Proposal

Narrative

Currently, CU 321 and CU 321 A serve as 2 small seminar rooms (15-20 students each) or one larger space (50 students). The seminar rooms are typically used for teaching graduate classes for MA in English, the MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in Languages, Linguistics, and Comparative Literature. The room is out-of-date and does not work functionally to conduct hy-flex courses wherein students can attend in person OR remotely, via Zoom or other video platform. All face-to-face classes in the MA in LLCL allow remote student attendance, but CU 321 A is no longer a viable space for such a class modality. The webcams in the room only work to focus on the professor in the class, not allowing students to see and interact with their classmates. Likewise, the Zoom (or equivalent) in these rooms makes it difficult or impossible for remote students to hear anyone other than whomever is standing at the lectern. Since graduate seminars (particularly in language programs and/or Humanities education) typically involve detailed discussion among all of the students, the technological limitations of the room isolate remote students from their face-to-face comrades and provide obstacles to their learning. In addition, the current projectors in the room are out-of-date and frequently malfunction. Updating the projectors, cameras and sound systems will allow professors to effectively show students Powerpoints (or equivalent), graphs, or videos. Right now, doing so is a hit or miss affair. When the partition between the two rooms is opened, the larger space can be used for guest lectures, presentations by job candidates, and department meetings for the two departments. Upgrading the cameras will allow for remote attendance at lectures, presentations, and meetings. Ideally, nearly all classes for these three graduate programs could, and would, be held in these rooms, in addition to smaller undergraduate classes. As it is, many of these classes have to be moved to other rooms.

Facilities

Some additional electrical work may be necessary as indicated in the attached quote.

Hardware Requirements

As the attached quote indicates, this tech fee requires new computers, new cameras, new projectors, and a tracking pad.

Software Requirements

Standard FAU software will be necessary on both computers, as well as the necessary software to connect to the cameras, and to connect the screens of the two rooms, when they are combined into larger space (CU 321/A)

Personnel Costs

There are no personnel costs.

Other Costs

See attached quote.

Timeline

The updates can be made over the Summer, 2026.

Sustainability

This is essentially an attempt to simply update these classrooms to the FAU standard. Technology obviously advances and, eventually, the room may need to be upgraded again. There are no immediate plans to do so under the aegis of the current project.

Resource Matching

There is no resource matching for this project.

Implementing Organization

OIT and AV Systems will implement the project. See attached quote.