When Jeff Plant, TTU professor of housing and design in the School of Human Ecology, set out to produce an innovative teaching tool, he knew TTU possessed the resources to make it happen.

TTU's BusinessMedia Center became a crucial component in developing the landmark CD-ROM teaching tool for students of architecture, interiors and furniture.

The CD is a compilation of color slides depicting buildings, rooms and furniture from the periods between 2800 B.C. and 1975. Supporting text is also included to provide details of each image.

One of the exclusive features of the CD was developed by BMC Research Specialist Paul Harrison, who created a program that enables a user to zoom in on a slide and focus on specific details of an object - an aspect not likely to be achieved through other sources of study, such as books or slide projections.

Other features of the CD-ROM include streamlined index searching and an overview highlighting historical elements throughout the ages.

"I knew TTU had the resources to create and complete this project," said Plant. "(BMC) had to implement some innovative programming techniques in order to create (the zoom-in) feature, but the result is an enhanced visual teaching tool.
"The 'Architecture, Interiors and Furniture' slide presentation has become the standard of excellence for leading universities, libraries, teachers of interior design, theater design and many other courses throughout the United States and abroad. And, it was created at Tennessee Tech.

"Other people have described this project as a monumental work, serving as an example of how academics, technology, research, marketing and teaching styles can be successfully integrated into one project.

"The CD is a significant historical record of architecture, interiors and furniture, and it's an innovative teaching tool that enhances the way students learn.

"This was a groundbreaking project, and BMC did a phenomenal job."