On-Campus Technologies
While personal, instructional, and assistive technologies are all around us and often travel with us—be it on smart phones in our pockets or laptops in our book bags—it is important to consider the systems and devices that are not so mobile and ubiquitous: the on-campus technologies available in Johns Hopkins classrooms, conference rooms, and lecture halls.
Classroom, Conference Room, and Lecture Hall Audiovisual Capabilities
Faculty may want to schedule a course, or perhaps a single class meeting, based on the technologies and support available in the space from which they facilitate. A hybrid course, for instance, may require a specific seat capacity for on-campus students and also technologies that allow for synchronous streaming where both on- and off-campus students can see each other. Such a course would require scheduling a room for the entire term through the course management specialist (BSPH login required); often a department’s academic coordinator can help arrange this. For a single class meeting or a special event, such as an on-campus course meeting with a guest presenter joining remotely, the request can be made to the Scheduling Office using the Course & Non-course Related Event Request Form (BSPH login required).
The Bloomberg School of Public Health Information Technology (IT) Multimedia support team (410-955-3066) is available to help with all Wolfe Street and Hampton House audiovisual (AV) services.
Most of the School’s classrooms, conference rooms, and lecture halls are set up for hybrid and/or streaming AV capabilities. This includes enhanced networking, hardware, software, and other logistical technologies in response to increased demand on our resources and by our teaching and learning needs. The Bloomberg IT Office has summarized the School’s on-campus room capabilities on the following pages (all require BSPH login):
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Room Viewer. This page defines “hybrid capable” and “streaming capable” rooms. Expand the menu on the left-side navigation of the Room Viewer page to link to pages profiling individual rooms. These subpages give the seating capacity, available technologies (including some assistive technologies), and, for most, photos of each room.
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Audio-Visual Capabilities – Classrooms. This page provides a top-level overview of the seating capacity and AV features of the Hampton House and Wolfe Street classrooms.
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Audio-Visual Capabilities – Lecture Halls. This page provides a top-level overview of the seating capacity and AV features of the Hampton House and Wolfe Street lecture halls.
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Audio-Visual Capabilities – Conference Rooms. This page provides a top-level overview of the seating capacity and AV features of the Hampton House and Wolfe Street conference rooms.
Audiovisual Controllers
Many of the audiovisual control systems in the Wolfe Street and Hampton House buildings are either on lecterns or on wall-mounted devices. Some rooms, including many conference rooms, will have a stand-alone controller that is not mounted, and is thus somewhat mobile, but is still hard-wired to the School’s network. For an overview of how to use these controllers, see the Touchpanel User Guide.
Beyond the in-room audio and visual options, it is important to know the quality of the audio and video that will be transmitted to anyone joining a class or event online, or to anyone watching a recording of it. While specific rooms are designated as streaming and hybrid capable, it still is important to always test what you hope to capture or share with anyone who is not physically present. This includes understanding the software that you are using for lecture capture or the synchronous hybrid session. Be sure to check your own software beyond the AV touch panel controller!
Input Options
All desktop and lectern computers installed in Wolfe Street and Hampton House classrooms and auditoriums (lecture halls) use the Windows operating system, and their software, including updates, is managed by the Bloomberg IT team. This software includes the Microsoft Office Suite, internet browsers, the Panopto lecture capture application, and the full Zoom client.
The desktop computers are just one option as the input devices for the lecterns’ setups, which vary by room. Each lectern and most stand-alone projectors (or other displays) also have alternate input options for connecting personal laptops, regardless of the operating system. (It is good to bring your own adapters to connect your device, though several connection options are permanently stored in each room.) Some rooms have annotation and touch input capabilities that can control the connected computers, depending on the in-room video displays.
Most rooms with a lectern also include a gooseneck (stationary) microphone as an audio input device, which is better to teach with (in person and online) than a laptop’s built-in microphone. Most conference rooms have at least one tabletop or handheld microphone. Many rooms are also equipped with lavalier (lapel-clipped) microphones. Many lecture halls also have microphones built into the ceiling to pick up student, or audience, voices, which can be captured and projected online and/or to speakers in the same physical space.
Beyond laptops’ built-in cameras, available video input options for in-room or online sharing vary from document cameras to monitor-mounted webcams to the remote-controlled pan–tilt–zoom (PTZ) cameras.
Note: not all rooms have audio and video input options. Visit a physical room or see the linked pages above regarding the features and capabilities of each room.
Output Options
Audio and visual output options also vary from room to room. Some rooms have a top-of-the-line setup: ceiling-mounted speakers and subwoofers, 65-inch LED displays for remote participants, and a projection wall or screen. In other rooms, the only speaker is built into a stand-alone projector on a cart. Again, it is best to visit a physical room or see the linked pages above regarding the features and capabilities of each classroom, lecture hall, and conference room.
On-Campus Network Access
The Bloomberg IT Office provides a secure wireless network and a guest wireless network across most locations in Wolfe Street, Hampton House, and other Bloomberg locations on the East Baltimore campus. The secured network is encrypted and allows access to internal resources and wireless printing for authorized users (those with a BSPH ID/account). The guest network is not encrypted and provides access to the internet only. More information on the options for on-campus access can be found on the IT Office’s Network Access page (BSPH login required).
Computer Labs
There are computer labs for whole classes and stand-alone desktop computer kiosks in the Wolfe Street and Hampton House buildings. An overview of their features and locations can be found on the Computer Labs and Kiosks page (BSPH login required). The standard software on these computers includes courseware such as ArcGIS and R Studio, standard productivity applications, and more. The complete list of software can be found on the Computer Lab and Kiosk Software page. If you require software that is not already installed, please use the Computer Labs Software Request Form.
Whereas kiosks can be found in both the Hampton House and Wolfe Street buildings, computer labs are available only in the Wolfe Street building. They are in rooms W3017 and W3025, near the Bloomberg IT Help Desk office. The terms of service for using the labs can be found on the Computer Lab Guidelines page. These rooms are used as the regular meeting places (i.e., assigned classrooms) of some course offerings, but they can also be reserved by faculty and staff for individual class sessions. If you are interested in reserving a lab, first check for availability by looking at the current lab schedules, and then use the Computer Lab Scheduling Request Form.
Other (Special Request) On-Campus Technologies
The School’s Mulitimedia team of creative professionals offers audio and video recording, webcasting, video conferencing, teleconferencing, and classroom AV support to the Bloomberg School community. Learn more about their services on the Multimedia Services page.
If you have specific technology needs, including assistance with something that is not working on campus or installing software on a computer that is managed by the Bloomberg IT team, complete the General Help Request Form.