Classrooms Receive Facelift this Summer

By Mary Sue Hedrick

 
Summer is the time for building and renovation at university campuses. Here at UC Davis, several upgrades are underway, thanks to the Classroom Development Project, the Instructional Space Advisory Group, and a slick device called a SmartPanel.

 
The Classroom Development Project
The Classroom Development Project is an effort, under the direction of the University Registrar, to upgrade all 120 general assignment classrooms (classrooms not assigned to a specific academic department) on the UC Davis campus. The project focuses on improving the quality of media equipment used for classroom instruction; the ultimate goal is to provide a consistent, easy-to-use set of equipment and controls in each of the 120 classrooms.

The Classroom Development Project also covers facility improvements including carpeting, upgraded chalkboards with multiple sliding panels, new paint and acoustical treatment, and new furniture for both the students and the instructors. Over the summer, approximately 30 classrooms are slated for these improvements. Funding for this project comes from a general funds budget for classroom support, administered by the Office of the Registrar.

 
The Instructional Space Advisory Group (ISAG)
The ISAG, a 15-member campus committee, is charged with making recommendations on classroom improvements to the University Registrar, Jack Farrell, who makes the final decision on implementation of upgrades. Farrell also chairs the committee.

In February 1998, the ISAG made the following recommendations for general assignment classroom improvements:

• Ensure functional, up-to-date equipment and outfitting
• Address classroom overcrowding and student density issues
• Improve instructor participation in classroom design
• Provide feedback mechanisms on current room conditions
• Improve instructor training in the use of classroom equipment

The ISAG recommendations have resulted in plans for new carpeting and seating, efficient tabletop podiums, chalkboard units with sliding panels, painting, and renovating the classrooms to comply with fire codes and with criteria specified in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Some of these improvements have already been made in Wellman Hall. Olson Hall will be the first to receive such upgrades this summer, and others will follow as funding permits.

"One issue we are faced with is the inevitable reduction of seating capacity as we make the rooms ADA and fire-code compliant," says Farrell, who took over management of the Classroom Development Project in July 1999. "This loss of capacity makes the future need for more classrooms even more pressing, especially with the expected increases in enrollment in the coming years." A Long Range Development Plan Space Advisory Group, chaired by Richard Keller in Planning and Budget, has been formed to deal with classroom capacity issues, among others, in the face of Tidal Wave II.

In response to the recommendation for improved technology in the classrooms, the ISAG designated the SmartPanel as UC Davis's classroom standard and in fall 1999 approved installation in all 120 general-assignment classrooms. Farrell directed the development of the SmartPanel technology while at Stanford University.

 
The SmartPanel
The SmartPanel (see photo below) makes possible the concurrent operation of up to four output devices, such as computers, VCRs, DVD players, and document cameras (cameras with a built-in platform for materials -- anything from books to rocks to dolls -- that can be projected through a data-video projector). With the press of a button, an instructor can switch back and forth between the devices to be send images to a ceiling-mounted data-video projector for display on a projection screen. In addition to the SmartPanel and the data-video projector, the standard classroom installation includes an Internet connection, a VCR, and sound enhancement system.

Project Manager Teri McKown, IT-project specialist, expects the SmartPanels to be installed in all general-assignment classrooms by fall 2001. "The key to the success of the SmartPanel is that users are properly trained. To that end, the Office of the Registrar, the Division of Information Technology (IT), and the Teaching Resources Center are working together to provide faculty training for the SmartPanel." For an online tutorial, visit Stanford University's site at http://smartpanel.stanford.edu/.