[DJC]
[design '96]

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY: DESIGNING FOR BRAVE NEW WORLD

BY STUART J. LOBERG
Sparling

Changing technologies are creating new opportunities for connecting students and instructors across geographic boundaries, for enhancing the learning experience, and for bringing new sources of revenue. Designers of educational facilities must plan for change and create a pathway to the future in the expanding universe of technological options.

New opportunities

Replacing the old style "A/V cart" are a broad field of choices ranging from a media-ready classroom to a fully equipped interactive distance learning facility. Sound reinforcement systems as well as video and computer projections are now used to enhance an instructor's presentation. Fully equipped media enhanced classrooms also enable a school to provide educational content to a vast number of people from one central location.

Geographic isolation is no longer a barrier to information access. Distance learning reaches new audiences whose circumstances or locations prevent them from attending events on the home campus.

Northwest Indian College, working with Sparling, developed a
Western Washington University's Media Enhanced Instructional Center Control Room provides integrated control of audio-visual systems in the distance learning classroom.
Photos by Steve Keating Photography

regional network connecting four reservation communities in the state of Washington from the college's home campus in Lummi. Future steps will incorporate a total of 28 small Washington tribes within the network.

"By sharing resources, we collectively provide programming none of us can afford individually," explains Northwest Indian College president Bob Lorence. "We're doing this to expand secondary education to reservations not currently being served. Initially, we strengthened science training since remote locations stretched the talents of local staff and made it difficult to recruit qualified instructors."

This regional system also connects to the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, whose 29 tribally controlled colleges cover a territory as far east as Michigan and as far south as New Mexico. The network broadcasts classes conducted on any of the campuses to the other member schools. Classes can then be rebroadcast on the reservation to reach the entire community.

"The AIHEC network," according to Lorence, "will deliver upper level baccalaureate training to communities previously served only by two-year colleges. Soon each site will connect with the internet to provide a research resource and support e-mail communication with instructors."

Multi-media technologies are being used more routinely to enhance the educational process. Access to the internet for research and data gathering, 3D computer modeling, and televised distance learning with off-campus students are just a few of the instructional opportunities that technology provides in the classroom.

Western Washington University's (WWU's) recently completed Media Enhanced Instructional Center incorporates state-of-the-art technologies that allows instructional content to be telecast to locations throughout the State of Washington on the Washington Interactive Television Network. WWU will utilize this technology to fulfill a grant to provide educational opportunities to former timber workers on the Olympic Peninsula. With the use of distance learning, WWU can provide classes to Olympic Peninsula residents without the inconvenience of travel for students or instructors.

While expanding opportunities for education, schools can maximize resources by using distance learning. Administrative teleconferencing reduces travel expenses and time spent away from the home campus. The University of Washington, for example, offers classes simultaneously from numerous locations.

"Our capabilities enable collaboration and cooperation among our three campuses," comments Sue Harvey, Director of Finance, Facilities and Administration for the University of Washington's Bothell and Tacoma campuses. "It's a great sharing of resources. Our students gain a broader range of course selections and we can maximize the academic specializations that exist on each separate campus."

Multi-media and distance learning capabilities can also offer new revenue sources to an educational institution. By specializing in certain subject areas and offering distance learning, educators can target potential students all over the world. This means that tuition sources are no longer confined to
Western Washington University's Distance Learning Classroom features audio-visual cameras, monitors and an instructor's console.


on-site students. Archived presentations and broadcasting of guest lectures may also attract additional revenue.

Technology and building design

Although it is impossible to anticipate future technologies, it is possible to construct a building with flexible, intelligent infrastructure capable of accommodating changing technological requirements. Facilities should be designed so that current and future technologies can be easily integrated with minimal disruption after building completion.

The goal is to minimize any impact on the building in the future. When technology planning follows, rather than coordinates with architectural design and construction, costs escalate and major renovations may be necessary before a building is functional.

The most efficient element of flexible infrastructure is a universal A/V "box" that resides in every general purpose classroom, conference room or lecture space. This box, when connected to a central cable management system, can provide connectivity for audio, video, data and fiber optic cabling. With the box in place, an optimal level of technology can easily be adjusted for each space. Also, with the cabling pathway in place, cabling can typically cover the life span of the facility, and when required, re-cabling for changing requirements is considerably simpler and less expensive.

After the generic connection panels are in place and a pathway is defined from the box to a central cable tray system, a central media center can be developed for housing shared systems and provide a common location for terminating A/V cabling. All cabling leads to this common media center, thus allowing electronic connectivity between any location in the facility. The sharing of resources and a central location providing connectivity to or from any facility location will achieve maximum flexibility for the facility.

Cabling and connectivity are only the first considerations in developing a new facility. Mechanical systems to cool equipment, acoustical considerations, proper power systems, integrated lighting, and blending of the technology with the architecture are all important aspects of a well conceived project.

Color treatments on the walls of a distance learning classroom directly affect the effectiveness of the room. Seamless integration of the technology into the space without distractions to the room's finishes and proper site lines for location of projection equipment and television cameras are also essential for success in the distance learning environment. During the planning phases of the project, it is important to achieve a balance between the room's function and future technology uses.

Lighting in the classroom is critical to successful technology use. Lighting must be designed in relationship to projection surfaces, computer and television monitors, and student activities. When distance learning is part of the criteria, critical issues include proper color temperature of the light, adequate luminance level required for good television coverage, and balance of light in the space to prevent unwanted shadows.

Acoustics play an important role noise mitigation and proper design of teaching spaces. The effect of noise in the space can be an issue when microphones are placed on the desktop for a distance learning classroom. Most microphones cannot discriminate between ambient room noise and a person's voice. For example, adjacent room noise needs to be inaudible in the televised class since microphones will pick up and amplify this noise. During the design process, it will be critical to determine the potential noise level and the noise criteria for the space in order to adequately absorb ambient noise and minimize reverberation within the room.

Proper design of power systems are always a concern when integrating A/V technologies into a facility. The goal is to ensure that the power transformer is isolated from other noisy building systems like mechanical motors. By minimizing any transients in the power system, potential damage to equipment can be prevented. Good grounding is also important so that the equipment can operate without unwanted signal distortions.

A/V equipment needs to stay cool for proper operation. If 40 computers are integrated into a classroom, the increase in heat must be dissipated in the room. With these temperature concerns in mind, it is also important to pay attention to the room's acoustics and avoid mechanical noise. Other concerns include the cooling and humidity control associated with dedicated equipment rooms, as well as proper ventilation of built-in equipment enclosures.

Planning the Classroom

Facilities planners face the initial challenge of determining the appropriate level of technology for each space, knowing that usage requirements may change as quickly as the available technology.

To focus the planning effort, three general levels of technology should be considered. The basic level is the installation of the universal A/V connection panel or box. This minimal installation readies a room for future equipment installation and allows connection of portable equipment to shared media resources. Via the central media center, users can view images from other internal or external locations. With a portable TV camera, activities of that room can also be sent to other locations.

Teaching opportunities multiply incrementally when dedicated equipment becomes part of the room. Using the universal infrastructure, a dedicated video projector, sound system and audio-visual control system can be built in. Students can then view computer images, participate in the reception of distance education programming, or monitor a live (but dangerous) experiment being conducted in another room. The instructor controls all audio-visual equipment from a central location by means of an intuitive, user friendly interface (A/V control system).

The most technologically advanced learning center is a fully equipped distance learning classroom for transmitting and receiving educational programming. This model incorporates microphones on every desktop, dedicated remote control cameras, an instructor's podium with integrated technologies, monitors for viewing other sites, an audio reinforcement system, specialized lighting and a high level of acoustic treatment.

A recent innovation at Columbia Basin Community College (CBC) is an outstanding example featuring the advantages of full multi-media capacity. CBC provides re-training to Department of Energy workers laid off from the Hanford nuclear power plant. Sparling, along with the architect and the owner, created a flexible technology center that allows CBC to offer a changing menu of courses based on the market's needs. As a next step, Sparling has suggested that CBC develop a network that will reach Department of Energy workers at sites throughout the country. Such a network could enable CBC to become a key provider of re-certification courses that every Department of Energy worker must complete.

"This new technology has allowed us to squeeze every possibility from our limited resources," says Tim Still, media technician at Columbia Basin Community College. "Multi-media permits us to expand our pool of potential students and broaden the range of courses we can offer. These capabilities give us the edge over any comparable institution serving Department of Energy workers."

Using this highest level of classroom technology can be the basis for creating a distance learning network. It is important to consider the methods and options available before committing to any particular technology. Many technological alternatives exist to support network development.

Telecommunications providers offer connectivity through the use of ISDN lines and dedicated data links between locations to facilitate network connections. Costs can range from $.19 per minute to thousands of dollars per month. Satellite technologies are also available. Using digital compression to reduce broadcasting bandwidth, expenses can be as low as $60 per hour for transmission of compressed video and audio data. It is highly likely that the cost of these networks will continue to decrease as they are more widely used.

An intelligent, flexible infrastructure accompanied by careful consideration of power, lighting, mechanical, acoustic and architectural issues are essential to building fully useful learning facilities. There is a vast difference between technology integrated into a space as part of the design and technology that is treated as an afterthought.

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Copyright © 1996 Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.