CLASSROOM ORIENTATION: Environmental Science 70 & 72

Active Learning Classrooms

Room Orientation

Room Layout - The room has a small instructor station, 5 flat screen TVs, 3 large mounted whiteboards, 2 mounted tack boards, an accessible entry, and a closet to store any furniture not in use.
Lighting Controls - Lighting controls are in two primary locations in the room. Note that ES 70 and 72 are mirror images of one another. The images below are from ES 72 but they apply equally well to ES 70. Also, be aware that lighting controls for the rooms are not available at the instructor workstation (as they are in other classrooms across campus).
- Zone Lighting Control can turn on or off lighting in specific areas of the room and are located on the east wall.
- The Light Switch is located next to the room's main entrance on a small column by the automatic door opener controls and the fire alarm.The light switch located by the door only turns all of the lights in the room on or off. It does not have the ability to control specific areas of the classroom like the Zone Lighting Controls.
Furniture - These classrooms can be set up to support active learning teaching strategies and group work or they can be set up in a more traditional layout. See options below or use your own design. You may find extra tables, chairs, and large portable white boards in the storage closet. Recognize that it can be challenging to move a whole room of furniture before class, you may want to display one of these diagrams and ask students to regularly help with set up as they arrive:

This image shows one way to accommodate 38 students and also aligns them with the various flat screen TVs:

Note: Furnishings not in use are stored in the large closet, opposite the instructor station.
White Boards and Tack Boards
- Large wall-mounted white boards and large portable white boards available; pens and erasers provided
- Tack boards on walls can be used with your own tacks.

Instructor Workstation

Podium and Adapters
- Instructor Podium - The podium includes a collection of adapters, a document camera, a keyboard, mouse, and clicker for advancing slides. Note that some of these items may be in a powered off position and will need to be switched on to use them.
- Cable Adapters - At each station attached to the HDMI cable located at the bottom of the large flat screen TVs is a collection of adapters so you 'll be able to connect a variety of devices to display on the flat screen.
  - HDMI - This is the type of connector you'll see on most modern laptops;
  - Lightning - This is an Apple-specific connector used on iPhones and iPads in the past few years;
  - USB A - This is the standard rectangular-shaped USB connector. It's uncommon for this to be used for display purposes;
  - USB C - This connector is common on the latest mobile devices (including the latest iPhones and iPads) as well as some Chromebooks;
  - Mini Display Port - This is an older connector that often found on thinner laptops where space was at a premium;
  - Mini USB - This is another standard connector for a variety of devices.
  - Micro USB - This is another standard connector for a variety of devices.
Instructor Control Panel
- Control Panel Layout - located on the wall next to the podium. There are three main control areas:
  - Display - allow you to turn all of the room displays (flat screen TVs) on or off or return the display to the instructor
  - Volume - rotary knob controls audio content coming from the instructor station only
  - Input - includes buttons to switch between sources to display on all flat screen TVs:
    - PC - instructor podium PC
      - NOTE: There are options to connect wirelessly to an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) via Apple TV and Android or a Windows device via Sharelink. There are also buttons to share the images from the document camera or mute the system entirely.
    - Apple TV - iOS devices (instructor or students can connect wirelessly)
    - Doc Cam - visuals placed on document camera will display
    - Laptop - instructor's laptop or tablet (connected by the external cable/adapters located on the podium)
    - ShareLink - Android devices (instructor or students can connect wirelessly)
Instructor Screen - can be pulled away from the wall and swiveled left and right.

Student Stations

Flat Screen TVs - There are five flat screen TVs. These can be raised and lowered to accommodate group work at the table level and raised for better viewing at a distance. The screens can display the view from the instructor workstation or they can each be set up to work with various student groups.
Student Control Panels and Wired Connection Options
- Student Control Panel - located on the wall next to the individual flat screen displays; controls audio and video signals only for the individual display
- Cable Adapters - located below each flat screen TV for students to connect a variety of devices

Wireless Connection

NOTE: Instructors and students can connect to the large flat screen TVs wirelessly using either Apple TV or ShareLink. Using the Apple TV connection is recommended if you have a Mac or iOS device. Windows and Android users should use the ShareLink option instead.

Connect with iOS (Apple TV) - To use your Apple iOS device (iPhone, iPad or iPod):
- Log in to Western's WiFi (Wireless Secure).
- Select Apple TV as the source option on the control panel.
- Select Screen Mirroring: On an iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the dashboard. On an iPad or modern iPhone swipe down from the upper right corner.
- Select Room: Both ES 70 and ES 72 should display. Select the room you are in. The room number is on the wall above the instructor control panel as well as on the smaller control panels to the side of the large flat screen TVs.
- Enter AirPlay Code: Once the prompt for the AirPlay code appears on the large flat screen TVs, enter the code into the iOS device to be connected and display the device.

Connect with Android and Windows (ShareLink) - To use your Android or Windows device:
- Log in to Western's WiFi (Wireless Secure).
- Select ShareLink as the source option on the control panel. The ShareLink screen (see below) appears on the flat screen TVs. To connect you will need the IP address displayed at the lower-left corner and the access code displayed at the lower right.
- Open Browser and Enter IP Address: Go to your browser and type the IP address into the address field (this is where the URL of a website you are visiting appears)
- Enter Code: When prompted enter the access code. Device will be displayed on large flat screen TVs.

Active Learning Strategies

Check out the Active Learning Toolkit in the CIIA's Teaching Handbook.