Updates on V.L Wharton 222

By: Ellie McMurrrain

Over the Fall Break of 2017, the Office of STEP Support updated V. L. Wharton 222 with two new projectors, two additional screens, and a new image-wrapped podium. These updates were due as part of the sustainability plan in place for each classroom. Wharton 222 is a heavily utilized classroom - it hosts large classes, campus meetings, and is one of the first rooms incoming freshmen and their parents see at orientation. Because the room sees so much diverse traffic, it was important to OSS that the room display the kinds of technology that we are bringing to the University. The upgrades to the room provide technological benefits to the faculty and students. With three screens, each capable of displaying a different feed, an instructor’s presentation options are nearly endless.

To gauge the student response to the upgrades, the Office of STEP Support (OSS) conducted a survey targeting students who are taking classes in Wharton 222 this semester. 100 students were asked to rate their experiences with the changes on a scale from very happy to very dissatisfied. Before the upgrade, 43% of students were neutral about the classroom and 38% were happy with the previous layout. After the upgrade, 54% of students were very satisfied with the change and just 6% felt neutral about the new layout. The survey also asked students if they felt the upgrade impacted their learning and if audio quality was better. Over half of students answered “yes” to both questions, 77% and 84% respectively, marking a huge improvement to the room’s usefulness. Overall, students commented that they were excited about the changes to the room and that they looked forward to seeing how instructor’s would be using the new technology in their upcoming lessons.
 

How would you rate Wharton 222 before?

How would you rate Wharton 222 now?

(Results of 100 responses for each question)