Page 30 - College Planning & Management, January 2018

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30 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JANUARY 2018 WEBCPM.COM
INITIALLY SOURCING THE FLIPIT® monitor mount for their Commons Classroom, the university soon learned
about how SMARTdesks uses mass custom- ization to solidify every detail. Eleven Piatto® computer conference tables were configured in four ways, customized and nuanced for displays, HDMI monuments, and comprehen- sive power and data distribution.
The expansive 70-seat space is used in a number of ways to support the MBA and EMBA programs. Business analytics and data visu- alization are the concentration: telling stories with data. Sight lines in the classroom are very important, along with the ability to shift the emphasis from working on computers to mak- ing a poster board—getting the computers out of the way, making room for laptops and other devices (BYOD). Sixty-six flipIT monitor mounts enable this throughout the space.
Robust technology provides potentially overwhelming flexibility.
The university’s training keeps things simple: communicate, find out what profes- sors need to know, answer the questions, and then keep listening to their feedback. With all of the features involved, simplicity and intui- tive ease of use is key. Presenting all of the features—regardless of relevance—is counter- productive, and potentially overwhelming.
The university’s approach is to show how to use the doc cam, then listen. The profes- sor might say, “I’d rather use that camera
for video conference rather than the one we are using.” The answer to the question—that you care able to select this touch screen and choose this camera—teaches what is relevant and practical. The training gets used and is retained. As a result, the Commons Classroom is enjoying success, and extremely active use.
The Commons Classroom is used in many ways between scheduled classes and open lab blocks. Professors can either present
to the entire space of 70 seats, or make
the experience small group collaborative, choosing different individual’s machines from around the room to display where needed
on any of 24 video screens. Full breakout sessions involve lots of screen real estate simultaneously. Each screen can have some- thing different happening. Up to 24 different subjects can be shown in the room, which is usually the case!
Content is king: the software, tech- nology—and the furniture—fade into the background.
The overarching concept is to empower the ideas and creativity in action by keeping the tools simple to use and responsive to changing needs. Collaborating with the university and its team made SMARTdesks unique as a provider of furniture nuanced for the tasks at hand. The university admits that they were challenging customers to work with because they expected a lot.
SMARTdesks President Jeffrey Korber was also the lead product designer and reflects, “Working with the university on this installa- tion is a perfect example of what we call ‘mass customization.’ We were flexible enough to sat- isfy, not only the end-users’ dreams, but the dealer’s dreams. We responded on two levels in how the project was managed and produced. We didn’t have any issues at all because every detail was considered and matched with a specific solution. Nothing was left to chance. There was collaboration throughout the entire process. It wasn’t ‘here’s the product. Take
it or leave it.’ We made any modification they wanted to have done without any resistance, satisfying all of the team’s issues.”
The culmination of efforts paid off two weeks earlier than originally scheduled. A professional industry annual meeting wished to include a tour of the Commons Classroom to learn about the state-of-the-art space. They all learned a good deal from the univer- sity, which was also the university’s goal—to share knowledge and advance the idea that technology supports effective learning. CPM