Page 13 - 2020 OIT Progress Report

cameras, and audience microphones were added to list of desirable options. We began identifying the best collection of devices that would work within
each classroom under our allocated budget. Through several Zoom
sessions from our test classroom, we worked
with faculty to confirm the
technology selection and
identify many of the
challenges that faculty might
face in the
SMUFlex
modality. We also
previewed the technology with
the CIO Student Advisory Council to
obtain student feedback. This feedback was invaluable,
and helped shape many of our training plans for the next several months.
Vendors were selected, scope was identified, and equipment was ordered. In the meantime, the course room assignments began shaping up as well as the reduced capacity numbers for spaces. This brought forth a host of scope changes. In fact, the
installation scope continued to change up until the week before school began, especially as faculty began visiting their classrooms and identifying additional needs. Equipment finally arrived on campus at the end of June, leaving approximately eight weeks to install gear in roughly 250 classrooms.
Technology was not the only factor in classroom readiness. As the social distance capacity numbers were determined, The Office of Facilities Planning and Management established a plan for readiness that included added cleaning supplies, setting
up and labelling rooms, removing additional furniture, and installing plexiglass at the podium. Teams from OIT and Facilities worked together to address all classroom readiness tasks, including last-minute additions such as power cables and additional microphones as school began. Our communications team addressed signage and instruction sheets for each room, updated our website with the latest documentation, and even placed new whiteboard markers in all spaces.
A team of OIT volunteers visited hundreds of classrooms just days before the semester began
to do a final test of the components. This was extremely helpful in identifying any remaining issues that needed to be addressed before the first day of class. Throughout those eight weeks, staff from both OIT and Facilities were working seven days a week to ensure our classrooms were ready for use.
11