Technology

Since 1986, Rice University has been supporting education by providing computing and networking technology to students. In the early years, this investment was primarily focused on computer lab environments as part of the Owlnet project. Owlnet is an educational computing network for Rice students and faculty. The main principles behind these efforts were to:

• reduce barriers to faculty and student usage,
• make labs operational and available all the times,
• provide unique equipment not normally available to individual students,
• purchase and install software as requested,
• provide uniform workstation/software environments,
• provide shared physical space for collaboration, and
• provide computing resources close to faculty and their research

Since 1996, these principles have been generally applied to traditional classroom environments throughout the campus. In most cases, this means that a typical classroom now has a video projector some audio capabilities, and some built-in computer systems.

However, before the start of these technology enhancements to classrooms, a very new facility was created in the heart of Fondren Library. The Gardiner Symonds Teaching Laboratory (Symonds I) was commissioned, designed, and built as part of a collaborative effort between faculty and the Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning (CTTL). This room and its technology were an ambitious departure from the traditional classroom. The Symonds I lab was occasionally described as, “everything but the kitchen sink. Oh, wait, here’s that kitchen sink.” More specifically, though, it is a facility strongly oriented around media. From the time it was first used, just about every source of electronic media could be delivered, displayed, and shared within the single room. Since then, the Symonds I lab has been integrated into Owlnet which now sustains it.
 
In 1998, The George R. Brown School of Engineering, Information Technology, and the architects of the Symonds I lab came together to create a second teaching facility. Learning from past experiences and improving upon the previous facility were motivating factors, but the most important factor was the desire to tailor the project to the rather specific needs of engineering education. Similar to Symonds I, this lab has a strong media offering, but more appropriate to evolving pedagogical practices, it is oriented around computing and networking. Careful attention was and continues to be paid to the particular computer systems and networking infrastructure that are installed in the room.

The Gardiner Symonds Digital Teaching Center (Symonds II) can be used as a single large room or split into two smaller, identical rooms. The combined room contains the following technology systems:

• 22 high-end PC computers (2 for instructors, 20 for students)
• Six plasma displays (one per table)
• Two DVD/VCR players
• A digital audio system (for program and natural speech reinforcement)
• RGBHV and Composite AV video switching router
• A custom designed AV control system

These technology systems, combined with a unique physical environment, enhance students’ ability to collaborate on complex and demanding projects.

As with any technology system, refreshing and enhancing the equipment and configuration is important. In this particular space, it will be necessary to continue an accelerated PC replacement schedule. Software applications and development environments must be replaced as academic needs require. Additionally, AV enhancements to the VGA switching matrix will allow the display for each individual PC system to be projected onto any number of the plasma displays.

Symonds II also continues to influence the thinking of classroom and Owlnet lab environments elsewhere on campus. In particular, the idea of small (2-4 PC) collaborative pods with a shared plasma display and switching capabilities seems to hold some promise.

William Deigaard, Director of Education Technology and Network Infrastructure