Proposal

Narrative

Founded in Spring 2021, The Speaking Center (TSC) helps FAU students develop the skills and confidence to become effective and ethical oral communicators. TSC assists with academic courses, conferences, job or scholarship interviews, community activism and outreach, professional settings, and special occasion speaking. TSC provides academic support for traditional and online classes that contributes to improving student retention, promoting timely graduation, and overall academic success. It also helps students develop the skill surveys consistently find is one of the most sought after by employers: effective oral communication. It, thus, supports the strategic plan to achieve higher student employment in well-paying jobs. Finally, prepares undergraduate and graduate students to present research at competitions and conferences. TSC has partnered with the OURI to support undergraduate students participating in the Undergraduate Research Symposium and Life Sciences South Florida (LSSF) STEM Undergraduate Research Symposium and will work with the Graduate College this spring to prepare students for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. TSC currently operates with minimal equipment loaned from the CTL. Still, the Center has grown from having only 22 individual appointments in Spring 2021 to currently having over 25 in one week! The requested equipment is essential to provide workstations for students and to practice, record, and review their presentations. The display will allow students to use visual aids with their presentation. The camera will facilitate the recording of speeches, so consultants and speakers can review the presentations together students can record presentations to be submitted for online courses. The TutorTrac license is essential for us to schedule our appointments and track usage. See attached extended narrative.

Facilities

The Speaking Center is located in GS 225, within the Center for Teaching and Learning. GS 225 is only used for services provided by The Speaking Center and also includes the office of Dr. Jennifer Bebergal. It is already outfitted with the furniture and infrastructure to support the requested technology. The Center for Teaching and Learning is outfitted with a security system and magnetic locking entrances to ensure the security for all of the technology, and GS 225 is locked if neither Dr. Bebergal or one of The Speaking Center consultants are present.

Hardware Requirements

Please see attached quotes for all requested hardware. This includes: 2 MacBook Pro Laptops 1 iMac Desktop 3 Presentation Clickers AV Equipment for Recording Speeches and Displaying Presentation Aids: 1 Wall-mounted display and supporting hardware 1 PC for wall-mounted display and recording 1 Wall-mounted camera and supporting hardware 1 Microphone and supporting accessories

Software Requirements

Please see attached quote for a TutorTrac license and necessary support. We are requesting this license for 3 years.

Personnel Costs

Installation will be completed in collaboration with the FAU Office of Information Technology and AV Services. There are no additional personnel costs associated with this project. All project operations, including technology maintenance, will be performed by existing staff. The TutorTrac license includes maintenance and support from Redrock software company.

Other Costs

The AV equipment (display and camera) requires electrical, telecom (data), and supplies and labor for installation. These costs are included along with the quote for the AV equipment.

Timeline

As soon as the awarded funds are made available, the requested equipment will be ordered and installation will be scheduled. The TutorTrac license will be purchased annually for three years.

Sustainability

This proposal consists of mainly one-time hardware costs. Since we will be using equipment that is comparable what is typically used in FAU classrooms and serviced by OIT, it will be easy to maintain and will not require additional personnel costs. Thus, it is financially sustainable. We anticipate being able to use the requested technology for at least 3-5 years. We have purposely requested a permanent display and camera, as opposed to a presentation screen and portable camera and tripod, because AV services advised this permanent equipment is more durable and will have more longevity. Any future upgrades or additional equipment will be requested though a future Technology Fee Grant proposal. The technology, therefore, is also sustainable. The proposal also requests three years of access to TutorTrac. The quote includes support and maintenance costs to keep this software sustainable. After this three year project period, the TutorTrac license will either be funded through the College of Arts & Letters or may be included on a future Technology Fee Grant proposal. The College of Arts & Letters, School of Communication & Multimedia Studies, and Center for Teaching and Learning are all committed to the success of The Speaking Center and maintaining our facility and equipment. The Speaking Center is a new resource on campus that has grown tremendously in the semester and half it has been open (during a pandemic, no less!). Both the College of Arts & Letters and Undergraduate Studies are excited about and supportive of this project, ensuring its long-term sustainability.

Resource Matching

N/A

Implementing Organization

The School of Communication & Multimedia Studies will work the FAU Office of Information Technology and AV Services to implement this project.