Photo by Samantha Davis Southwest Minnesota State University students and faculty participate in a rhythmic music lesson to showcase one of the areas of the new Center for Learning Innovation at its grand opening Wednesday.

MARSHALL — The upper level of the Individualized Learning Building at Southwest Minnesota State University filled up with students, faculty and community supporters to celebrate the grand opening of the School of Education’s new Center for Learning Innovation Wednesday evening.

The space houses a new learning innovation lab along with other classrooms filled with new technology, equipment and tools for the teacher preparation program and enhance the training for students pursuing education careers.

“I’m really excited to use this model classroom, because in our classes, we learn a lot of teaching strategies and skills, but in my experience and I’m sure others agree, they’re made the most meaningful when we can put that into practice,” said SMSU student Teresa Larsen, who is double majoring in early childhood and elementary education. “So, just having this model classroom will give us so many more opportunities to put that into practice in the most realistic way possible.”

There are a variety of benefits different groups will gain from the new center.

The space, which models early childhood to high school classrooms, will allow teacher candidates to gain hands-on experience and give them quality training with advanced technology. For faculty and staff, it offers more professional development and mentoring opportunities. It will also serve as a collaborative hub for outreach, such as workshops, co-teaching and support for teacher recruitment and retention.

“We think we have a very strong teacher preparation program … We really appreciate the administration’s support, and just recognizing and highlighting the profession of teaching,” SMSU School of Education Department Chair Dr. Sonya Vierstraete said. “(We’re looking forward to) elevating the profession and moving forward with having them (students) be as best prepared.”

Among the new technology the space offers are 3-D printers, virtual reality, a multi-touch learning table and OhBots, where learners can program or code a robot to perform various instructions.

“(This has been) in vision for several years, but our first meetings about it were about two years ago,” Vierstraete said. “This is our first official semester with everything.”

As people wandered around the innovation lab and spaces, the new equipment was being put to good use as current students and community members tried the virtual reality goggles and tested out the OhBots, along with collaborating on the multi-touch table.

There’s a variety of subjects that the touch-screen table can assist with, which resembles an air-hockey table, and allows learners to play games with one another by solving problems or other interactive lessons.

“It’s exciting, because it’s some things that some of us haven’t used in our own teaching. So, we’re learning it, too,” Vierstraete said. “(With) the cutting edge technology pieces, I think that we’re helping our candidates be prepared for the future.”

The lab also had an area where teacher candidates can host rhythmic music lessons with music sticks, and learners can follow along with beat-specific instructions.

“For example, with our lesson plans, we have to pretend to come up with what we want to teach. But, now with this classroom, we can actually practice our lesson plan, so that way we can see how our lesson would come out,” SMSU early childhood education major Lay Shell said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

Vierstraete noted that the school is looking to use the space to also host after-school programming opportunities, teacher-preperation programs and also be part of an upcoming literacy lab.

Before being remodeled, the spaces were previously open classrooms.

Along with Vierstraete, there were a handful of other education department faculty members present, and the support of university administrators.

“It started as informally being called the ‘Pegasi Project,'” Vierstraete said for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Why Pegasi? Mustangs with wings soar, and that’s really our goal for teacher preparation and our candidates, to be able to soar into their field and their career of teaching.”

SMSU provost and vice president for Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Ross Wastvedt also spoke, and credited the School of Education and faculty for their hard work and making the new center a reality.

“Today is a day to celebrate education,” Wastvedt said. “The education each of us has received, and how it’s those great teachers who have shaped our lives and made us into the great people we are, but also to celebrate the education that we provide to today’s students, and all that goes into that.”

The learning innovation lab came about from a few funding resources, including a monetary gift from James “Ted” Rowe, who was a retired math professor and passed away in June 2024. There were also donations through the SMSU Foundation of furniture from Jonti-Craft, an educational-children’s furniture supplier based in Wabasso, along with funding from a Minnesota Tele-Media grant. DesignArc Group in Brookings, S.D., also helped with lab designs.

As Vierstraete and SMSU faculty cut the ribbon to officially open the new Center for Learning Innovation, applause filled the hallways and people continued to take a look around the area and engage with the space.