From the communication sciences and disorders (CSD) audio/visual lab in Hewitt Hall, a faculty member can observe her graduate student conducting a speech therapy session down the hallway, a different graduate student can review a session she herself administered the day before, and an undergraduate CSD major can get invaluable, real-life exposure to the spectrum of speech and language disorders. Thanks to a generous gift from longtime CHHS supporters Val ’54 and Fred England, the CSD department was recently able to complete an upgrade of the lab with state-of-the-art digital equipment that has improved learning and teaching by leaps and bounds.
Prior to the remodel, the a/v lab used VHS tapes and analog audio to record and review diagnostic and treatment sessions—decades-old equipment that was hardly equal to task of picking up the often subtle nuances of speech and language disorders. Clinical associate professor Amy Plante says the new equipment enhances every aspect of teaching, research, and learning by providing clearer and more accurate recordings.
“Before, for example, if you wanted to show students an example of a particular disorder, you had to find the right tape, wind it to the right place, and then hope that the audio and video recording quality was sufficient to convey the point you wanted to illustrate,” she says. “Oftentimes, even brand-new recordings weren’t sharp enough, and because videotapes degrade with repeated use, any issues that existed with the recording quality would only increase over time.”
A CSD treatment room in use
The new system ,which includes digital recording cameras in CSD’s six treatment rooms and high-definition monitors in the laboratory “nerve center,” provides much clearer audio and remote control of cameras that can pan, zoom, and adjust as clients and caregivers move around the treatment rooms. Students and faculty members can use this equipment to observe live sessions remotely as clearly as if they were in the treatment room themselves. They can also record sessions for later review. With these upgrades in place, the department’s next priority is to complete an additional enhancement that will allow students and faculty to archive, tag, and share thousands of HIPAA-compliant speech therapy sessions for a broad range of teaching and research uses.
The Englands were drawn to the opportunity to make a current-use gift that was tangible and could make an immediate impact for both students and faculty. Interim CHHS dean Neil Vroman says their timing is perfect. “Val and Fred’s generous gift will allow us to complete the last phase of this important project so we can take full advantage of both our technical capabilities and our faculty members’ expertise,” he says.
— Kristin Duisberg