UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 39, Page 3
August 17, 1995
Classroom building to support latest instructional technologies

     The new classroom building to be built on the University of
Delaware Mall in Newark will support the latest in instructional
technologies. To see exactly what that means, one need go no further
than to several classrooms on the campus that recently have been
transformed into high-tech exemplars.
     As an example of technological capabilities on campus, two
classrooms in Smith Hall-Rooms 120 and 130-recently have been
renovated and now feature built-in, multimedia equipment offering a
variety of options for teaching and presentations.
     Both 120 and 130 Smith are equipped with a multimedia console
that 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 in the room. The console also is equipped with
a microphone with volume control.
     The front of 120 is furnished with a chalkboard topped by large
screens 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.
     Behind 120 Smith is a specially equipped smaller room with
equipment where films, slides, compact discs and videos can be easily
loaded for sight and sound presentations by faculty members
themselves.
     The new building will feature a range of classroom styles, with
the capacity for technology incorporated into its design.
     Classroom maintenance and improvement are ongoing priorities at
the University. Nearly all the classrooms on the Newark campus have
been renovated over the last five years, and by the time the new
classroom building is completed, the University's entire inventory of
classrooms will be upgraded and will feature technology appropriate to
the type of instruction that goes on here.