Each year, SMU leadership and the Academic Technology Council reviews and approves a collection of classroom upgrade projects to be funded by the University Technology Fund. Project requests are submitted by each school in addition to identified major maintenance/fixes based on the age or current state of each room. These are vetted and prioritized to ensure we are providing stability across classroom experiences while also modernizing the technology in as many spaces as possible. In addition to the classrooms funded by the University, several schools or departments independently fund additional upgrades that are critical to their environment. The majority of these projects are conducted during either the summer months or during winter break to minimize impact to teaching.
The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically altered this year’s original upgrade plans. Instead of the original proposal of work, Continue reading Classroom Technology Updates: Preparing for Fall
Classroom instruction has been turned upside down this year, shifting from 100% in-person to 100% online. As we return to the Hilltop for Summer 2, we are anticipating yet another transition where instruction occurs in both online and face-to-face modalities simultaneously. Pedagogically, this will require a good bit of flexibility for faculty. The classroom technology to support this hybridized approach is also very different and complex. 
This summer has certainly been a busy one when it comes to freshening up the campus. Many buildings are receiving intense renovations, and classroom technology improvements are of course part of the process. Over the past few months, some classrooms have received special new equipment, including long-lasting laser projectors, upgraded lectern PCs with quick solid-state storage, and even high-definition lecture recording systems. 
Plans are underway for the classroom technology upgrades scheduled to occur this summer or over winter break. The list of requests was reviewed and approved by the Academic Technology Council last month. The following rooms are scheduled to receive partial or complete technology upgrades during the next fiscal year: 