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101 BEST PRACTICES >> Smart Classroom

11/21/2006

26 :: eLEARNING FOR THE PUBLIC

The University of Texas holds vast and diverse library and museum collections, research and scholarly materials, and many other knowledge assets. What if they could be leveraged among all the citizens of the state of Texas and beyond? This is the vision underlying UTOPIA, an expanding knowledge gateway to university resources, conceived in 2002 and launched in 2004, that continues to grow with the breadth and depth of UT’s resources.

eLearning might seem a natural outgrowth of the UTOPIA initiative. “The UT system d'es have a successful, although modest-scale, distance learning program,” says Dan Updegrove, UT-Austin’s VP of IT. “But that didn’t seem like the best approach [for UTOPIA], in part because distance learning ends up focusing new demands on the faculty who are already dealing with 50,000 students on the campus, plus their research.” Instead, administrators decided to use the web to bring UT’s digital treasures to the public. Says Updegrove, “A key goal of UTOPIA is to demystify information, curate it, edit it, and provide graphics, illustrations, and formatting to make the resources more accessible to a non-scholarly audience.” More info here.

27 :: VISUALLY INTENSIVE PROJECTION

Students and faculty in the San Diego State University College of Engineering’s Computer Aided Design (CAD) labs regularly work with visually intensive material in which the detail of fine lines—typically present in CAD drawings—is paramount. When the school set out to outfit the labs with multimedia projectors, the technology “had to meet strict criteria,” notes James Frazee, director of instructional technology services. “The projectors needed to be bright enough to be clear in minimal note-taking, ambient lighting conditions; they needed to be higher resolution than XGA; and they needed to have the best possible image quality.”

To meet those specific needs, administrators selected two Canon REALiS SX50 multimedia projectors. Canon’s proprietary Aspectual Illumination System (AISYS) optical engine maximizes the REALiS SX50’s next-generation liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display technology to provide SXGA+ (1400x1050) resolution images with a brightness of 2,500 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 1,000:1—all key considerations for SDSU’s implementation. “In the CAD labs, the increased resolution is a real plus beecause of the large amount of detail that must be shown on the screen at once,” says Frazee.

Editor’s note: Campus Technology will be following the campus use of four REALiS SX6 projectors (the latest addition to Canon’s high-resolution line). To find out how to participate, click here.

28 :: ‘SMART’ CLASSROOMS ON A BUDGET

Common “smart” classroom configurations typically bore an $8,000–$18,000 hole in an IT budget and encompass a projector, screen, set of speakers, DVD and video players, networked internet access, and either a computer or an easy way to hook up a computer—and it’s easy to spend far more if document cameras or high-tech whiteboards are added to the list.

But certain bells and whistles may not be essential. One frill that New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice (associated with the City University of New York) decided to do without: a motorized screen. A manual screen was a bit less convenient, but scrimping there reduced costs both up front and in terms of maintenance, says Bill Pangburn, John Jay’s director of instructional technology support services.

And Henry DeVries, CIO and CFO of Calvin College (MI), says that administrators at his school chose not to bother with a master smart classroom controlling system, and instead, simply locked a number of remotes to the professor’s desk. More info here.

29 :: ENGAGING STUDENTS

At Joliet Junior College (IL), Professor Rich McNeil is using technology to help students get involved and stay engaged in the classroom using an interactive learning product called DyKnow Vision. The software, which can be used on individual laptop or desktop computers in a lab setting, delivers materials electronically in various forms to each student. Students can add notes on the spot, and notes from one student or instructor can be shared with the rest of the class. “The biggest thing I’ve found is that [the interactivity of the technology] helps focus students,” McNeil says. “They’re doing the work right there in class. They’re engaged.” Since he introduced the product last year, the improvements McNeil has seen in final grades speak for themselves.

By using DyKnow with Blackboard, McNeil is also able to maintain a virtually paperless classroom. Students upload completed tests, he grades them in Blackboard, and then returns them to students electronically. More info here.

30 :: LAPTOPS FOR STUDENTS IN NEED

At Coppin State University, an inner-city institution in the heart of Baltimore, a large number of students receive extensive financial aid and cannot afford the technology tools they need to help them succeed. With this in mind, explains Ahmed El-Haggan, VP of IT and CIO, the university developed a laptop refresh program whereby (based upon the financial needs of each student) the school pays up to 50 percent of the costs of a personal laptop from Gateway, giving students four semesters to pay off the balance.

At the end of the two years, a student can purchase the laptop permanently for $50, or remain in the program and get a new laptop to use over the next two years. And for students who are unable to support even the reduced costs involved in the ownership program, Coppin developed a loaner program of used computers from those students who have chosen to refresh. El-Haggan says the refresh program has empowered students, making them feel as if they have options. “Coppin is also able to help address the digital divide,” he notes, “as students can take their laptops home for their studies, and to share with their families.” More info here.

31 :: TECHNOLOGY MEETS MUSIC

Instructors at Stetson University’s (FL) School of Music are using document cameras from Elmo to help music students learn. Previously, faculty would hand out paper copies of music, which were shared among students. But with the document camera, instructors can display to the class a single copy of a score, and as the music plays, “they can circle things, point out things, even go back and review,” says Gerry Ewing, Stetson’s director of instructional technology. The camera allows instructors to display images from books, pictures, musical scores, and more, as well as zoom in to specific areas.

According to Bobby Adams, professor of music education, as well as director of bands and coordinator of instrumental music at Stetson, the document camera is especially useful for presenting large drill charts to students. “Each student in a marching band has an assignment that involves specific and often complicated movements that are all choreographed,” Adams says, noting that the cameras allow the entire class to view the charts simultaneously so that students can see each movement as it relates to others. “It’s a superb teaching tool for showing different formations.” More info here.

32 :: STANDARDIZING SUCCESS

At the University of Texas-Austin, Kurt Bartelmehs, program manager for instructional technology, has worked hard to standardize technology in classrooms across campus. A typical UT “smart” classroom contains a full complement of equipment, including an internet-connected computer, Epson 3LCD large-format XGA projector, ampli- fied stereo system, VCR/DVD player, document camera, touch-screen remote-control system with software from Crestron, cabling for laptop connection, and set of inputs to plug in devices such as microscopes.

For the IT group, the use of the same systems in all classrooms means virtually no downtime, since equipment can easily be swapped out and replaced, and spares are always available. For faculty, the news is even better. Because every classroom works the same way, Bartelmehs says, faculty “can prepare a lecture for a 20-seat classroom, and give the same lecture in a 500-seat lecture hall” with absolutely no changes in equipment. More info here.

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