University of Idaho Classrooms Are Anything But Old School
Friday, May 15 2009
May 15, 2009
Written by Brandi Hayes
MOSCOW, Idaho – A touch of nostalgia often accompanies thoughts of school and classrooms: boards that were black not white, the professor always had chalk swiped across their slacks, and overhead projectors and transparencies were the epitome of high tech.
The University of Idaho is changing that image with its innovative classroom technology that allows professors and students alike to utilize audio, video and the Internet as teaching tools with nearly seamless integration without interruption.
As proof of their innovative work, the university's Information Technology Services classroom support team was granted the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium 2009 Hugi Excellence Award for the technology infrastructure they created.
“This award is a testament to the hard work and innovative thinkers working at the University of Idaho,” said Harvey L. Hughett, executive director of ITS. "The ITS group is comprised of technology professionals who enjoy solving technology problems in an effort to make the University of Idaho a great place to teach and learn."
This task is a great feat. Typically, only much larger universities have this sort of classroom experience, and use out-of-the-box programs that are expensive and require a large staff to trouble shoot problems as they arise.
The University of Idaho was able to capitalize on in-house programming and electronics knowledge to create its own classroom technology support system. By doing this, the team saved a great amount of money. Also, by being able to program what they need allows ITS personnel to receive alerts, rapidly take action to assist faculty users, resolve issues without having to travel to classrooms, and spot service trends which help keep operating costs low. The system also allows for development of preventive-maintenance strategies to help ensure that classroom technology systems are optimally supported and reliable throughout the year.
There is no waiting for a company to send updates and the team is able to change the program to fit the university's future needs.
“Idaho is the only university that we know of that has written its own custom application to do the kinds of things this program can,” said Hughett. “We are fortunate to have a very talented programmer on staff.”
Chuck Lanham led the project and design team members to create this invaluable system for the University of Idaho. The team includes; Greg Clifford, John Neff, Jeff Robbins, Matt Kitterman and Ken Schmidt.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
Media Contact: Brandi Hayes, University Communications, (208) 885-7251, brandih@uidaho.edu
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.