Over the January break we installed a new, state-of-the-art videoconferencing system in the Dilley Room, located on the third floor of Shain Library. The room’s Cisco SX80 videoconferencing system enables connection to other locations with similar or compatible systems. Faculty can share high quality video, audio and course content with students at the other sites, including, but certainly not limited to, Trinity College and Wesleyan University.
For example, an advanced Russian course with a small enrollment taught at Connecticut College can include students at Trinity College, with the Trinity students using their own videoconferencing site to participate in the class from their own campus. To use the system, the faculty member simply connects her laptop and calls up the Trinity classroom using the controls on the wall panel. At Connecticut College, students will see the laptop content on one screen and the Trinity students on the other. At Trinity, students will see the course content on one display and the professor on the other. Built-in high quality microphones and speakers at each site allow for live lectures and discussions between the two rooms. Two sophisticated cameras allow users to see the room from multiple angles, in addition to being able to zoom in on individuals, small groups, or the chalkboard.
The room also supports projection from laptops, a built-in DVD player, or VCR (by request). Contact Media Services for assistance at x2693. The room is also well-suited for web conferencing using software such as Zoom or Skype. We recently announced the availability of web conferencing kits that enhance the video and audio quality of your sessions. Kits are available at the Digital Scholarship and Curriculum Center. Finally, the room also offers built-in phone conferencing. If you are looking to utilize the videoconferencing system or would like to borrow a web conferencing kit, Mike Dreimiller, x 2093, can help.
The technology in this room was funded by a generous grant from the Alden Trust Foundation, and is one of the many technologies available in the library funded through this grant.
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