Annual Classroom Technology Brief
The Classroom Technology Brief highlights classroom improvements and upcoming plans. The ITS Labs & Classrooms team updates AV equipment every 7 years and computers every 4. Rooms may be updated a year early or late to accommodate improvements and distribute the costs as evenly as possible. Your feedback helps us adjust the schedule as needed. We appreciate feedback any time at classrooms@siue.edu.
Updates
This year’s updates included:
- Complete AV upgrade with large LCD in PH3311 and 3312
- New iMacs in DH2007 and 1029
- New Elmo MX-P3 document cameras in heavily used Math classrooms, SE1136 and DH Auditorium
- New wireless microphones and charging docks in the auditoriums and large classrooms:
- DH Auditorium
- EB1033
- LL0044
- PH2304
- SE1136 and 3126
- New projector screens in:
- AH3401 and 3403
- EB2170
- PH1309, 3306 and 3310
- Removed the front row of speakers in PH1302 and 1309 to help with sound bleeding from one row to another
- Apple TV added to FH3408
- New 50-seat classroom at the SDM Biomedical Library
We’ve also added room-specific instructional videos for Health Sciences and Wireless Video Sharing Instructions on our Smart Classroom Training & Resources page.
For our annual maintenance upgrades, we’ve received equipment and started modernizing the switching equipment and touch panel interfaces in the spaces below. You shouldn’t notice any changes operationally.
| Alumni | Dunham | Peck | Science East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1203 | 1002 (Aud) | 3306 | 1136 |
| 3310 | 3126 | ||
| 3311 | |||
| 3312 |
Lectern Replacements
We’re also installing 24 new height-adjustable lecterns to increase student visibility of the boards and screens. Most classrooms will see the Honors lectern, while the larger lecture halls will typically see the Freedom XRS. This work will be ongoing throughout the fall semester.
| Alumni | Dunham | Founders | Peck | Science East |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0401 | 1002 (Aud) | 0103 | 1302 | 1136 |
| 0107 | 1309 | 1310 | ||
| 2207 | 1402 | 1312 | ||
| 2211 | 1404 | 2216 | ||
| 2300 | 1412 | 3126 | ||
| 2407 | 2340 | |||
| 2409 | ||||
| 2415 | ||||
| 3115 | ||||
| 3302 | ||||
| 3408 |
Upgrade Cycle Update
We are right on schedule with our 7-year upgrade timeline for the core classroom equipment. We are pretty evenly balanced through 2030, which should allow us room to continue upgrading lecterns and making enhancements to the classrooms based on survey feedback and faculty walkthroughs.
What’s Coming
For FY27, we are planning our yearly maintenance upgrades and plan to continue upgrading lecterns. We made a lot of improvements from your survey feedback, so please take a few minutes to complete the FY27 Classroom Survey.
Below are the classrooms planned for maintenance upgrades of switching and touch panel interfaces later in FY27.
| Engineering | Science East |
|---|---|
| 0140 | 1136 |
| 0145 | |
| 0165 | |
| 1140 | |
| 1145 | |
| 1150 | |
| 1160 | |
| 1170 | |
| 2150 | |
| 2155 | |
| 2160 | |
| 2170 | |
| 3140 |
What Still Needs Investment?
We know cameras and microphones are used heavily by some faculty, but don’t always know which classrooms have unique recording or conferencing needs. Our standard camera and microphone is typically the Poly P15/R30 and should show up as an option in Teams & YuJa automatically. The microphone is powerful enough to pick up student conversation and feedback, which can be helpful for communicating with a remote guest speaker or HyFlex discussion with a remote student.
If you’re having trouble utilizing this camera and microphone, please let us know at classrooms@siue.edu. We are also planning some training/lunch-and-learn type events to cover this as well.
Top Instructional Pain Points
So far this semester we’ve had an unusually high number of audio issues. We will be testing a new configuration in Science East in the spring semester to address this. If it is successful, we’ll be implementing the change over the summer to the rest of the classrooms.
Classrooms Working Well
The School of Pharmacy is piloting a tossable microphone called the Catchbox Cube. The microphone is designed to increase student engagement and amplify student voices in large classrooms. Let us know at classrooms@siue.edu if you’d like to check it out in Health Sciences 1340.
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We’ve also received positive feedback on the new document cameras. These tend to be a niche teaching tool, so if you use the document camera a lot, let us know where you teach and we can install the new model for you.
What’s Coming Next
Please complete our annual classroom survey. This is a great opportunity to give us your input on what is working, not working, or missing from the classrooms.
For those classrooms scheduled for upgrades this year, we will be reaching out to walk through the space with someone from your college or school to gather feedback.
Our goal is to send out an annual classroom technology brief like this, mid-fall semester. Thanks for helping us make our learning spaces better every year!
