The previously announced renovation of classroom Wishart 102 has been completed just in time for the beginning of the new academic year. Last spring, the Office of Information Technology and the Departments of Theatre and Communications collaboratively formulated the new classroom design. With the considerable assistance of Purchasing and Physical Plant, that design has now been implemented. The room features a ceiling-mounted projector, ceiling-mounted speakers and a motorized screen. In addition, the room contains a document camera, dvd/vcr combo unit and an amplifer. The latter two items are rack-mounted within a custom made podium located at the front of the classroom. The document camera is housed in a podium drawer that extends to one side for use. All the technology is controlled using a Pixie Pro unit mounted on the surface of the podium. (The Pixie Pro is the same control unit installed in Kauke classrooms during last year’s renovation.) The podium also accommodates the classroom computer. In this case that computer is a Mac Mini. The computer itself is located within the rack. The flat screen monitor sits atop the podium. The podium features a sliding drawer to house the wireless keyboard and mouse. The podium top also features the cabling and connectors necessary to accommodate a laptop should the instructor choose to bring one to the classroom.
The renovation goes beyond equipping the room with new classroom equipment. The original tablet chairs have been replaced with 18 two person tables and 36 slide chairs. The tables are on lockable wheels. The furniture can be arranged in front-facing rows for a lecture presentation, in an inward-facing square along the room’s perimeter for a seminar, or in clusters to accommodate small group collaboration. The furniture was chosen so that its configuration can be changed on the fly–quickly and easily. The room’s drop ceiling, lighting fixtures and shades were also replaced. New carpet was installed and the walls were painted. Chalkboards were replaced with five whiteboards–there are whiteboards on each wall to accommodate work in small groups.
IT had a number of motivations for initiating this renovation. We very much wanted to develop a podium to house the equipment described at the front of the classroom. Some applications require that the instructor interact intensely with the classroom computer. More casual interaction is sufficient for other applications–like PowerPoint, for example. It is hoped that the technologically-enhanced podium will accommodate both effectively. When interacting intensely with the computer, the instructor stands behind the podium facing both the monitor and the class. The podium provides space for the materials that the instructor requires. The instructor can easily shift his or her focus between these materials, the computer monitor and the class. When using the computer in a more casual way, the instructor can move freely about the classroom, interacting with the computer via the wireless keyboard. We also wanted to design a podium capable of housing a document camera and making it conveniently available to the instructor.
IT learned a great deal during the renovation of the learning spaces in Kauke Hall and the desire to apply these lessons in a new space was an additional motivator for IT. We hope to perform a series of renovations like the one just completed in Wishart and that the lessons learned in each will result in ongoing improvements in the design and implementation of classroom technology. A series of such experiments conducted in conjunction with academic departments will do much to prepare the college for the next major renovation of an academic building.
We very much look forward to receiving feedback from the faculty who teach in Wishart 102. We look forward to applying the lessons this feedback brings, and we look forward to continuing to partner with academic departments to enhance learning spaces across the campus.
We are very grateful to our collaborators in Theatre and Communications. We would also like to thank Jim Fishburn of Purchasing, Jackie Middleton of Auxiliary Services and Peter Schantz and his staff in Physical Plant. Without their contributions this project would not have been possible. IT is also grateful to our own Vince Di Scipio, Director of Networks, Telecommunications and Systems, who inherited management of this project as a result of recent organizational changes.
