Sports: With his improvement during the spring, it’s no surprise Knight is QB (Page 5)
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KNIGHTED QUARTERBACK Trevor Knight named Sooner quarterback JULIA NELSON Sports Editor
Redshirt freshman Trevor Knight was named the Sooners’ starting quarterback Thursday night. He beat out junior Blake Bell in a quarterback battle few expected to last this long. Junior quarterback Kendal Thompson joined the two during spring practice, but on the first day of fall camp, Thompson broke his foot. The injury effectively took him out of the race. The announcement that Knight was the starter followed much speculation. “Both Trevor and Blake have competed hard and both will be ready to play against Louisiana-Monroe,” Coach Bob Stoops said in a press release. “Like every other position on our team, I expect them both to continue competing for the starting job.” Knight earned rave reviews during Cotton Bowl preparations about his work on the scout team. During the Red-White spring game, Bell appeared to be the superior candidate. His gametime experience helped him have a better
showing than both Knight and Thompson. Throughout the offseason, though, Stoops stayed adamant there would not be an announcement any time soon. At Big 12 Media Days, he shot down any thought Bell was the starter. After receiving a question about Bell as the quarterback, Stoops simply responded, “You’re kind of making assumptions if you think he’s already the guy.” A San Antonio, Texas native, Knight passed for 2,092 yards and 27 touchdowns with only three interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 943 yards and 15 touchdowns. He originally committed to Texas A&M, but changed his commitment to Oklahoma before his senior year in high school. Julia Nelson julia.nelson@ou.edu
Red shirt freshman Trevor Knight runs down the field during the spring game. Knight was named the new quarterback at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
TECHNOLOGY
AUSTIN MCCROSKIE/THE DAILY
BREAKING GROUND
Sigma Nu to hold ceremony for new fraternity house House will be one of the only in the nation with single bedrooms COURTNEY WOLTJEN Campus Reporter
AARON MAGNESS/THE DAILY
Students participate in small group conversations in a History of Science to the Age of Newton class, taught by Peter Barker, Thursday afternoon in the Physical Science Buildings new active learning classrooms. These classrooms were built this year as part of the the University of Oklahoma Digital Initative.
Two new CORE classrooms added to OU’s Physical Sciences Center Several rooms receive an impressive update this fall PAIGHTEN HARKINS
Assistant Campus Editor
Framing the walls are eight TVs, strategically placed so each table can have its own TV. No matter your vantage point, you can get a look at what’s on the screen. Around the room are six round tables, configured with outlets and plugins for computers and each set with nine rolling chairs. Known as the CORE classroom, located in the Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, it was the first of three active learning classrooms built to satisfy OU’s digital initiative, said Erin Wolfe, director of the University Research Cabinet. Since the CORE’s implementation in fall 2012, two classrooms have been added to the main campus this fall, forcing students and professors to adapt to the new style of pedagogy—one that uses an abundance of technology that some professors don’t have the know-how to use effectively. The new active learning classrooms are located in the Physical Sciences Center and are modeled after the CORE classroom, just on a smaller scale, and feature all the same technology as in the CORE room, Wolfe said. These classrooms are part of a new trend in colleges nationwide, where
professors are experimenting with each used the available technology. new ways to get information across “[University officials] have invested and help mold students with better a lot in building that classroom and of critical thinking and problem solving course, they’d like to see the classroom skills, Wolfe said. is not just cool, but also helps students However, it doesn’t matter how to learn better,” she said. many active learning classrooms there While there is research out there are if the classroom structure isn’t con- proving that these classrooms do facilducive to active learning, said Xun Ge, itate learning, Ge was focused on what department chair for educational psy- exactly promotes better and more inchology who was brought in to survey volved learning. students in the CORE classroom last “Is it because of the big screen techyear. nology? Is it because of the group disFor example, the tradicussion?” she said. tional face-forward lec- “Is it because of While the overall reture style won’t be effecthe big screen action by both students tive in these classrooms and professors to the technology? because of the integratclassroom was positive, ed technology and overGe said she is going to Is it because all set up of the rooms, recommend that the of the group said Mark Morvant, diclass structure for those discussion?” rector of OU’s Center for classrooms should Teaching Excellence . change. XUN GE, Students in these classMany professors DEPARTMENT CHAIR FOR es should take part in ac- EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY f o u n d t h e r e w a s n ’ t tive learning, which is enough time in class to more problem solving get across the informaand challenge based, Morvant said. tion they wanted and also incorporate However, sometimes professors the technology like they wanted to, she don’t have time to use all the technol- said. ogy in the room because they haven’t “It’s a new way of thinking about figured out how to give students the in- teaching,” Ge said. formation they need and incorporate In the conclusion to her research, other activities, Ge said. Ge suggests there needs to be a paraGe was approached last year to eval- digm shift in thinking about learning, uate how professors and students perceived the CORE classroom and how SEE CORE PAGE 2
OU’s chapter of Sigma Nu will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 31 for its new house, which will be one of the only fraternity houses in the nation with single bedrooms. The ceremony will formally kick off construction on the Delta Epsilon chapter of Sigma Nu’s new house, which is expected to feature 46 single bedrooms with a bathroom to every two bedrooms, said Sigma Nu President “We have enjoyed Cole Grady. Members watching Greek are expected to be able to move in by Aug. 2014, life at OU grow and and the house will be develop over the past built at the same locafew years and have tion of its current house at 1300 College Ave. enjoyed watching Building a new house chapters like Sigma is a result of the decision made last year to rebuild Nu contribute to the Sigma Nu’s presence on transformation that campus. has been taking After 100 years of being active on campus, place.” Sigma Nu members forANDREW KNOX, feited its charter at OU PRESIDENT OF OU in 2010 because of low INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL membership. Sigma Nu members at the time said the fraternity planned to be active again on campus after two years, and in 2010 Sigma Nu alumni began campaigning to raise funds for the new house. “Our house was torn down right after they kinda closed down the chapter back in 2010...We are building a completely brand new house,” Grady said. Andrew Knox, president of OU’s Interfraternity Council, SEE HOUSE PAGE 2
Tom Brokaw not to appear at Gaylord Prize Campus: Ceremony will go on as planned, Brokaw will accept award in spring 2014. (Online)
Who’s new in your department? Campus: Students met 68 professors new to OU in classes this week. (Online)
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