HBS is committed to integrating IT appropriately into all aspects of its activities and operations. Crucial to this commitment is the range of resources and services available to faculty, students, and staff that allow the community to make the best use of existing technologies and to develop new ones.
For example, Spangler Center opened in January 2001 and is the first building on the HBS campus to fully embody the School's vision of IT. The 100,000 square-foot building exemplifies the "ubiquitous technology" approach using technology to transform the student experience in ways that remain simple and largely behind the scenes. Perhaps the greatest innovation in the building is the revolutionary online case distribution system, which specifies exactly which course materials each student needs for the day. The system pulls data on 2,000 individual student schedules from the Course Platform. The system activates a green light next to the on-campus mailbox of each student who needs the specific material being distributed at that particular time. Instead of waiting in line half an hour, the student opens his personal, secure mailbox to find materials needed for the next day's classes.
The School's Computer Lab for Experimental Research (CLER) offers HBS faculty and graduate students a resource for computer-based experiments. They have access to thirty-six modular computer stations to conduct exercises, presentations, simulations, training sessions, lectures, and organizational meetings. Specific features include: state-of-the-art audio and streaming video, ethernet connectivity for personal laptops, and a large-screen projection system.
