In a physics class, a student can collect information that is sent to a computer, which analyzes the data and creates a graph. There's no chance of human error and the student receives immediate results that make sense.
With technology like this, Ball State University continues to offer students innovative ways to learn in the classroom.
"I think that Ball State is one of those institutions that provides access to technology to our students at a very high level," O'Neal Smitherman, vice president for information technology, said.
Out of about 370 classrooms on campus, 277 have Internet access and a projector that can be connected to a computer, qualifying the room as an e-classroom.
Most e-classrooms have additional equipment, including a computer and document camera, which electronically projects physical documents onto a screen.
The university also provides 40 carts with similar technology that can be taken to any classroom.
Although this technology is available, bringing all the parts together can be a challenge.
"We began to hear from faculty and deans that it was hard to make the equipment work together," Smitherman said.
The Information Technology Advisory Group decided to update the technology consoles in some of the university's larger lecture halls.
In 2004, faculty members took surveys to identify what types of technology they wanted in classrooms.
Dan Lutz, associate director of University Teleplex, said a prototype was then put together and taken back to the faculty. They got the opportunity to test the equipment and decide how it would be arranged on the counters in the classrooms, Lutz said.
As a result, 15 rooms, mostly large lecture halls, were selected to receive new technology. The rooms were renovated during Summer 2005 and have the same basic equipment. Only the computers vary. Each room has a high definition projector, a real-time document camera, a DVD and videotape player, an audio system and a touch screen panel. The room might have a PC, Apple computer or both, depending on the department's needs.
The touch screen panel controls all the technology in the room, including sound levels and some lighting.
"It's the center and heart and soul of the system," Lutz said. "It's the touch screen that puts everything together. One button will do everything you need."
The touch screen also allows faculty members to solve problems with the technology more quickly, Lutz said.
"This new console allows technicians to troubleshoot anywhere from campus," Lutz said.
The faculty member pushes a button on the touch screen and talks directly to a technician. Most problems are solved in about one and a half minutes, Lutz said.
Smitherman said the university is always reviewing classroom technology to see if certain rooms need more.
"We continue to work with colleges to determine whether additional classrooms can benefit from e-classroom equipment," he said.
Each college and department has its own needs, Smitherman said.
The basic e-classroom equipment can be supplemented by specific hardware and software for individual departments and courses.
With video-conferencing technology, Teachers College students are able to watch a live classroom while their professor explains the strategies and methodologies being used, Laurie Mullen, associate dean for teacher education of Teachers College, said.
Geology students can take university-provided laptops into the field to create maps on the scene, Don VanMeter, associate dean of the College of Sciences and Humanities, said.
When taking English Composition 1, students use computer-based classrooms so they can work on assignments in class.
"It's easier to teach you how to write if you're in the process of writing," VanMeter said.
Psychology students can learn a difficult statistical program through the use of up-to-date software instead of learning the challenging language from a chalkboard, John Wallace, assistant professor of psychological science, said.
These examples are not the only way to apply technology in the classroom. Many other departments offer courses that use their own technologies.
Smitherman said quick, in-class access to information that a faculty member may not already know assists students in learning.
"When you can answer the question immediately when you have them, you have richer, deeper and more easily recalled knowledge," he said.
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