Advancing Technology

By Dollie Elliott

Of the numerous projects over the past 15 years, working on Oklahoma State University’s new Business Building is the largest and one of the most challenging projects to date for Jeff Huber and Rockford Todd. The two managers of engineering at the OSU Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence (ITLE) are in charge of planning the latest technology for the 147,450-square-foot home of the Spears School of Business.

The pair are working hard to set up and deliver a top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art audio-visual system which will enhance student learning. Their work will lead to better learning and retention for students.

“One of our core missions on the OSU campus is to help facilitate teaching and learning,” Todd says. “The way students learn is evolving, and teaching technology must evolve with them. Providing interactive and collaborative solutions for the classroom is a must as we move into new spaces and places.”

The most noticeable change students will see in classrooms is the addition of a wireless presentation system. The team is adding technology that allow devices to connect wirelessly with the AV systems in the classrooms, allowing instructors and students to connect and collaborate in real-time during class without a bunch of wires.

“The hassle over the correct connection type and worry about resolutions will be gone,” Huber says. “Students will be able to wirelessly display laptops, iPads, iPhones, Android phones and Android tablets — any type of wireless computing device.”

The new system can display two wireless devices at a time, in case both a student and an instructor need to compare their information at the same time. “This wireless technology will probably be the most visible on a day-to-day basis,” Huber says.

Each classroom will be equipped with three supersize HD 1080P monitors for clear viewing. Having three displays will provide greater flexibility for instructors to more easily deliver their information.

“More of a hidden technology is the fact that all the audio and video signals are delivered over an IP [internet protocol] network. This allows for ease of routing between rooms,” Todd says. “For example, if the college has a guest speaker that it wants to highlight to the entire college at once, the ability to show the same audio and video in every space simultaneously is built in. It is as simple as a push of a button to create overflow spaces within the building.”

One thing the new technology will offer students is ease. Current classroom technology can be confusing and difficult to see. Most classroom systems have been in service for many years — some for a decade or more.

The technology in the new building is on the front edge of where the AV industry is moving. “It will give us flexibility moving forward to keep up with new trends for quite some time into the future,” Todd says. The team says the system’s size and flexibility is likely to excite students. Being able to sit in a class while sharing screens and ideas quickly and effortlessly is something the OSU ITLE department has been working toward for years.

Huber and Todd say the technology has finally become more affordable and user-friendly. Moving to a more flexible AV architecture makes connecting with people outside academia easier. “How cool will it be to be able to connect with a business person at their desk while you are sitting in just about any classroom in the new building?” Huber asks.

No longer will students be constrained to a single conference room that may be in use or with technology that will possibly not connect with someone. “We can now connect from any classroom at any time the guest is available,” Huber says. The pair says the projects they think students will be most excited about will be in the Watson Trading Floor and the Keystone Lobby.

They are currently working on developing a video wall in the Keystone Lobby that will display news and information about services within Spears Business as well as videos highlighting students and projects ongoing in the college.

The screen will also have the ability to be one massive TV monitor on game days and during special events within Spears Business. The Watson Trading Floor will be a unique space with extra technology that is still being developed. “The Watson Trading Floor should be an awesome showcase for Spears Business, and a place that students will be talking about when they tell family and friends about where they went to school,” Todd says.

“The sheer size and magnitude of this project is enough to make working on it exciting. However, the newness of the technology and the popularity and prestige of the college makes the project even more of a thrill and challenge. It is humbling to come to work each day knowing that what we do now will impact students for many years to come,” Todd says.