Durham University, Techno-Café [CETL for Active Learning In Computing]
| Contact Details: | E L Burd, liz.burd@durham.ac.uk For photos of Techno-Café go to www.durham.ac.uk/alic/technocafe/ |
| Type of Project: | A refurbishment to create a Techno-Café as a prototype for a future development in a new build. |
| Start/End Date: | December 2005 - January 2006 (a 6-8 week timeframe over the Christmas vacation). |
Technology
Every booth has a laptop and a tablet PC. The laptop is designed so that any student can produce documentation or work on programming code etc but the tablet PC has specific software because a lot of the work within computing is very visual and therefore this allows much more freedom of drawing. A lot of the work is creativity and so it may enable them to do mind maps or rich diagrams of conceptual ideas or early design work.
There is a 42 inch plasma display at the end of the booth onto which any of those machines, or any other facilities which are plugged into that booth, can display. The principle is that if they want to demonstrate something to the tutor or discuss something within the group they can display it on the large screen and everyone can have access to this.
There is also overlay onto that which is pen and finger sensitive so that they can touch the screen and draw on it in a similar way in which they can draw on the tablet PC. Only those who happen to be at the very end of the booth can draw on it and use it as a finger display facility so the tablet PC emulates that drawing facility and again there is a dual display so that anyone within the booth can draw and have the screen display the notes that they are making or whatever.
The whole facility is wireless enabled so anyone can bring equipment in. There are PDAs that are connected and ample extra networking facilities and power facilities. There is a loaning scheme for students to borrow small electrical equipment, an extra PDA, an extra laptop, an extra tablet or Skype phones or whatever and they can plug these directly into the facilities at the end of the booth.
There are some video conferencing facilities but mainly students use the Skype facility.
Adding Value
First and foremost in terms of the communication between Durham and Newcastle students but also in terms of being able to communicate in a group. The group have access to shared space where they can put elements of their work. In terms of communication within the group - using a laptop as opposed to a desk unit means it is highly movable, it is easy to close away and it's not obstructing the view of somebody in face to face communication. The principle of the equipment is that is not obtrusive in terms of face to face communication but it is supportive of what they want to do.
Another issue Durham spent a lot time thinking about and have managed to deal with is air conditioning. Laboratories can get very hot and, particularly when it's been raining, it really isn't a nice environment for 40 or 60 students. Making sure they had adequate and high powered air conditioning, adequate screening and adequate lighting was something they spent time working through with the architect to make sure they had something that was facilitative of the group environment and that it was adequate for the number of people and the number of machines that were in a particular room.
