Goodyear Electronic Classroom

Introduction | Timeline | Press Release

Goodyear Electronic Classroom Introduction (Fall 1997)

In cooperation with the University and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the college committed over $250,000 to the creation of an "electronic classroom." The "Goodyear Electronic Classroom" was opened in the summer of 1997, providing an MBA class in International Business to students on the Kent and the Stark campuses.

This classroom is designed to be used primarily as a distance learning facility, although when schedules permit it can be used as a computer teaching facility relieving some of the stress on the open access computer labs. The primary vehicle used for distance learning is digital compression audio and video. V-tel was selected as the teleconferencing vendor for the classroom.

A wide variety of sources can be transmitted from this classroom, in addition to views of the instructor and the students, including: a computer screen image (e.g., Power Point presentations, spreadsheet examples, Web site pages), a document camera image, videotape, and input from several auxiliary devices. Two of the seven regional campuses, Stark and Trumbull, have similar classrooms at this point in time. Within the next few months the five remaining regional campuses should be installing similarly equipped classrooms. This will allow College of Business Administration and Graduate School of Management courses to be taught throughout the eight campus system.

In the Fall semester, Lorain County Community College will join the network. Two classes in support of the BBA in management are scheduled to be taught in a distance learning mode. Both will go to Lorain and at least one of the Regional campuses, simultaneously.

In addition to video conferencing, the room is also equipped with 24 state-of-the-art Pentium II 233 Mhz chip computers. These workstations are placed in Nova Solutions desks with the monitors and CPU's below the desk's glass surface, allowing full camera view of the students while providing access to computer resources. All workstations are networked via 100BaseT fast Ethernet to a file server that serves only the Goodyear Electronic Classroom. All workstations are equipped with Microsoft Office Pro 97 office suite software and Netscape 4.01 web browser. Because classrooms at Regional locations are similarly equipped, the instructor can use a combination of video conferencing and web based distance learning.

This facility provides for true interactive distance learning. Students not only interact with the instructor and one another, but are engaged in computer exercises and internet activities. Much of the classroom material is being made available via web pages.

Using ISDN dial-up capability distance learning can also be extended to the corporate world. This will allow non-credit workshops and Executive and Managerial training to be easily taught by College of Business faculty, bringing our resources to support the business community.

In no small part, through the generosity of Goodyear, the Kent State University College of Business and Graduate School of Management is now able to fulfill its mission more easily, more broadly, and at the cutting edge of today's technology!