Santa Rosa Junior College students have a broad spectrum of new opportunities for digital media creation available through the Doyle library: recording music, creating green screen composited videos, converting math equations to 3D printed models and more.
The virtual reality (VR) room is just one of seven rooms with a large array of tools used for all manner of digital media creation and viewing, and use for SRJC students.
The rooms are not available to all students, but some may become qualified to have access by taking a variety of classes offered at SRJC. Final approval to access ultimately lies with various digital media faculty members in several academic departments, but the idea is to have tools available for students learning skills in the classroom to use any time the library is open—up to three hours per day per student.
Vanessa Mondragon, a third year SRJC student, believes that some students may even change their major if they were aware this technology was available to them.
Doyle Library student employee Vanessa Mondragon navigates inside a virtual reality game. The VR room is one of seven rooms inside the Digital Media Suites.
“If you want to do gaming and VR I would say a lot more people would probably switch to that type of major,” Mondragon said. “Students sometimes don’t have the money to afford this type of equipment, so if you’re enrolled in a class and the equipment is accessible in the library, they’ll be like ‘Oh, heck yeah!’”
Robert Grandmaison is the department chair for the engineering and applied technology department, and teaches classes in architecture, applied Technology and construction management.
He also assists with other programs that use digital technology such as interior design, civil engineering, mechatronics and electronics. Grandmaison said “all of whom have the potential to use this kind of equipment in their coursework down the road, ” even nursing courses.
Students who want to see how Digital Suite reservations work should go online to the SRJC library website, click on the digital media suite button and find details about how each room can be found over the “i” circle next to a room—including programs available on which computers, etc.
Watch for our upcoming full multimedia package detailing the workings of the program and a list of instructors and departments to contact about access to exploring the digital world.
