support. Assistance for students is available at 349-2671 as well as e-mail support (webct@coastal.edu) for instructors and students.