In 1022 Main Library, Professor Bob Boynton projected his desktop screen onto one of six flat-screen TVs on the first day of classes.
It’s not a typical feature in U. Iowa classrooms. But a new set of redesigned spaces provides this feature and more.
The two completed rooms, one in MacLean Hall and one in the Main Library, as well as two more on the way, are part of the “Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage” initiative, which uses advanced technology to foster better learning, said Beth Ingram, the associate provost for undergraduate education.
Six flat-screen TVs, six round tables with three laptops each, yellow Internet cords for students’ laptops built into the tables, glass whiteboards, and a command center for professors to display videos, websites, and documents onto a screen, were installed over the summer.
Room 1022 isn’t finished yet. Some lights need to be fixed and the drop-down screen has to be adjusted, said Margaret Jesse, the head of instructional services in Information Technology Services. But the room can still host classes — such as Boynton’s Multimedia Politics class.
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Wide-eyed students looked around the room, clicking away on the laptops, which are connected to the flat-screen TVs. This link allows students to present projects or information to classmates without having to use projectors or a teacher’s computer.
Boynton, who has taught at the university since 1964, also teaches a first-year seminar about Twitter in politics in the same room. He is optimistic about the changes.
“I could not teach the course without this kind of environment,” he said. “This is one of the most diverse facilities around.”
The estimated cost for the still slightly unfinished room is around $400,000, a cost that will not be passed onto the students through tuition hikes, Jesse said.
“We started talking about these projects last fall, but the project probably really kicked off in December,” she said. “It takes eight months to a year. Now that we know how to do the rooms, it should be quicker.”
The rooms are generating interest from other professors, but Jesse is still “studying the effect” of the rooms before considering any more additions. Come spring, one room in Phillips Hall and one in Van Allen Hall will open. And the 54-seat Main Library room will likely broaden its scope to hold other types of classes, such as math, science, and language courses.
As for Boynton, he is not worried about students’ attentions drifting to Facebook or other distractions during class.
“The students are going to be busy,” he said, noting he will wander around the room, making sure students aren’t playing Solitaire, for instance.
But if one student’s attention falls through the cracks, Boynton won’t fret.
He’ll just project it onto the flat-screen TV.