Plan as Submitted February 20, 2003

Four Year Plan of the Classroom Technology Working Group for the Installation and Upgrade of Classroom Technology at Bowling Green State University

   Goals of Plan:

This plan has been crafted to meet the present and anticipated needs of the faculty and students of Bowling Green State University by upgrading the equipment in the 91 technology equipped classrooms that are presently at BGSU and by expanding the pool of these ³master classrooms² to 160 (more than 75% of the schedulable classroom pool) over a four year cycle and to improve the instructional capabilities in these 160 rooms beyond what is presently available at BGSU. The total number of master classrooms in the plan reflects the total that Registration and Scheduling and BGSU technology support staff believes to adequately meet needs.

   Components of the Plan:

Replacement of existing equipment- Following the guidelines set forth by the Ohio Inter-University Council of Media Directors (IUCMD), the Classroom Technology Working Group (CTWG) developed a four-year replacement cycle for classroom technology equipment.
Equipping master classrooms- Every new installations or upgraded master classroom will include at least the following permanent equipment:

• Computer (currently found permanently in just a handful of rooms at BGSU)
• Data/video projector
• DVSS Set-top Box (STB)
• Document camera
• VHS/DVD player
• Projection screen
• Sound equipment
• Technology equipment cabinet (locking)
• “Smart pad” remote technology control module
  

   Benefits of the Plan:

1. Institution of a systematic, campus-wide plan for replacing obsolete/obsolescent classroom technology equipment.
2. Allows for the expansion of technology ³master classrooms² across campus to meet scheduling demands of students and faculty members.
3. Provides standardized technology equipment throughout campus that facilitates maintenance, repair, and faculty familiarity with equipment and controls.
4. Provides a small pool of technology equipment for emergency replacement and for delivery to those rooms without permanently installed equipment.

   Implications of Non-Support or Partial Support of Plan:

The demand for instructional rooms with technology display capabilities at BGSU by faculty presently exceeds the number of such rooms in the classroom pool. This shortage has become more marked in the last few years and is expected to become more acute as the demand for computer display and video streaming capabilities increases rapidly among BGSU's faculty and students.

Not implementing this plan would cause the 91 classrooms that are currently equipped with technology to rapidly become obsolete. At present, some of these rooms have projectors that were installed in 1994 that are unable to handle present software. Other older projectors lack the brightness to be easily seen. The passage of time will only exacerbate this situation. Few classrooms have computers permanently installed and the pool of portable computers for delivery is aging, unreliable, and not available in sufficient numbers to approach a demand that continues to increase. Without the standardization that this plan facilitates, classrooms will continue to have individual quirks that require faculty technology training that is room specific. Additionally, the number of equipped classrooms will fall far below the needs of BGSU faculty and students.

Partial support of the plan would necessitate a decision to either: a) install equipment in new master classrooms while allowing existing rooms to become obsolete; or, b) replace equipment in existing master classrooms causing the pool of technology equipped rooms to fall further behind the faculty/student demand with the passage of time; or c) to “go slow” on both classroom technology upgrades and installations causing the negative implications of both a) and b) with a few rooms being added and improved.

This plan was submitted on February 20, 2003 by the members of the CTWG: Dr. Kevin Work, Director, Instructional Media Services; Anthony Short, Director, Learning Services, WBGU-TV; Robert Waddle Assistant Vice President, Capital Planning; Laura Waggoner, Director, Registration and Scheduling; Dale Schroeder, Budget Analyst, Office of the CIO; Cheryl Joyce, Coordinator, Learning Services, WBGU-TV; Julie Baker, Manager/Classroom Technology, Instructional Media Services; David Steen, Audio-Visual Technology Specialist, Instructional Media Services; and Brian Rellinger, Desktop Support Coordinator, ITS.