Technology Upgrades Are Enhancing the SBU Learning Experience

The Humanities 1003 lecture hall is one of several projects on campus with upgraded classroom technology. Photos by John Griffin.

2024has been a year of significant upgrades in classroom technology at Stony Brook University, benefiting both faculty and students. The Classroom Technology and Support Servicesteam behind the upgrades continues to roll out enhancements across campus, and it's clear that the improvements, though often behind-the-scenes, are shaping the academic experience in meaningful ways.

One of the projects involved partnering with Campus Planning, Design, and Constructionon the renovation of the Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) 001 lecture hall, which now offers new seats, flooring, ceilings, and enhanced technology. However, the focus has been on more significant classroom technology upgrades, such as those in the Humanities lecture hall 1003.

"What we did in Humanities 1003 was install dual projection technology with two new 98-inch screens, which allows instructors to display multiple pieces of content simultaneously," explained Jarrod McFarlane, director of Classroom Technology and Support Solutions in the Division of Information Technology."This means professors can put up their slides, have remote students participate, and show annotations all at the same time, oruse the physical board while still having digital content projecting. This is the standard we established in Javits lecture halls and are pushing through across other major lecture halls and large classrooms."

New technology has been added to the Javits 106 classroom.

Currently, more than half of the lecture halls have this dual projection setup, with ongoing plans to expand it further, particularly in the Health Sciences Center. Improvements are not limited to the Stony Brook East and West campuses; the Duke Lecture Hall on the Southampton campus was upgraded to feature a 110-inch 4K LCD screen, replacing the older, outdated lamp-based projector. "That was a significant project for us, as it aligns with our standard of providing the best visual quality for all lecture spaces," McFarlane shared.

The new Active Learning Room in Javits 106 offers an innovative space featuring 10 screens for student collaboration, designed to encourage group work and hands-on learning. "Students can break into groups, each with their own screen to work on, and then bring their work together for class discussion. It's a great example of where we're headed with classroom design," McFarlane said. Faculty are encouraged to take advantage of this classroom setup to enhance learning and to work with the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching(CELT) on pedagogy that aligns with the space and technology.

The university's upgrade strategy includes support systems for both faculty and students. "We've introduced over-the-counter equipment, like iPads and conferencing cameras, available for loan," said McFarlane. "If a faculty member wants to borrow an iPad for wireless annotation or a Logitech Rally Cam for conferencing in a larger space, it's now possible." Faculty may reserve equipment online.

McFarlane and his team are committed to creating innovative, student-centered classrooms. "We're just getting started," McFarlane added. "There's more to come."

- Beth Squire

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