Associate Dean Philip Phillips

philip.phillips@mtsu.edu

Dean John Vile

Honors

Master Classroom

HONR 218

N/A

N/A

This proposal request funds to upgrade HONR 218 to a master classroom (with a touch display) with a new (faster and and more reliable) iMac and much-needed whiteboards. Other enhancements to the classroom would include the removal of one video display (closest to the front of the room), the removal of the Smart Board (which has proven to be more of a hindrance than a help to instructors and students), the removal of the PolyComm, and the replacement of the instructor's station (including a new AMX) with a new model that is less bulky. HONR 218 has long been a model classroom since the construction of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. Pre-COVID, we scheduled on average six to eight classes (as well as numerous small meetings/events when not in use for instructional purposes) in that room per semester, and we anticipate scheduling that many, or more, post-COVID. Whenever President McPhee brings distinguished visitors to campus, he very often uses HONR 218 to showcase the university’s most up-to-date classroom technology. Now, the technology in the room is becoming obsolete. HONR 218 is currently listed as "restricted"; however, we are open to changing that designation to "standard" to make it more readily available for non-honors classes when honors classes are not scheduled to meet there. It has been ten years (since 2011) since the University Honors College received any TAF funding for classroom technology upgrades. We consider this classroom to be our highest priority and hope that our request for funding this year will be granted.