UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 8, Page TT-2
October 19, 1995
TechTalk
Pearson Hall Training Center

'I need to learn how to use the latest version of Word Perfect. Where
do I go?'

     The Pearson Hall Training Center (PHTC), always a busy site, has
recently upgraded its projection system and DOS/Windows computers,
making the site an even more valuable resource for the campus
community.


State-of-the-art projection system
     Nearly 200 classes are taught in the PHTC each year, and the
projection equipment in the DOS/Windows classroom has been upgraded to
a state-of-the-art, ceiling-mounted Sony VPH-1272Q projector.
     "Over 5,000 people receive technology training each year, most of
it in this site," Janet de Vry, user services, said. "Faculty also use
the facility to teach classes. Pearson Hall is our premier training
facility. More than 3,000 people are trained here each year in User
Services classes alone. As computer monitors have developed the
ability to display higher and higher resolutions, we needed a
projector capable of projecting to the whole class what is available
on individual screens," de Vry said.
     The Macintosh classroom also has projection capabilities, which
include a high-intensity overhead projector and an nView LCD panel.
"The LCD panel in the Mac classroom does a nice job of projecting my
screen for my students to see," Carolyn Manning, nutrition and
dietetics, said.


State-of-the-art computers
      Thirty-one Gateway 2000 P5-75 systems, each with a 75Mhz Pentium
processor, 16M RAM, a quad-speed CD-ROM drive and other features have
been installed. "People have noticed that Windows applications
definitely go much faster since the upgrade," senior Sean Rommel, one
of the site assistants, said.
     "The new configuration allows people to run Windows applications,
Netscape and multimedia applications much more effectively," Ken
Gillespie, user services, said. "The faster processors and increased
memory make it easier for people to work in more than one application
at the same time or to move between applications," graduate student
and site assistant Sami Iren, added.
     "I use a multimedia program called 'Bio Explorer' from Norton to
illustrate biological principles for some of my classes," Robert
Hodson, biology, said. "The new computers are a dramatic improvement
for applications like this." The systems are now fast enough that
Hodson's students can view the software's animation and still
graphics. "I'm hoping to incorporate some other CD-ROM titles into my
teaching in future semesters," he said. Iren said some users bring
their own CD-ROMS to use.
     The facility also has 20 Power Macintosh computers, 15 of them
configured as part of the Macintosh classroom. "My students have
enjoyed the sessions we've had in the Mac side of the site. They find
the systems easy to use; in fact, I have fun teaching there," Manning
said.


All add up to a state-of-the-art training facility
     "Our facility is really the envy of many corporate trainers," de
Vry said. The PHTC is used each year

        * for over 200 technology training seminars
        * by faculty to teach students in over 60 classes
        * by thousands of students, faculty and staff for general-
          purpose computing.

     de Vry said the facility can accommodate people with several
different learning or teaching styles. "You can attend a 'traditional'
training session, work on your own with class hand-outs, use the
multimedia learning station, view videotapes of courses and borrow
tapes to learn. When high-quality commercial videotapes are available,
we incorporate them into our classes," she said.
     Judy Greene, Center for Teaching Effectiveness, recently attended
a seminar about using Microsoft Powerpoint. "The instructional
videotapes in the class make excellent use of instructional design
principles and were very easy to use. I enjoyed learning from them-in
the classroom with staff to coach me and at home, on my own."
     Knowledgeable site assistants are always on duty when the site is
open, available to help users with questions about their work and to
help instructors with the teaching equipment.  T
     Faculty can reserve the site ahead of time by contacting Ken
Gillespie, user services, telephone 831-6338, or e-mail to
kgillesp@udel.edu.
     For more information about the site, point your Web browser at
          http://www.udel.edu/jeffers/sites/116nh.html