Barnard
Unveils Its Newest "Smart" Classroom
On
June 21, members of the College community gathered
in Milbank Hall to dedicate Barnard's newest "smart"
classroom - Krueger Lecture Hall. Made possible
with a generous gift from Trustee Constance Alexander
Krueger '53 and her husband, Harvey Krueger, Krueger
Lecture Hall epitomizes Barnard's commitment to
extending the range of learning technologies available
to teachers and students in the classroom. Integrating
state-of-the-art technology with the warmth of traditional
architectural details, the hall will provide Barnard
students and faculty with a highly functional and
attractive setting for multimedia and Web-based
presentations, lectures, and live performances.
Harvey Kreuger, President Shapiro,
and Constance Krueger '53
Before
an audience that included President Shapiro, various
members of the Board of Trustees, and other friends
of the College, Professor Robert McCaughey gave
an intriguing demonstration of the possibilities
offered by the digital learning environment at Barnard.
McCaughey is the Ann Whitney Olin Professor of History
and director of Barnard's Electronic Archive for
Teaching and Learning (BEATL), which supports collaborative
course development and curricular innovation, especially
in the use of digital technology. McCaughey supplemented
his lecture with a digital presentation created
by BEATL Fellow Erika Palmer '02 and Associate Director
Edward Jahn, which included streaming video, audio,
and advanced Web technologies such as interactive
animation.
When
discussing the decision she and her husband made
to fund the renovation, Connie Krueger said, "We
realize that the preservation and continuing modernization
of our physical space is as important to the College's
future as are scholarships and faculty support.
We are thrilled with how the room turned out, because
it reflects our vision of the Barnard of the future
- a liberal arts college that makes use of the best
that technology has to offer so that it may continue
to attract the brightest young women."
Harvey Krueger, Liz Krueger and
her husband, Constance Krueger '53
"The
room includes another first for Barnard," notes
Chris Bickford, head of Media Services at the College.
"Wall-mounted video cameras allow a fairly contained
presentation, such as a class lecture, a panel discussion,
or a voice recital, to be videotaped from the podium."
According
to Carol Falcione, dean of Barnard Library and Academic
Information Services, "during the past three to
four years, faculty interest in incorporating media
and technology into their classroom presentations
has increased dramatically. With all of the technology
in the Krueger Lecture Hall, we will be able to
meet the differing needs of a wide range of faculty
users. And, the fact that all of the equipment can
be operated through a touch screen on a central
podium makes the room's capabilities easily manageable
for even novice users."
Krueger
Lecture Hall features intricately detailed cherry
paneling; cork tiling for superior sound quality;
stepped seating for enhanced visibility; a full
range of computer and multimedia projection capabilities;
two mounted cameras for videotaping of presentations;
a digital document camera for projection of images
from books; a sound system; and a grand piano. The
hall will be the site of courses in music, psychology,
religion, and other disciplines. One such course
is Introduction to Judaism, to be taught by Barnard's
newly named Ingeborg Rennert Professor of Jewish
Studies, Alan Segal.
Formerly
known as Room 405 Milbank Hall, this classroom had
long been one of the College's most pressing building
improvement needs, so it is especially fitting that
Krueger, who is chair of the Board's Buildings,
Grounds, and Environment Committee, should be the
individual to bring this project to fruition. The
renovation expanded the room from an 80-seat classroom
to a 110-seat classroom, and opened up two windows
on the south side that had previously been bricked
up. Double sets of window shades allow for complete
darkness during multimedia presentations. The renovation
of Krueger Lecture Hall brings to a total of six
the number of Barnard classrooms that are specifically
designed to incorporate advanced learning technologies.
The
architects for the renovation, Peter Gisolfi Associates,
were also responsible for the meticulous renovation
of the Julius S. Held Lecture Hall in Barnard Hall,
used primarily for courses in art history.
(For a special Web-formatted edition of the BEATL
presentation, please click one of the links below.
Note: Requires RealPlayer.)
.jpg)
