Thomas Auditorium Major Step In Improving Teaching For Large Classes
January 17, 2001
University Park, PA --The lights dim. Images flash on a giant split screen. The audience, in comfortable arena-style seating, is enveloped in sound from an ultra-modern hi-fidelity system.

It's not a Hollywood production. It's the new state-of-the-art technology auditorium in the Thomas Classroom Building on the University Park Campus.

Opened on the first day of Spring Semester classes, the 726-seat auditorium is the shining star of the 115 general-purpose technology classrooms on campus.

"I'm really impressed with the new auditorium, its physical structure, and the design," said Andrew Bergstein, instructor in marketing in The Smeal College of Business Administration, who is co-teaching Business Administration 303, Marketing and Logistics, a core course required of all business majors.

"There's no presentation technology that I'm aware of that is not in the room. Those who conceived and designed the auditorium did an incredible job of arming the teachers and students with the best technology currently available. I'm looking forward to combining technology and this setting to enhance what is a difficult challenge of teaching very large classes."

David T. Wilson, Alvin H. Clemens Professor of entrepreneurial studies in Smeal College, who is co-teaching BA 303 with Bergstein and Robert A. Novack, associate professor of business logistics, is equally impressed with the new facility.

"The venue is superior to any other large setting on campus," he said. "A major advantage is that there is a good site line to everyone in the auditorium. You can see the students and they can see you. That is especially important in large classes. The technology is the best I've encountered. We are still in a learning phase in terms of its use."

Dominating the auditorium is a 22-by-28-foot screen that also can be split to project two 12-by-18-foot images simultaneously. The teaching station features a touch screen panel through which the instructor can control everything in the auditorium, including the high-resolution video projection and the room lights.

Technology available to faculty includes two projectors, two slide projectors, two cameras, two document cameras, a PC, a Mac, VCR, DVD, CD/cassette player, and an auxiliary video input to accommodate portable equipment.

An instructor can show notes or standard overhead transparencies through use of the document cameras, which provide a clean, crisp image of even handwritten notes. If students in the rear say they can't see the screen, the instructor can zoom in and scroll down the page. There is no longer any excuse for not being able to see the "blackboard." Instructors also will be able to use the Boeckler system, which allows them to make "John Madden scribbles" on the screen to highlight certain points.

To assist faculty members with the new technology, Michael Schomer, technician in Media and Technology Support Services in University Libraries, has an office above the auditorium and is only a phone call away.

"We are extremely excited about the new auditorium," said William Bishop, director of Media and Technology Support Services, which designed and developed the system.

"We think it is an excellent tool for faculty to deliver instruction. We've tried to make it flexible to accommodate the needs of the faculty and their different teaching styles. Response from the faculty has been very positive. Technology keeps evolving and the way information is delivered to students is changing. It is more student oriented and more leaning oriented."

"After this semester, we will discuss and evaluate the system with faculty members who have used it. We may make some alterations. We want to be flexible to the needs of the faculty. It's a work in progress. If we need to modify the system, we are more than willing to do that."

The University Committee on Instructional Facilities, chaired by John Cahir, vice provost for undergraduate education, worked with faculty members teaching large classes to develop the concept for the auditorium addition and worked with the architects and contractors during all phases design through construction. It was built at a cost of approximately $5.8 million and adds 25,475 square feet to the Thomas Building. It is intended to replace the dependency on Schwab Auditorium for large classes.

"As a proud alumnus and a history buff, I relish Schwab Auditorium and hope it continues to be used for various purposes," Bergstein said. "But the Thomas Building Auditorium is a major step in improving the teaching environment for large classes. I hope that funds will be made available to provide some of the technology advances of the Thomas Auditorium to other large teaching spaces on campus."

In its first week of use, both students and faculty have been pleased with the auditorium.

"Students have responded well to it," said Mitch Price, instructor in biology, who teaches Biology 240, Function and Development of Organisms, a developmental biology and physiology class with over 450 students.

"Iím very pleased with it. Even though it is a large room, there is a great deal of intimacy in that you can see everyone and move about the room easily. That breaks down some of the big class feel."

Scott Snell, professor of business administration and director of the Institute for the Study of Organizational Effectiveness, co-teaches Business Administration 304, Managing Organizations, a class that often had upwards of 1,000 students and formerly met in Schwab Auditorium.

"This new setting is definitely a significant improvement," he said. "I like the way the seating is organized and the technology, with the touch screen, the document cameras and other equipment, is relatively simple to operate. The technological resources in this auditorium instantly raise the standard of what you need to provide effective teaching in large classes."

According to Diane Enerson, director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, technology has the potential to close the communication gap between the instructor and students in large classrooms.

"It is not a panacea," she said, "but can be a useful tool for teaching effectively in large class sections. As class size increases, so does the students' sense of anonymity. But the ease with which faculty can communicate with their students, and vice versa, declines. Technology, if used effectively, can help correct that problem."

Bergstein considers technology "a marvelous enhancement" to good teaching, but not a replacement.

"I've been using technology throughout my seven-year university teaching career and I see it evolving," he said. "I'm looking forward to the development and use of interactive technology that will further encourage and facilitate student participation in large classrooms."

Editors: For interviews with the Smeal College faculty, please contact Steve Infanti of the Smeal College External Relations Office at 814-863-3798.