Narrative
The Psychology department is seeking to upgrade the computer labs located on the Boca Raton campus (Behavioral Sciences, Building 12, Rooms 103 and 108). These rooms are used on a weekly basis for teaching Social Behavior Lab, Cognition Lab, Introduction to Deep Learning, Computational Neuroscience, Experimental Design, and Research Methods in Psychology, along with other courses continuously added. All undergraduate Psychology majors (currently ~2100 students) are required to take some of these classes (e.g., Research Methods in Psychology) and thus new computers would benefit many students. When not used for class it is used by Psychology students as a computer lab for undergraduate and graduate student research to perform computational studies and data analysis. The typical class sizes are ~40 students, and the students can benefit from reliable and efficient lab computers. In these classes students are required to perform computational Psychology using SPSS, Matlab, R and R Studio, along with access to virtual machines and servers. The students also use the computers in this facility to perform data analysis for, and preparation of, laboratory reports and homework assignments. Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint are also routinely used by the students for lab reports and homework production. The computer labs are a vital support facility for both undergraduate and graduate teaching and research. The current computers being used in these labs are over five years old and rapidly becoming obsolete and are beginning to experience memory and power issues. They also cannot upgrade to Windows 11 due to hardware limitations. This lab will be unusable when Windows 11 is mandatory in 2025. This computer lab is maintained by the College of Science IT support staff and not managed or supported by OIT. In conclusion, upgrading this computer lab with new computers will greatly improve student learning and undergraduate and graduate student research.
Sustainability
The Psychology Department, in conjunction with the College of Science IT support staff, will provide continuing support to sustain this lab.
Implementing Organization
If this proposal is funded, installation will be completed by the College of Science IT support staff. No additional costs are anticipated for this project.
