(WACO) – Building Construction Technology students at Texas State Technical College are seeing the results of learning exercises their fall semester classmates had in interior finishing.

Room 103 in the Building Construction Technology Building was once a classroom, but students have transformed the space into a computer lab able to accommodate 24 students.

John Russell, a TSTC Building Construction Technology instructor, designed plans on the software programs Chief Architect and Inventor. About 50 students built desks, painted, installed Sheetrock and set up cabling during the fall semester. Staff at TSTC’s Information Technology Support Operations helped get computers online.

The desks are made of red oak, plywood and laminate. Staff from Wilsonart in Temple taught students about adhesives and laminates for the project.

“This was a training situation and some students learned faster than others,” Russell said.

One of the students who worked on the project, Michael Shields, 34, of Waco, is scheduled to graduate in April with an Associate of Applied Science in Building Construction Technology. He said it was good experience undertaking construction procedures, from learning blueprints to installing the finished products.

“Building Construction Technology deals with a lot of the aspects of mathematics and being methodical,” Shields said. “The process is important to learn how to put things together.”

Students still need to replace some of the lab’s ceiling tiles. Russell said the room’s carpet could eventually be changed out.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.