Several of us sat together in 201 IST about one month ago trying to figure out why the Cybertorium is such a challenging classroom, how it got to be so challenging, and how we could all make the best of it. Before the fall semester finished I had a very enlightening conversation with an ITS employee about the room. This employee told me that when he initially set up the Cybertorium and installed all of the computers in the room, there was only one chair per computer. That means that instead of there being a 2:5 computer-to-student ratio, there was a 1:1 computer-to-student ratio. The fact that the classroom now has 2-3 students per computer was news to him.
With this information we are able to gain some insight as to the root cause of the room’s main issues: the room is being used in ways which it was never meant to be used.
Some supporting numbers can be found here:
http://schedule.psu.edu tells me that the following courses were taught in 113 IST: IST 110, 210, 590; SRA 111, 211; COMPSC 203; CMPEN 431; CSE 590.
Of those courses, those with the lowest course limit allowed 80 students, however the vast majority of classes had a course limit of 150 students, and that’s just in the student accessible websites, there are always seats reserved for administrative and advising staff to use as needed.
https://clc.its.psu.edu/labhours/details.aspx?id=260 shows that 113 IST has 57 computers. Of those 57 computers, one is the podium machine and three are dedicated to managing the room’s systems. That leaves 54 machines for student use.
Jeff, the Cybertorium was always intended for a)collaborative work and b) approximately 150 students. The “Preliminary Audiovisual Programming Report for Penn State University Information Sciences and Technology Building” dated Feb. 8, 2000 states that the room will be used for "student group work." Furthermore, the registrar's listing of General Purpose Classrooms dated 8/31/2004 (the first semester the room was in use), lists the room as a 150-seat capacity MTEC room with 2 PCs per 5 students. Many thanks to Becky Carolus, Manager of Technology Classrooms in ITS, for confirming this information.
Having been involved in some of the early planing of the Cybertorium and other teaching classrooms (Thomas, Willard, etc.) I really think the base problems were (a) unrealistic expectations, and (b) conflicting goals. The first may be excused because we were blazing new trails, but the latter was a real problem. The Cybertorium was not only conceived as a teamwork room but also as a showcase for important visitors. I believe the latter goal somewhat trumped the fist goal and as a result we ended up with a room that does NOT facilitate student team work but is great for visiting VIP's.
Several of us sat together in 201 IST about one month ago trying to figure out why the Cybertorium is such a challenging classroom, how it got to be so challenging, and how we could all make the best of it. Before the fall semester finished I had a very enlightening conversation with an ITS employee about the room. This employee told me that when he initially set up the Cybertorium and installed all of the computers in the room, there was only one chair per computer. That means that instead of there being a 2:5 computer-to-student ratio, there was a 1:1 computer-to-student ratio. The fact that the classroom now has 2-3 students per computer was news to him.
With this information we are able to gain some insight as to the root cause of the room’s main issues: the room is being used in ways which it was never meant to be used.
Some supporting numbers can be found here:
Jeff, the Cybertorium was always intended for a)collaborative work and b) approximately 150 students. The “Preliminary Audiovisual Programming Report for Penn State University Information Sciences and Technology Building” dated Feb. 8, 2000 states that the room will be used for "student group work." Furthermore, the registrar's listing of General Purpose Classrooms dated 8/31/2004 (the first semester the room was in use), lists the room as a 150-seat capacity MTEC room with 2 PCs per 5 students. Many thanks to Becky Carolus, Manager of Technology Classrooms in ITS, for confirming this information.
Having been involved in some of the early planing of the Cybertorium and other teaching classrooms (Thomas, Willard, etc.) I really think the base problems were (a) unrealistic expectations, and (b) conflicting goals. The first may be excused because we were blazing new trails, but the latter was a real problem. The Cybertorium was not only conceived as a teamwork room but also as a showcase for important visitors. I believe the latter goal somewhat trumped the fist goal and as a result we ended up with a room that does NOT facilitate student team work but is great for visiting VIP's.