Student Technology Centers

Transformation & Change at the ITS Computer Labs

Vincent Doogan

Today's higher education student arrives at college with a set of technology-driven experiences that potentially place great challenges and stresses on institutional leaders, educators, and technologists to meet their expectations. Most students have had computers in their homes and throughout substantial portions of their K-12 education. To them, ATMs have always existed, and cell phones have always been ubiquitous. Web sites for commerce, news and information, and digital media — music and videos, social networking, and other services — are integral to their youth culture experience. Observers of higher education perceive students' experiences, along with their styles of work, play, and learning, to be at greater odds than ever before with the comparatively slow rate of institutional change and innovation. In the face of this challenge, higher education has been scrambling to improve infrastructure, pedagogy, and community.

At NYU, the technology experience for students spans a mixed terrain of services and resources provided by their individual schools, colleges, and programs as well as the NYU Libraries and Information Technology Services (ITS). NYU students find that today's digital technology permeates the curriculum as a format, a tool, and a subject, and is applied in a variety of ways for administrative services and community building.

Through a multifaceted strategy involving the provisioning and renewing of computers and network services, ITS provides Internet connectivity to NYU residence halls, where more than 99 percent of 12,000 students have registered personal computers on NYU-NET; wireless networks in more than 100 locations on campus; more than 200 email kiosks, distributed around campus in building lobbies, Bobst Library, and several residence halls; and approximately 300 advanced desktop computers in four ITS computer labs, which supported 600,000 visits by more than 25,000 students in the 2007-2008 academic year.

Evolving Technology, Collaboration & Learning

ITS' student computer labs reflect a remarkable evolution of computer and networking technology. The earliest computer labs typically were of interest primarily to computer science students and students studying computation and data analysis, on mainframe computers that were accessed through punch-cards and “dumb” terminals. Today's labs, their descendants, reflect the passage of many milestones — the introduction of the personal computer, the birth of the Internet, the development of the World Wide Web, and the extension of digital technology into every area of academics.

With change comes more change, and in the past two years, ITS has undertaken the redesign of all our facilities because traditional computer lab design was inadequate to the changing needs and styles of both students and faculty.

The current facilities are less lab-like, with new spaces and furniture that better support instruction, collaborative learning, and digital creativity. They now contain workstations, video and media studios, meeting rooms, video conferencing, classrooms-training rooms, WiFi, and laptop seating for students. These and other features are described below.

In fact, our four labs might be better described as student technology centers. The ITS Multimedia Center, ITS Washington Place Windows Lab, ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, and our new ITS Kimmel Laptop Lab, provide students with an array of features and services. Full-time lab technicians and student technology assistants are available to help students to use software applications, troubleshoot their problems, and assist them in accomplishing their goals.

A Tour of the ITS Student Labs, Centers, and Studios

There are several ITS technology labs, centers, and studios throughout the NYU campus. There is no charge to use them, and they are open to any student in a degree or diploma program, as well as to NYU faculty and staff. A valid NYU ID Card is required.

Each of these locations is equipped with state-of-the-art computers and software, and some offer special digital media services. Following, you'll find an alphabetical list of these resources and an overview of the hardware, software, and services provided at each of them.

Advanced Media Studio

The Advanced Media Studio provides advanced digital media services to NYU faculty, students of the arts, and visiting artists with approved project proposals. Services include museum-quality digital prints; laser-cut flat materials; 3D color rapid prototyping and editing; and drum scanning featuring the ICG 380 vertical drum scanner, offering the highest quality and lowest noise scans of film and reflective artwork up to 12.6 inches by 18.7 inches, at resolutions of up to 12,000 dpi.

(ITS Multimedia Center, 35 West 4th Street, second floor; www.nyu.edu/its/ams)

Assistive Technology Room

The Assistive Technology Room provides software for individuals with disabilities, addressing a broad spectrum of issues and comfort levels. Students with visual impairments can access print or digital text, computer screens, and web pages with Kurzweil 1000 and 3000 devices, which speak text aloud. Both of these products record audio files for playback on iTunes or any mp3 player. Jaws is another screen reader application with Braille support. Dragon Naturally Speaking is speech recognition software that enables an individual to work with the computer using voice commands and dictation.

(ITS Multimedia Center, 35 West 4th Street, second floor; www.nyu.edu/its/labs/mm)

Apple Desktop Computers

Students can find 20"- and 24"-display, Intel-based iMac computers with Mac OS X and myriad software for word processing, data analysis, audio, multimedia, video editing, and more, in two locations on campus.

(ITS Multimedia Center, 25 West 4th Street, Second Floor,
www.nyu.edu/its/labs/mm; ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, 75 Third Avenue, Level C3, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/third)

Apple Laptop Computers

17" MacBook Pro laptops and 13" MacBook laptop computers are making a "green statement" at the ITS Kimmel Laptop Lab. Kimmel is our newest lab, and our design goal was to lower power consumption through the use of laptops, which use roughly 20 percent of the power used by conventional desktop computers.

(ITS Kimmel Laptop Lab, Kimmel Center, Fourth Floor, www.nyu.edu/its/labs)

At the ITS laptop lab in the Kimmel Center for University Life

Audio & Video Conferencing

Students have access to both a Polycom Voice Conferencing System and a Polycom HDX Video Conferencing System; both units are situated in a collaboration room (see below).

(ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, 75 Third Avenue, Level C3, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/third)

Collaboration-Study Rooms

These rooms typically seat up to six individuals, are enclosed for privacy, and feature 42" plasma displays, stereo sound, adjustable lighting, and writing surfaces. Each plasma display is connected to NYU Campus Cable and doubles as a large format computer display. Students may connect their own laptops to the display or borrow an ITS laptop. One room is outfitted with high-definition, two-way videoconferencing capabilities and is available for student use.

(ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, 75 Third Avenue, Level C3, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/third. The ITS Washington Place Windows Lab, 14 Washington Place, basement, also has two meeting rooms without media displays.)

Interactive Multimedia Classroom

This teaching and learning environment allows faculty and students to experiment with instructional technology. The classroom contains 25 student Apple computers. The instructor's computer controls a 65" wall-mounted SMART board touch panel, plus two mirroring 50" plasma displays (1080p and 720p). A VCR/DVD deck, HDV deck, and a Wolfvision document camera can be added to the display mix. Up to three sources can be displayed simultaneously using a wireless graphical interfaced Crestron Control unit. Two software applications, Apple Remote Desktop and SMART Board Tools, enable collaboration and screen sharing. SMART board tools allow displayed content to be annotated, saved, and exported to PDF.

(ITS Multimedia Center, 35 West 4th Street, Second Floor,
www.nyu.edu/its/labs/mm)

Linux Computers

See Windows/Linux Training Room, below.

(ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, 75 Third Avenue, Level C3, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/third)

Personal Laptops

Students are encouraged to use their own laptops in ITS Technology Centers. All ITS facilities have informal seating areas for the use of personal laptops; WiFi is available; and our printers are accessible from student laptops.

Podcasting Studio

The Podcasting Studio combines all our audio and video applications into a single state-of-the-art soundproof production space. The studio is best for beginner- and intermediate-level projects. Students can use Audacity, GarageBand, and Pro Tools to record into a Digidesign mbox2 multichannel production system. Audio can then be edited, mixed, and formatted for use with video and PowerPoint slides to create enhanced audio or video podcast content. The studio is also a good venue to record one-on-one interviews using a Blue Snowball microphone. The Podcasting Studio contains a Panasonic Camcorder, an iPod, and a Bose iPod system to test podcasts after production. A Roland RS-5 keyboard, iSight Camera, Mackie Mixer, and Sony DV camera are also available.

(ITS Multimedia Center, 35 West 4th Street, Second Floor, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/mm)

Printers

New energy-efficient, high-capacity, black and white HP laser printers are available at all ITS facilities. The default printing setting is duplex printing (both sides), job size is limited to 20 pages, and the use of special paper and the printing of multiple copies are not permitted.

Scanners

Flatbed scanners for digitizing art, documents, photos, and text are available.

(ITS Multimedia Center, 35 West 4th Street, Second Floor, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/mm; ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, 75 Third Avenue, Level C3, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/third)

Software

ITS provides a collection of more than 150 software applications across the Windows XP, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems. For a list of software and locations, see www.nyu.edu/its/labs.

Video Studio for Post-Production and Instruction

The studio contains 15 Mac OS X video editing stations, one audio editing station, and a multiformat video dubbing station; all stations have appropriate video editing peripherals and software (e.g., FinalCut). The studio also contains an instructor's station to support class meetings. The instructor's station features a pen-operated SMART display and is interconnected with the in-room audio system and two video projection systems, one standard definition and one high definition, for mirrored display of video and other curricular materials on a large-format screen. The arrangement of the seating within the studio also facilitates its use as a screening room.

(ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, 75 Third Avenue, Level C3, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/third. The ITS Multimedia Center, 35 West 4th Street, Second Floor, also features several similar video editing stations.)

Virtual Worlds — Virtual Facilities

Virtual world software, such as Second Life (SL), is available on all ITS computers. In an SL virtual world, an animated character, known as an avatar, is operated from one's computer keyboard and represents a person. The constructed 3D world allows avatars to engage in all forms of social and creative interaction. At NYU, startup activities in SL began in 2007 when ITS leveraged its membership in the New Media Consortium (NMC) to lease a parcel of SL virtual property in an NMC virtual educational community. Currently, there is exploratory use of Second Life by some units of NYU. ITS has also worked with several faculty members who use its SL facilities in support of their classes.

For more information on Second Life, see www.nyu.edu/its/pubs/connect/fall07/doogan_secondlife.html.

WiFi

Access to NYU's secure wireless network is available at all ITS Student Technology Centers.

Windows/Linux Training Room

A classroom-training room provides 18 advanced Dell desktop student workstations and one instructor's station. The instructor's computer features a pen-operated SMART display and is interconnected to a standard-definition video projection system. Each workstation — including the instructor's — can dual-boot as either a Windows or a Linux computer with an extensive suite of software.

(ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, 75 Third Avenue, Level C3, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/third)

Windows Computers

Dell computers with Windows XP are available with myriad software for word processing, data analysis, multimedia, programming languages, and more.

(ITS Third Avenue Collaboration Center, 75 Third Avenue, Level C3, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/third, and ITS Washington Place Windows Lab, 14 Washington Place, Basement, www.nyu.edu/its/labs/wash. At the ITS Kimmel Laptop Lab, Kimmel Center, both MS Windows and Mac OS X platforms are available on Apple laptop computers.)

Keeping an Eye on Tomorrow

The use of computers, collaborative software, and other IT services has become more than just a convenient augmentation of the academic environment; it is now integral to the higher learning process. The pervasive use of these technologies in the service of NYU's mission continues to evolve, and just as the learning environment is shaped in part by current and emerging technologies — cell phones, handheld devices, virtual worlds, cloud computing, and social networking tools, and others — the ITS student technology spaces will also continue to evolve and grow in pace with the demands of students, faculty, and trends in the global academic environment. Keeping a finger on the pulse of these tools helps ensure that ITS labs and spaces can continue to provide students with a supportive experience, rich in technology and technical assistance, and designed to support the structure in which they can most effectively accomplish their academic projects and scholarly goals.

All images courtesy Vincent Doogan

Author Biography

Vincent Doogan is the Director of Student Technology Services at ITS

Page last reviewed: May 1, 2009. All content © New York University.
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