Classroom Upgrade Project in High Gear this Summer
by Robert Ralston
 
In the ongoing effort to upgrade the campus' 119 general assignment classrooms, the Office of the University Registrar (in coordination with Information and Educational Technology, or IET) will be upgrading 20 more classrooms this summer.

Upgrading Classroom Multimedia Equipment
One important goal of the Classroom Upgrade Project is to equip all of these rooms with a consistent set of high quality audio-visual equipment. With the same equipment in all rooms, instructors can more easily plan the use of multimedia materials and presentations for their classes. Ultimately, when all the general assignment classrooms are fully equipped, instructors won't need to bring their own audio-visual equipment or have it delivered, set up, and broken down by the campus' audio-visual group.

This summer, IET's Classroom Support Unit will take the lead in installing new audio-visual equipment in 20 general assignment classrooms. This work involves installing projection screens, Sharp projectors, speakers, cables, and the all-important control unit: the media cabinet. The media cabinet contains the controls (Smart Panel), amplifier, VCR, and cabling which allow video projection from a laptop and the VCR or other video inputs.

Late September/October is the current target for completion of this summer's upgrades to the classrooms, including mounting media cabinets to classroom walls and installing power strips from which laptops can be powered in all the Olson Hall classrooms.

Other Related Tasks
  • Replacing approximately 10 NEC data projectors with new machines equipped to display now-common high video resolutions.

  • Combining at least six general assignment classrooms in Wellman into three, to gain more overall seating for the ongoing increase in UC Davis' enrollment. Other Wellman general assignment classrooms will be renovated with new sliding blackboards. IET will install new audio-visual equipment in many of these rooms.

  • Installing and testing an Assistive Listening Device for the hearing impaired in two lecture halls. Audio from the media cabinet, no matter what the source, whether laptop, VCR, or microphone, will be sent to an infrared emitter array as well as the room speakers. The infrared signal can be picked up anywhere in the room with a small infrared receiver and headphones. Funding for this project has been provided by the Office of the University Registrar.

Meet and Greet Program To Continue
At the beginning of the fall quarter, Classroom Support Unit (CSU) staff will again visit 70 to 80 classes to offer immediate assistance to faculty in the first-day-use of classroom audio-visual equipment. Additionally, CSU will team up with the Arbor to offer scheduled training classes for use of the classroom media cabinets. Faculty are encouraged to contact the Arbor (754-2115 or walk-in) at any time for media cabinet training.

 
 Related IT Times stories

This Issue
Summer Changes in the Campus Computer Rooms

Labs to Charge for Printing

Previous Issues
Technology Staffers Help Instructors Adjust to New Media Equipment (Nov/Dec 2000)

Classrooms Receive Facelift this Summer (Summer 2000)

 
Other Resources

Classroom Audio-Visual Support

Classroom Upgrade Project

 

Last modified: