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Untitled Document
On The Horizon
Since the classroom control technology and the multimedia
capabilities found in the eClassroom can be linked remotely to electronic classrooms
throughout the campus, it is certainly conceivable that one faculty member (teaching
in the Statistics Computer building) could be electronically linked to other
similar facilities in Sproul Hall, the College of Engineering, AGSM, etc. Thus,
a presentation to 30 students could become a presentation to 90 or 120 students
(with one faculty leading the class and graduate students mentoring the remote
sites). Interest in this concept has been expressed by Math faculty (for the
calculus 9 A, B, C series) and by Computer Science faculty (Computer Science
8, Intro to CS) as well as Mechanical Engineering faculty. CNAS and Computing
and Communications are actively seeking funds to create this matrix of intranet
linked interactive classrooms.
In the future, eClassroom will be upgraded with new operating
systems, machines, and ergonomic furniture. The first of these upgrades will
almost certainly be the replacement of workstation CRT screens with LCD panels,
which save both desk space and eyesight.
Off-site connections will be facilitated through a dedicated
server, which will allow for monumental changes in the actual method of attendance.
I.e., from her office, an instructor may hold a lab session in which her students
are logging on from locations most convenient for them - a dorm room, the library,
the commons, cafeteria or campus greens. Video conferencing technology will
stream live through the internet, facilitating both archiving and review processes.
As Dr. Penas says: "Though we're on the ground level,
[this technology] has more capabilities than we even can think of yet."
And as technology in general progresses, the actual eClassroom concept will
be modified, upgraded and streamlined, creating whole new experiences in the
student/instructor dynamic - welcome to the future.
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