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Creation of a New Computer Classroom
in Olson Hall
A new computer classroom in Olson Hall will open by the end of June as part of an agreement between IT-Information Resources and the Office of the Registrar. The room, located in 1 Olson, is intended to meet the growing faculty demand for Mac computer classrooms. With 29 iMac Apple computers, it will be the third computer classroom in Olson Hall. The instructor's station will be wired for projection and the room will be equipped with a high-capacity networked printer.
IT-Lab Management will also upgrade five of the 15 campus computer rooms.
Major Upgrades in 15, 21, and 27 Olson
Following the opening of 1 Olson, the computer rooms in 15, 21 and 27 Olson will undergo major renovation. All three rooms will have new furniture and computers. The 27 Olson facility will be equipped with Dell 450MHz Pentium IIs and 21 Olson with iMac Apple computers. By August, 27 and 21 Olson will be open and have their own networked printer.
15 Olson will be remodeled to serve as the main location for consultants supporting 1, 21, and 27 Olson. By the end of June, print filing will no longer be available. The space created by the change will be used by additional print-only stations.
Conversion of 307 Surge IV
As part of the ongoing effort to increase student access to computers, Lab Management will convert 307 SurgeIV from a computer classroom into the fourth open access lab. The room is currently one of the least popular classrooms due to its small size and cramped layout. Classes scheduled in 307 Surge IV will be rescheduled to 1 Olson which will be better suited for instruction. Expected to be closed during the summer and reopened by Fall '99, the room will be reorganized to contain both Mac and PC stations. The room will be restricted to open-access use and will not be used for classroom instruction.
Upgrade of TB114
Lab Management will upgrade equipment and furniture in TB114, one of the open access labs. To extend the lifetime of older machines, TB114 will be equipped with furniture and PC computers available as a result of the upgrades in Olson Hall. While they are not new, the equipment and furniture will be an improvement from the existing machines in TB114. The PowerMac 7600s currently available in TB114 will remain in service.
New Checkout System for the Hart Media Distribution Room
At Hart 1101, where instructors can leave videos for students to view, a new check-out system will automate much of the check-out and check-in procedures. Using barcode and scanning technology together with a database, the staff will barcode all materials for tracking purposes.
These changes should speed up the check-out process which previously involved filling out a paper form and leaving an ID at the front desk. From now on, students, staff, and faculty will need only their ID number and picture ID to check out material.
Future Improvements to Lab Facilities/Classrooms
This summer, Lab Management will use Instructional Equipment Replacement (IER) funds to replace a number of older printers with faster, more reliable printers. Having a printer in the classroom will allow faculty to have more time for actual in-class instruction.
Digital video and sound equipment in 1154 Meyer New Media Lab is also slated for replacement or improvement.
For more information on campus computer rooms, see http://lm.ucdavis.edu/.
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