As part of the Seneca Au Large objective to create the more virtual Seneca by having more programs and courses delivered in a flexible format, Information Technology Services (ITS) has been busy reconfiguring more than 100 classrooms at King, Newnham and Seneca@York campuses.
In addition to installing auto-tracking cameras that will follow professors when they move, ITS is providing a wireless microphone to each professor teaching in flexible format. Those teaching lab or studio courses will also get cameras set up on a mobile cart.
“For people who need or want to teach in this mode, it’s a popular option,” said Alvin Shum, ITS’s Director of Enterprise Service Delivery. “The pandemic has accelerated this initiative, and we are seeing the adaptation of flexible learning technology.”
To prepare faculty who will be teaching in the flexible format, Seneca’s Teaching & Learning Centre developed FunFlex (Fundamentals of HyFlex Course Design and Delivery). This session will help professors rethink traditional online and classroom-based learning that is engaging and meets Seneca’s Quality Framework. In July, about 170 faculty took part.
Scott Pugsley, a professor in the School of Fire Protection Engineering Technology, also worked with ITS to test the technology in his sprinkler lab at Newnham Campus.
One of the cameras he used has a 180-degree pan and tilt and a 30x optical zoom that captures distant objects with crystal clarity.
“I can walk through the space and talk about the tiniest details from 30 feet away,” Mr. Pugsley said. “Students can ask questions on the fly, and I can answer them live. I can go back to organic teaching with questions and answers that might be outside of the planned lesson.”
While those teaching and learning hands-on courses have a lot to gain from flexible learning, others with more theory-based courses are also welcoming the new delivery format with open arms.
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