UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 25, Page 1
March 24, 1994
Smith Hall classroom has high-tech features

     Room 120 of Smith Hall has been transformed into a high-tech
classroom.
     Using the latest technology, the room now features built-in,
multimedia equipment offering a variety of options for teaching and
presentations, according to Dennis Williams, associate director of
University Media Services.
     The largest classroom on campus, Room 120 has a seating capacity of
273 and is now in use for such courses as art history, animal science,
chemistry and geology.
     The room is equipped with a multimedia console, which doubles as a
lectern. By selecting the proper setting from the main menu at the console,
a professor easily can select and present music, slides, films, compact
discs, a computer screen and videotapes, or adjust the lighting. The
console also is equipped with a microphone with volume control.
     Behind the classroom is a specially equipped smaller room with
equipment where films, slides, compact discs and videos can be easily
loaded for sight and sound presentations. Unlike Kirkbride Hall, where a
central projection room serves smaller rooms with the aid of a resident
media specialist, the Smith facility is designed to be self-served by
faculty.
     The front of Room 120 is furnished with a chalkboard topped by large
screen for slides. The slides, which can be shown singly or two at a time,
can be focused from the console.
     For films, a large movie-theatre-sized screen drops from the ceiling
at the front of the room, while simultaneously a projector is automatically
lowered from the ceiling over the seating area.
     In addition to teaching, the room can be used for other functions,
such as admissions presentations to parents and high school students,
Williams said.
     Other classrooms on campus have been upgraded, such as Room 131 Sharp
Laboratory, which has video/computer equipment and is used by the
Department of Physics and Astronomy. Renovation is also in the planning
stage for Room 130 in Smith Hall, according to Williams.