The new school year is just around the corner and with it brings a new and impressive feature to the Social Sciences department.

Social Sciences Dean Susan Tabor said OCCC’s Social Sciences department is filled with excitement in anticipation of a new computer lab, scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2013.

The lab will feature 16 computers designed to benefit all students, especially those enrolled in psychology courses, Tabor said.

She said the purpose of the new addition is to allow students who are enrolled in online classes to take their online class on-campus rather than at home.

This online-in-class arrangement offers students more help from tutors, student instructors and other social science professors who will be encouraged to spend their office hours in the lab.

The goal of the computer lab is to make “more options available for students in the Social Sciences department,” Tabor said.

Although the computers will contain programs specifically designed for psychology students and students enrolled in Statistics 2133, other departments will benefit from this newest addition such as the political science department and the history department.

Although the future computer lab will only house 16 computers, the lab also will sport new furniture to accompany the computers, as well as a number of work tables provided to give students a “laptop option,” Tabor said.

She said construction on the new computer lab has already begun.

By the end of its completion, Tabor said, the Social Sciences department hopes to install an additional four computers, bringing the total number to an even 20.

Tabor said this is a big step for the department and will hopefully give it a new face.

To contact Michael Schmidt, email onlineeditor@occc.edu.