Implementation of Smart Classroom with Video Conferencing Facilities at Bharathidasan University Library Nithiya, S. 1, Srinivasaragavan, S. 2 and Surulinathi, M. 3 1. Ph.D. Scholar, DLIS, Bharathidasan University, Trichy-24 2. Professor & Head, DLIS, Bharathidasan University, Trichy-24 3. Assistant Professor, DLIS, Bharathidasan University, Trichy-24 ABSTRACT Information and Communication Technology tools have made the great impact in delivery of higher education that enabled the teachers and students in enhancing their capabilities in teaching, learning and research practices. Hence, it is immense for the universities and Higher Education Institutions to improve the ICT infrastructure and Higher Education Institutions web tools to encourage and exploit the e-resources and communication facilities among the stakeholders. Provision of smart classrooms is one such facilities that enhance the qualities of teaching, learning as innovative and enjoyable. The Bharathidasan University has excellent ICT infrastructure facilities with sophisticated systems and servers in a structured network environment using the OFC and WI-FI facilities with 100 MBPS bandwith data access and transmission. The university also subscribes a range of e-resources, software and applications, to support the teaching learning environment. In this context, the establishment of smart class rooms would enable the facilities and students to maximize the exploitation of e-resources and thus make the teaching and learning more interactive and as real time environment. 1. INTRODUCTION The move, which seeks to turn all classrooms into digitally enhanced rooms, has made arrangements to improvise upon many old techniques. It has led the digital libraries to build up stocks of master CDs of eminent scholars to allow to learn by way of exposure to real-life situations by the aid of audio-visual medium in classrooms and encourage teaching by the help of movies, documentaries and other resources. This is not only an aid for educating students, but also it helps to learn things like disciplinary behavior, environment awareness, preservation of heritage, community hygiene and sanitation, drug de-addiction and AIDS awareness. As the work is in close collaboration with UNESCO's World
Declaration on Higher Education, it is sure to provide loads of moral lessons which aim towards a better future. Smart Classrooms are in high demand by faculty, Scholars and Students. During class, they need access to the Internet, electronic resources, online course management tools, and other curriculum related materials. Traditionally, Chico selected large lecture rooms that are centrally scheduled to be converted to Smart classrooms containing computers, an Internet connection, data projectors, media players, and audio equipment. 2. CONCEPT OF SMART CLASSROOMS Smart classrooms integrate voice-recognition, computer-vision, and other technologies, collectively refered to as intelligent agents, to provide a tele-education experience similar to a traditional classroom experience. Smart classrooms are electronically enhanced lecture theaters and classrooms. These rooms create new opportunities in teaching and learning by integrating computer, multimedia and network technology. 3. EXISTING SMART CLASSROOM IN UNIVERSITIES NIST: Smart Classroom was inspired by research on "Smart Space" at NIST. Smart Spaces are work environments with embedded computers, information appliances, and multi-modal sensors that allow people to perform tasks efficiently by offering unprecedented levels of access to information and assistance from computers. Tsinghua University: Researchers at the Tsinghua University developed software called SameView, which was originally designed to support real time discussions among designers across the Internet, became some sort of a reference for creating distance education systems. Smart Classroom at Fordham University: When multiple smart classrooms interact simultaneously to realize distance education among several groups, an inherent challenging issue has been the scalability of its delivery mechanism. The problem has been significantly serious when delivering a lecture to multiple remote classrooms, simultaneously.
Loyola University:. The JFRC campus has 15 "smart" classrooms. Students enroll in courses offered throughout the day and in the evening on campus. Some courses offer a combination of classroom work and on-site visits. In Tami Nadu, universities like MS University, Madurai Kamaraj University and University of Madras, Bharathidasan University are having smart classrooms in their campus. 4. OBJECTIVES OF SMART CLASSROOM AT BDU To improve creative thinking in learning process to visualize the concepts and practices with model and demonstrations. To have interactive and live teaching to elaborate and compare different objects and perceptions towards the particular concepts To optimize the use of e-resources wise e-books, e-journals, protocols, lecture notes, documentaries and so on. To enable the slow learners and differently abled Inform the teachers of classroom events Lets teachers simultaneously instruct remote and local students 5. COMPONENTS OF SMART CLASSROOM Smart Board (6X4) Smart LED TV High (Panasonic 42, 2 USB, Viera connect) Short throw Projector (Panasonic PT-VX400) Video Conferencing Equipments Laptop with Internet connection (with public IP) Document Camera/ Visulaizer (12 time optical Zoom and 8 time Digital Zoom) Podium (ITC 6236B, 60W amplifier inbulit) Video Conferencing - High Definition (Lifesize Express 220) and Screen
Architecture of Smart Classroom at BDU Library 6. TARGET OF AUDIENCE Students Scholars Refresher Course and Orientation Participants Faculty of Bharathidasan University Students and Faculty from University Constituent, Self financing and affiliated colleges. User from Other Universities. 7. SMART CLASSROOM AT BHARATHIDASAN UNIVERSITY Smart Class Room with video conferencing facility established in the University Library has the features of Full high density, 1080 pan tilt zoom camera (that provide high quality video recording and up streaming ) Smart TV with inbuilt Ethernet card and wi-fi enabled to connect with internet to download and demonstrate educational, research videos and other course materials. All the four Smart Class Rooms are having the facility of document camera which enable the teacher to record the text, diagram, images and store in to laptop and any other device and the same can be blended with teaching process for feature use. All the four Smart Class Room have LCD projectors with WXGA resolution, HDMI interface and short through projector features.
All the Smart Class Rooms have smart TV with inbuilt Ethernet card and wi-fi feature. The video conferencing facility also has mobile video conferencing with a software inbuilt laptop that can be used in all the Smart Class Rooms to have video conferencing facility. All the Smart Class Rooms are having insta lock LCD screen and white boards. All the Smart Class Rooms are having a stage with smart podium, inbuilt audio system with mike, amplifier, speaker and necessary furniture. Smart Class Room with video conferencing facility at Central Library and School of Language and Literature, Academic Staff College and Department of Commerce and Financial Studies can be used as a common facility to see eminent lectures presentations, demonstrations from remote and foreign locations and also thus enable both way interactions. Demonstration and training also has been arranged to the concerned staff for effective functioning and operation of the Smart Class Room. Fig 1-4: Research Scholars during viva-voce examinations
8.DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMMES ORGANIZED USING SMART CLASS ROOMS FACILITIES Smart Class Room with Video Conferencing Facilities at Bharathidasan University Library and One Smart Class Room each at the Department of Commerce and Financial Studies, Department of Language Studies and UGC- Academic Staff College have been established and functioning since from 07-02-2013. The various programmes and activities carried out using the facilities at University Library and Department of Library & Information Science. Regular classes of M.L.I.S, M.Phil, and elective classes are being taken in the smart class room. 8.1Benefits Improves e-resources access to enhance the quality of teaching learning Documentation of the local expertise Enable the application of Web 2.0, 3.0 tools Sharing of lead presentations Multimedia and Digital Learning Stores and delivers on e-learning Portal 8.2It is widely used in: Classroom Teaching Academic Lectures Training Centres Conference Halls Meeting Rooms and Corporate Training and so on. 9.CONCLUSION Digital information has become a social infrastructure and with the expansion of the Internet, network infrastructure has become an indispensable part of social life and industrial activities for mankind. Every day, new Internet applications and more efficient ways of doing existing tasks are being discovered. Although most Internet applications are concentrated on a more efficient or cheaper way of performing existing tasks, the applications in education are mostly concerned with the sharing of scarce resources, available in one location, with many other locations. The smart classroom creates another opportunity to bridge the
urban/rural divide by exposing students to technology in a classroom setting. Also, this classroom may be used in conjunction with our proposal for pre college outreach to allow children and teenagers to experience technology that they may not otherwise be exposed to in a rural, small town setting. REFERENCES Davar Pishva and Nishantha, G.G.D (2008). Smart Classroom for Distance Education and their Adoption to Multiple Classroom Architecture. Journal of Networks, 3(5), 1-11. Qing Wu and Wei Wei Yu (2011). Integrating a HMM-Based Drivers Fatigue Recognition Model into Smart Vehicle Space for Ubiquitous Computing. Key Engineering Materials, 467-469, 23-30. http://www.topnews.in/smart-classrooms-chandigarh-2256447 http://soni1220.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/classroom-of-the-future-smart-classrooms/ http://www.monroecc.edu/depts/instech/smartclass.htm http://www.luc.edu/rome/experiencerome/campus/smartclassrooms/