Classroom
Technology
Know what to expect, how to get assistance when you need it, and how to find resources to help you reimagine your classroom experience.
The Classroom Experience Starts with AET
Academic & Emerging Technology (AET) staff are here to provide you with technology in classrooms and learning spaces on campus that are flexible, easy to use, and reliable.
No matter if you're brand new to campus or if you've been here for years, AET is here to help you troubleshoot problems, learn more about our core technologies, and explore new avenues to bring engaging, cutting-edge classroom experiences to life.
CONNECT WITH US
During the first week of classes, AET staff make every effort to 'drop in' to classes being held in large spaces (90+ seats), new instructional spaces, spaces with known issues, and classes taught by new instructors. This way, we can answer ay questions you may have about room technology right then and there.
If your classes don't meet these criteria or if you need additional help:
- we provide consultations for one-on-one support
- we offer workshops to learn more about specific technologies/services
- we have partnered with the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning (CETL) to offer the newly-launched Teaching Commons
Curious about what goes into classroom support? We made a (short!) video demonstrating our support model in action. Click the image above to watch. (Note: you'll need to unmute audio when the video starts.)
FOR HELP, PRESS 1
If room technology in your classroom is not performing as expected, call the OIT Service Desk at 209-228-HELP (4357) and press 1 to be connected to AET.
We will dispatch an AET support technician as soon as possible. During scheduled instructional time, our goal is to minimize the disruption to your class. Whenever possible, we strive to fix the problem or identify an acceptable workaround quickly, then address underlying issues when class is not in session.
Classroom Technology NEWs
Lakireddy Auditorium Upgrades
After Herculean efforts kept the original technology complement functional for 17 years, the Lakireddy Auditorium (COB 102) audiovisual system was completely overhauled this summer. This long-awaited refresh updated the room's outdated analog infrastructure and gave it new digital capabilities.
The in-room technology will function much the same as it did before, but the new room design offers:
- better support for modern computers and improved reliability
- Zoom integration to support hybrid courses
- 1-for-3 swap of older cables to category cables that will make future upgrades less expensive
- new room projectors that are nearly 100% brighter than old displays
- projectors are no longer bulb-based, which cuts down on repair expenses and our heavy metal footprint
In June of 2022, the A/V team and our campus vendors began breaking down the original configuration of the room.
It was quite literally the end of an era - this auditorium has existed in much the same state since its first use in early 2006.
Pictured left is all the cabling that made up the original Lakireddy A/V setup. Each cable is between 70 feet and 160 feet long.
The Lakireddy control room has new equipment racks and a new soundboard to support modern equipment.
The auditorium has new projectors and new center channel speakers to support Zoom integration.
SSB Zoom Upgrades
New this semester: Zoom has been integrated into the Student Services Building lecture halls (120, 130, 160, and 170). Now presentations, audio, and microphones in these rooms can be used in conjunction with Zoom Room technology.
These new integrations are intended to support hybrid course instruction, but will also enhance events in these spaces.
BYOD+A
Bring your Own device + Adapter
In Our AnaLOG Classrooms
- Projector/LCD screen that supports standard definition 1024 x 768
- Visual Presenter (AKA document camera)
- BluRay/DVD player (by request only via this OIT request form)
- TurningTechnologies (Clicker) Receiver
- Assistive Listening System (by request through Disability Services)
- VGA Connection for a laptop
- USB-C to VGA adapter
The following buildings/rooms are ANALOG:
- COB-1* (Classroom & Office Building 1) excluding COB 110 & COB 114
- SSM* (Social Sciences & Management) excluding SSM 104
UC Merced employs a 'bring your own device + adapter' (BYOD+A) model in all its instructional spaces, which allows the greatest flexibility for instructors and for sustainable space support as our campus continues to grow.
Please plan to bring your own laptop or tablet plus all appropriate adapters with you when you teach. Be sure to contact us if you need additional help connecting to room devices.
about the adapters we provide....
Though AET provides the most common adapters in our classrooms, adapters are not guaranteed to work with every device due to a lack of standards in the industry.
If you'd like to learn more about the complexity of AV standards, we created a short-format video this year that goes into more detail. It's pretty fun and worth the watch!
Note: You'll need to unmute audio when the video starts.
In Our Digital Classrooms
- HD Projector/LCD screen that supports 1080p
- Document camera
- BluRay/DVD player (by request only via this OIT request form)
- TurningTechnologies (Clicker) receiver
- Assistive Listening System (by request through Disability Services)
- HDMI connection to your laptop
- USB-C to HDMI adapter
- DisplayPort to HDMI adapter
The following buildings/rooms are DIGITAL:
- ACS (Arts & Computational Sciences)
- ADMIN (Administration Building)
- COB-1 102, 110 & 114 ONLY
- COB-2 (Classroom & Office Building 2)
- GLCR (Glacier Point)
- GRAN (Granite Point)
- SE2 (Science & Engineering 2)
- SRE (Sustainability Research & Engineering)
- SSB (Student Services Building)
- SSM 104 ONLY
An Important Note About Our Analog Classrooms
Though we are a young campus, the intense demands on our classroom equipment have taken their toll.
Technology refresh requires significant capital investment and must be considered within the broader context of campus funding priorities. OIT continues to partner with campus leadership on the development of a Classroom Refresh strategy in order to ensure that our aging classroom technology is addressed before it begins to more seriously hinder instruction.
CatCourses is UC Merced’s Canvas Learning Management System (LMS). It provides a central repository for all academic course sites in which instructors can interact with and provide educational materials to their students.
Key Information:
- CatCourses automatically generates course sites for all UC Merced courses
- Instructors gain access to their course sites as soon as they are assigned as the Instructor of Record (IOR) and at least one student has enrolled in the course
- Student rosters are automatically updated as they change with the Registrar
- Students gain access to course sites one week prior to the start of instruction each semester
CATCOURSES SUPPORT
UC Merced has contracted with the CatCourses vendor (Instructure) to provide 24/7 support to faculty, instructors, and TAs, including live chat and phone support. To get help, log in to CatCourses and click the “Help” link on the left-hand side of any page.
AET is available to provide convenient 1:1 training and consultation for CatCourses upon request. We can help with topics such as:
- Course site setup and management
- Clicker (audience response system) integration
- TurnItIn integration
- Using Kaltura (video streaming service) through CatCourses AET also provides access to vendor guides, FAQs, integrations, and upates to CatCourses on the OIT website.
Explore More Academic Technologies
TEAL
Technology Enhanced Active Learning
Technology-enabled active learning (TEAL) is a teaching format that merges facilitated discussions, simulations, and hands-on desktop experiments to create a rich collaborative learning experience.
UC Merced has four TEAL Labs for faculty use: two with 45 seats and two with 90 seats.
TEAL rooms offer a fundamentally different learning environment from other instructional spaces on campus because of the design, layout, technology, and potential pedagogical choices available to the instructor.
Click below to learn more about how to design a course utilizing TEAL technologies.