Siena Science - Video Conferencing Room

Overview

The School of Science is in the process of converting a typical classroom into a multi-use, video conferencing classroom.

The upgrades and renovations will be complete in late 2008. Here are some of the features and details

32 students maximum class size
2-students per desk (30”x60” two person desk)
4-students work-groups with easy re-configuration (two students out of four just turn around)
Modified – double-U configuration (sideways orientation)
- Faculty/speaker can be within 8-12 feet of any student
- Students can better see each other
- Aisles for students/speakers to enter/exit
Traditional white boards on front and both sides (near front)
Electronic Classroom set-up
Visualizer projector (2-D or 3-D object may be projected in full color)
Room lighting control at both podia
Auto-on lights for the room (controllable from both podia)
Podia have hard-wired Ethernet connections
Room has Wi-Fi Ethernet capabilities

Three video screens (sideways orientation)
To display “our-side”; “other-side”; and, one other output from our side
- Two 6’ wide screens (tallest that is useful for standard aspect ratio; and,
- One 12’ wide center screen (allows wide-screen media with no bottom cut-off)
- Lowered and raised independently by motors (into the ceiling)
- When any screen is raised, parts of full-front-wall white boards are usable
Specialty software for multi-OS/multi-screen projection
Two podia at the front of the room
Two microphones for speakers at both podia
One or two microphones for audience (auto- or controlled-directional)
One or two video camera(s) on the podia (to project to the “other side”)
One or two video camera(s) for the audience to project the “other side” (auto- or controlled directional)
Connection/feed to campus CATV system (two-way, if possible)
Seats in rear for 8-10 guests
Controllable speakers outside the room/windows for hallway guests