Our Facilities
The state-of-the-art Language Acquisition Center at Baylor University had its grand opening on November 19, 1998. The LAC consists of two main computer labs and a separate testing facility. The main lab, a long rectangular room, has been furnished with eight octagonal tables (pods) equipped with multimedia computers, monitors and headsets. This space can be subdivided into two classroom-size areas. When classes are not is session, it is in "open mode," that is, students can use the facility for independent study. The separate lab (Draper 325) serves both for oral testing and for class use.The heart of this state-of-the-art facility is a video file server that delivers a 1.5 megabit per second stream of encoded audio and video to the 95 multimedia computers within the facility. All the LAC computers are connected to the video file server through switched Ethernet lines. In addition, each of the three classroom-size spaces is equipped with a video switching system that allows easy, effective interaction between students and foreign language instructors. The instructor stations are also equipped with additional VCRs, sound systems, a direct connection to foreign language satellite broadcasts, and document cameras that double as video switches.