With four 42 x 8.74 ft curved screens, students get an optimized, all-angle projected multimedia experience. Twelve laser projectors create an immersive environment, combined with a high-definition video processor that allows instructors to create custom multimedia presentations.
“The four screens together surround the student seating area, so we work with our instructors to help them visualize the screens as a very large canvas,” says Dressler. “We have staff working with faculty to prepare the media, as content that takes full advantage of the 360-degree feature will require additional programming.”
Oregon State Center Prioritizes Human-Centered Design
At Oregon State University, the Learning Innovation Center (LInC), completed in 2015, serves up to 3,000 students simultaneously. The facility was built to accommodate formal and informal learning, incorporating technology and “human-centered design,” according to Andrea Ballinger, Vice Chancellor for Information Technology.
LInC has two large classrooms with faculty teaching rounds. The large classrooms, which can accommodate nearly 600 students, have high curved ceilings reminiscent of high-tech arenas. Panasonic’s projection technology enables faculty and staff to easily display content on tall screens in curved classrooms.
“This is our most impressive space,” says Ballinger. “The student is at the same height as the faculty and staff, and all seats are within nine rows of him from the center of the room.”
The rest of the 134,000-square-foot building serves a variety of functions. Sofas, ottomans and coffee shops provide a natural gathering place. Larger classrooms accommodate traditional lectures and team projects, while smaller rooms are used by faculty and staff.
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“The idea is to allow instructors to mix and match modalities. You can show something live or on any screen,” says Ballinger. Dell hardware and her HPE/Aruba switches and access points provide ample speed and bandwidth for her over 1,000 students at once.
“On a human level, this building makes you part of a group,” says Ballinger. “Because of the building design and the technology, we cannot help but learn.”
learn more: Get the most out of your classroom design by keeping things flexible.
Washington State University Building Stimulates High Demand
Located on the main campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, the Spark Building combines cutting-edge technology with creative learning spaces.
Features include circular classrooms that accommodate over 275 students, flexible classrooms, and active learning classrooms where students work in groups and project their work onto large digital displays. The Media Classroom is dedicated to classes that require a software license as part of their instruction.
Sasi Pillay, CIO and Vice President of IT Services, said: “I have seen classes ranging from digital technology and math to apparel merchandising, design and textiles.”
The building is in high demand by faculty and students.
“Most faculty want to teach there,” says Pillay. “They can also hold office hours there and offer advice.”
The building uses Da-Lite and Sony displays and NEC projectors. Due to heavy usage, WSU recently upgraded its Internet backbone and WAN to 100 gigabytes. Spark also has a much higher density of access points from Aruba and Cisco compared to older buildings on campus.
“When we build new buildings on our campus, we try to adopt and expand on this model,” says Pillay.
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