by Nicole Celli
Despite the fact that Quinnipiac has had to cut back on spending because of the economic crisis, the University still strives to remain ahead of the curve when it comes to technological resources for faculty and students. Members of the faculty and administration gathered in Alumni Hall on Feb. 18 throughout the day to take part in a technology fair.
Vincent Buccino, director of media services, saw it as a chance for the administration and faculty to meet in a comfortable setting.
“It brings the faculty together to share their projects and their interactions with students,” Buccino said. “They can share their teaching philosophies, and see what works and what doesn’t.”
Some of the campus resources represented were the Law Library, the Arnold Bernhard Library, the Help Desk, the Learning Center, QU Mobile, Information Security, Ergonomics, and QU Online.
HB Communications, Inc., wanted to educate the faculty and administration about where technology is going, and get them excited about new means of teaching. They have already introduced interactive whiteboard technology into classrooms, and hope to also bring in, with their partner Optibase, a product that will allow administrators to arrange live generated video streams that are automatically updated and are easily accessible.
“You will be able to stream video live for sporting events or graduation using the same format as YouTube,” Joe Chordas, an east region sales manager from Optibase, said. “It will be delivered on an IP network.it can capture a classroom lecture and send it throughout the network so you can rewatch that lecture, or an event, if you missed it, on demand.”
Because it was courseware driven, the event was targeted primarily for any interested faculty and administration, not students.
Glenda Pritchett, an English professor here at QU, summed up the need for the event by saying, “Given that Quinnipiac is highly rated as a wired campus, it is incumbent on faculty to update their proficiency with the various kinds of technology at our fingertips, literally.”
