By Charles Singh, CUOL Operations Technician
Several years before the turn of the last century, itv was at the forefront, dare I say, a pioneer in the delivery of university courses. A variety of disciplines were represented by some of the most dynamic and enthusiastic faculty members, and Carleton had a unique presence in our community and beyond.
The classroom technology would be considered basic at the time, consisting of rather large cameras, slide projectors, and wired microphones that acted as leashes for instructors. The lecture format was restricted in part by the classroom equipment and the physical constraints inherent at the time. The effort required to set-up, test and troubleshoot the “gear” was as much a part of the teaching experience as preparing to teach. Our students, for the most part, were not privy to such matters behind the scenes, and simply took in their lectures via cablevision broadcast or videotapes.
Today, the “wired” classroom and the CUOL environment is significantly different: compact digital equipment no longer requires the same level of set-up, attention or the angst that goes along with that, and wireless microphones allow our instructors a lot more freedom to leave the podium and interact with students. They can concentrate on what they do best: teach and engage their students.
Our classroom technicians are still on hand to set-up, test and troubleshoot. The wires, cabling and numerous buttons have been replaced by much more reliable interfaces. The delivery of lectures is no longer hampered by distance. Most are available within hours, and in many cases, the time-lag has almost disappeared. For our instructors, the ability to incorporate videos, photos and transport students to places of their choice is limited only by their imagination.
Over the years, instructors have been able to integrate field trips, special guests, events and projects into their classroom that would normally be unavailable because of time, distance, or an expert’s schedule. Whether our students are in a “live” classroom or at a distance, it is fair to say that their experience has been greatly enhanced.
For those of us who work and interact with our CUOL instructors on a regular basis, it is obvious that this transformation has only enhanced the teaching and learning process. The amount of information, the variety and availability of materials, coupled with the ability and ease of access is staggering. Hats off to our instructors on their ability to select and apply their know-how in this new and challenging digital era.