LCE Updates Pool Classrooms for Spring Semester

The Learning and Collaborative Environments (LCE) team completed a number of upgrades in the pool classrooms over winter break. These 318 classrooms are part of the Office of Academic Affairs centrally scheduled pool on Columbus campus, used by students from all disciplines and managed by Classroom Readiness Committee partners.

Furniture Reset

Imagine inventorying, cleaning and resetting 318 classrooms in 7 days. The LCE team, including a small army of students, completed this monumental task over winter break. They moved through each room to clean, replace broken and missing furniture, remove over 300 pieces of extraneous furniture, and reset rooms. The result is a fresh start to the new year with organized spaces that include appropriate seating for students plus an instructor table and chair. This effort also included support from the Media Production team, who took high-quality photos of each classroom. These will be used to refresh the Learning Spaces Directory, a resource for students and faculty to review room features, photos, and a 360 degree tour of every pool classroom.

Technology Upgrades

During fall term, the AV team replaced projectors in 14 classrooms on the third floor of the Enarson Classroom Building and prebuilt 8 AV systems that were installed in classrooms over break. Lecture halls in Hitchcock Hall (rooms 031, 035, 131), Page Hall (010, 020), and the Journalism Building (360) were included in these upgrades. Height adjustable podiums, dual monitors and USB-C connectivity to accommodate Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) users will be the most obvious additions to users. A less noticeable but direct improvement to the in-person and remote student experience are audio enhancements including new speakers, microphone arrays, and audio amplifiers.

Student Accommodations

The furniture used for student accessibility accommodations is being inventoried and refreshed. Over winter break, the LCE team completed the design of streamlined labeling for accommodation furniture so it can be easily identified in the room. As accommodation requests come from Student Life Disability Services, labeled furniture will be deployed and will remain in place for the entire term. Please keep these items in their original location. The LCE team will pick up accessible furniture at the end of each term and reset the room to its original state.

These upgrades to OAA's pool classrooms are a part of the Classroom Readiness Committee's commitment to continuous improvement in learning spaces for students and faculty alike.