Category: Classroom Technologies

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NEW! Updates from Classroom Technologies in W&L Learning Spaces

Help Cards – We’ve made Quick Start guides for how to use the classroom systems. They will be placed in classrooms prior to the fall term. Be on the look out for them!

W&L Guest Account – We’ve also added stickers to classroom monitors or keyboards with login information for a Guest account, so it is there when you need it. We recommend only using the guest account for someone who doesn’t have a WLU account. This account will not retain any information once you log off or someone else logs on to the computer.

Help Button – The  Help button is now responsive to whether Classroom Technologies personnel are on campus, if it is after hours, or if W&L is closed.

When you press the Help button and someone is here, you will see “A staff member is on their way to assist you.”

AV Help Schedule screenshot from podium

If it’s after hours or the University is closed, you will get a message similar to “For after-hours support, contact the Help Desk at 540-458-4357 (help@wlu.edu) to see if someone is available.”

In either situation, there will be a ticket created and assigned to the instructor who is scheduled in the room at that time. The ticket will come from the ITS Help Desk  and will allow us to easily communicate and resolve any issues quickly.

To learn more,  join the Classroom Technologies team at our Fall Academy session, Classroom Technology Demo/Tips,  on August 25th at 10:30 am in Leyburn 119. Register online at go.wlu.edu/fallacademy.

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Summer Refresh: Updated Classrooms and Learning Spaces

The Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning, Leyburn Library (Level 1)

Video Recording Studio 101
Lighting control wall mounted touch panel, 8 light panels, 4 motorized backdrop screens, and sound proofing wall panels.

Special Collections Classroom 102
Laser projector, tensioned screen, ceiling microphones and speakers, lectern with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, touch panel, monitor, Blu-ray player, document camera, Solstice Pod, front and rear cameras for videoconferencing and lecture capture.

Innovation Classroom (Leyburn 109)
Interactive projector, whiteboard, 2 sidewall flat panel displays, ceiling microphones and speakers, lectern with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, touch panel, monitor, Blu-ray player, document camera, 3 Solstice Pods, front and rear cameras for videoconferencing and lecture capture.

Teaching Hub (Leyburn 119)
Laser projector, tensioned screen, 2 sidewall flat panel displays, ceiling microphones and speakers, lectern with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, touch panel, monitor, Blu-ray player, document camera, Solstice Pod, front and rear cameras for videoconferencing and lecture capture.

Peer Tutoring Rooms (Leyburn 121 and 122)
60” flat panel display, video conference sound bar, AV cabinet with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, wall mounted touch panel, and Solstice Pod.

Video Editing Suites (Leyburn 123, 124, and 125)
Studio vocal microphones on boom arm and sound proofing wall panels.

Collaboration Gallery (Leyburn 128)
Laser projector, tensioned screen, ceiling microphones and speakers, lectern with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, touch panel, monitor, Blu-ray player, Solstice Pod, front and rear cameras for videoconferencing and lecture capture.

Oral Presentation Rooms (Leyburn 130 and 140)
 60” flat panel display, video sound bar, AV cabinet with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, microphone, camera for lecture capture, wall mounted touch panel, and Solstice Pod.

Digital Signage
New RISE displays across from the elevators.

Leyburn 222 and 223
Two new University classrooms! Laser projector, tensioned screen, ceiling microphones and speakers, lectern with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, touch panel, monitor, Blu-ray player, document camera, Solstice Pod, front and rear cameras for videoconferencing and lecture capture.

Elsewhere on Campus

Science Addition AG14, 114, and 214
Laser projector, tensioned screen, ceiling microphones and speakers, lectern with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, touch panel, monitor, Blu-ray player, document camera, Solstice Pod, and rear cameras for lecture capture.

Wilson Hall 2018
2 laser projectors, 2 tensioned screens, ceiling microphones and speakers, lectern with HDMI and USB-C connectivity, touch panel, monitor, Blu-ray player, document camera, Solstice Pod, and rear cameras for lecture capture.

COMING Fall 2021

Leyburn 301
Laser projector, pull screen, wall mounted touch panel, Blu-ray player, new Apple computers, and new furniture.

 

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Technology updates/upgrades for W&L classrooms and learning spaces

The following rooms have received technology upgrades (and continue to be improved upon):

Classrooms:

  • Leyburn Library M47
  • Moot Courtroom
  • Newcomb Hall  116
  • Newcomb Hall  122

Seminar Rooms:

  • Sydney Lewis Hall 426
  • Sydney Lewis Hall 457
  • Newcomb Hall 120
  • Newcomb Hall 304
  • Newcomb Hall 310
  • Reid Hall 302
  • Wilson Hall 2010

Computer Labs:

  • Lenfest Hall B06 Design Lab

Meeting Spaces:

  • 2 South Main Meeting Room
  • Hillel House 101 Multipurpose Room
  • Leyburn Library M40
  • Leyburn Library M41
  • Leyburn Library M42

Equipment upgrades vary by room, but typically include laser projector and screen or flat panel, AV equipment, Blu-ray player, document camera, lecture capture and/or videoconferencing camera(s), microphone(s), and/or a Mersive Solstice Pod.

Many thanks to Brian Balkey, Andy Briggs, Todd Capito, Todd Goetz, and Alicia Shires for around-the-clock testing and upgrading that you’ve been doing!

Have questions about any technology upgrades? Contact the ITS Information Desk at 540.458.4357 (HELP) or email help@wlu.edu.

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Update from Classroom Technologies: Classrooms and Learning Spaces That Got a Facelift!

Classroom Technologies has been super busy this past spring and summer making modifications and upgrades to classrooms and spaces around campus.

  • Ruscio Center for Global Learning 123 – Two new 80” flat panel displays!
  • Early Fielding Conference Room – Solstice Pod and 65” flat panel display!
  • Huntley Hall 323 – New touch panel, Solstice Pod for wireless connectivity, new Blu-ray player, new laser projector!
  • Sydney Lewis Hall Classrooms A, B, C and D – New light controls!
  • Sydney Lewis Hall Classroom B – Digital switching upgrade along with new touch panel, new ADA-compliant lectern. Solstice Pod for wireless connectivity, Blu-ray player, front camera and ceiling mics for videoconferencing, new dual laser projector, and new screens!
  • Sydney Lewis Hall Classrooms E and G – New touch panel screen, new ADA-compliant lectern! Solstice Pod for wireless connectivity, Blu-ray player, front camera and ceiling microphones for videoconferencing, and dual flat panel displays!
  • Stackhouse Theater – New assisted listening system, new surround sound system, new screen, new rear camera for lecture capture, new front camera and ceiling mics for videoconferencing, new touch panel screen in control booth, along with the ability to control resident PC and monitor event audio! 
  • Wilson Hall 2017 – New touch panel screen, Solstice Pod for wireless connectivity, Blu-ray player, front camera and ceiling mics for videoconferencing, new laser projector, and a new larger screen!
  • Wilson Hall 2020 – New touch panel screen, Solstice Pod for wireless connectivity, new amplifier and speakers, new laser projector, and new screen!

Hats off to Tom Capito, Alicia Shires, Todd Goetz, and Andy Briggs for all the amazing work you’ve done with these updates!

If you have any questions about the technology upgrades, please contact the ITS Information Desk at 540.458.4357 (HELP) or email help@wlu.edu.

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Not Your Mama’s Classroom!

We’re ? with active learning classrooms! You know, student-centered, flexible learning spaces that allow for a range of teaching and learning activities. What does an active learning classroom look like?

According to Baepler, et al. in “A Guide to Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom: History, Research, and Practice”, active learning classrooms (ALCs)

“typically feature round or curved tables with moveable seating that allow students to face each other and thus support small-group work. The tables are often paired with their own whiteboards for brainstorming and diagramming. Many tables are linked to large LCD displays so students can project their computer screens to the group, and the instructor can choose a table’s work to share with the entire class. Wireless Internet plays an important role in retrieving resources and linking to content management systems, and depending upon the size of the room, table microphones can be critical so that every student’s voice can be broadcast across the room. Unlike the lecture hall with its clear division between front and back, the ALC is designed to even out that hierarchy and increase mobility for the instructor and students.” (p.10)

Inside the Ruscio Center for Global Learning (CGL), Rooms 104, 114, 115, 211, and 212 certainly fit the bill! Look at those:

  • movable tables and chairs allow the professor to circulate and interact for improved student engagement
    • movable chairs were designed for quick, easy transitions from one teaching mode to the next, like lecture to group work without interruption, are lightweight, portable, stackable, and COMFORTABLE! Small holes in the material allow your body to breathe, so moisture and heat dissipate, so you remain cool! (CGL 114 and 211)
    • node chairs in CGL 115 and 212 have swivel seats that give students the freedom to shift focus throughout the room. The base of node chair provides a unique storage solution for backpacks and student belongings that usually clutter the aisles. And it has an adjustable worksurface, that accommodates both left- and right-handed students and provides a perfect fit for students of all shapes and sizes.
  • multiple flat screen displays ensures that every seat is a good seat (CGL 115 and 212)
  • flip tables: allows you to save space (CGL 104)
  • dual projection: the option to display a single source on both projection screens increases the sight lines of the classroom (CGL 115 and 212)

Compare that to college classrooms of the past …

So … which classroom is more likely to support teaching and learning in an atmosphere conducive to engaging students actively in their own learning?

blocks that spell out DUH

[Curious about active learning, a pedagogical approach that emphasizes student engagement in the learning process? Check out this great op-ed piece by Cathy N. Davidson in Inside Higher Ed, “10 Key Points About Active Learning“.]

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Summer 2018 Classroom Technology Upgrades

Since classrooms are used all year round, scheduling upgrades is incredibly challenging. So leave it to the seemingly tireless Classroom Technologies team to spend the summer making enhancements to the following rooms:

  • Early Fielding 109
    • new laser projector!
      Laser projectors use a laser light source technology rather than traditional lamps to generate light. Laser projectors offer better picture quality, enhanced brightness, and a more efficient projection system for overall longevity.
    • now Skype-ready! (ViewShare camera in the screen and mics have been installed in the ceiling.)
    • wireless presentation/projection available via a Mersive Solstice Pod!
      Solstice is platform-agnostic so it works with Apple products, Windows computers and tablets, and Android devices. Additionally, multiple users are able to connect and share at the same time!
  • Early Fielding 114:
    • new laser projector!
    • new screen!
    • wireless presentation/projection via a Mersive Solstice Pod!
  • Huntley Hall 220:
    • new laser projector! 
    • new screen!
    • now Skype-ready! (ViewShare camera in the screen and mics have been installed in the ceiling.)
    • wireless presentation/projection is now available via a Mersive Solstice Pod!
  • Huntley Hall 301:
    • the ability to connect HDMI devices!
    • new laser projector! 
    • new screen!
    • now Skype-ready! (ViewShare camera in the screen and mics have been installed in the ceiling.)
    • wireless presentation/projection is now available via a Mersive Solstice Pod!
  • Parmly Hall 306:
    • new 80″ flat screen panel on the wall (increased brightness, better contrast and clarity)
    • wireless presentation/projection is now available via a Mersive Solstice Pod!
  • Stackhouse Theater:
    • 1st part of 2 part renovation
  • Wilson Concert Hall:
    • COMPLETE technology installation

Many, many thanks to Tom Capito, Alicia Shires, and Todd Goetz for all you guys do! You guys rock!

If you have any questions about classroom updates, please contact the Information Desk at 540.458.4357 (HELP) or email help@wlu.edu.