DESIGNING A SMART CLASS ROOM FOR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
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Date
2021-09-03
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Abstract
The Smart class room is a modernized classroom with computers, projectors, internet connectivity and other multimedia devices. Designing a Smart classroom is a challenge to interior designers. To fill the research gap, the present study was taken up. The recommended design guidelines proposed by higher educational institutes, official bodies and researchers served as a guide to identify the dependent variables. Type of management, year of establishment and total strength of the institute were the independent variables.
The educational institutes were providing recommended circulation space per student. Attention was not paid to incorporate sound absorbing measures. Noise generation in the corridors was found to be a disturbing factor in most of the educational institutes. Location and size of the door was found to be as per the recommended guidelines. Educational institutes had not paid attention to provide vision panel. In most of the institutes the windows were located at north side. Wall coverings and acoustic paneling were almost nil in all the institutes.
Nearly one fourth of the institutes had no provision in the ceiling to accommodate required acoustical mechanisms. Almost all the institutes maintain at least 13 feet height in front of screen. The concept of the lighting zones was adopted by most of the educational institutes. Width and size of the tablet arm chair was below recommended sizes in most of the institutes.
Nearly three fourth (73.33%) of the institutes had not paid attention towards clearance spaces.63.33 per cent of the educational institutes followed design guidelines when designing instructor’s seat height. Slightly less than half of the educational institutes designed instructor’s console as per recommendation. Attention was not paid to provide accessible workstations for students in wheelchair. Educational institutes were not paying attention for the modified fan-shaped design configuration, theatre-style seating and seating for students with disability.
The class room in higher education institutes were not found to be as per recommended design guild lines with reference multimedia network requirement, provision of pc, data projector with a screen and video conferencing. Most of the educational institutes have not paid attention to provide advanced equipment related to
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multimedia such as data projector, crestron touch panel, audio system like microphones, amplifiers and speakers, wireless microphones and digital slate.
Out of the three variables total strength of the institute was found to be the major contributor in deciding the class room size and dimensions, followed by type of management. The circulation space per student and gross area per student were found as per the standard guidelines in institutes with more number of students.
Year of establishment was the major forward planner in deciding the location of the class room in the institutional building. Total strength of the institute was the strong contributing variable in deciding the provision for class room storage. The design features of class room door such as width of door leaf, door clearance space, type of handle and approach area and vision panel were found to be more on equivalence with the standard specifications in institutes with more number of students. The two variables, total strength of the institute and type of management made more or less equal noteworthy contribution towards class room window design. Total strength of the institute was found to be the one single forecaster of the provisions made for maintaining the quality of wall finishes, wall coverings and acoustic tiles treatment in the existing class room.
Year of establishment of the educational institute was the major contributory factor that determined the height of the class room ceiling, minimum head room, acoustical properties of ceiling and ceiling height in tiered floor classrooms. Educational institutes with relatively more number of students were taking on standard design guidelines regarding the floor type, slope of the floor, rise of floor from one row to the next row, nosing, flooring in teaching area and carpeted flooring.
Class room lighting design linked with lighting in student seating area, lighting zones, types of bulbs, illumination level, and lighting fixtures were influenced by the total strength of the institute. Total strength of the institute was found to be the one single forecaster of the quality of electrical fitting and fixtures used. These guidelines related to the standard acceptable Noise Criterion (NC), Ambient noise level, Reverberation time and Room criteria (RC) were mostly adopted by Institutes with relatively more number of students.
Total strength of the institute and type of management were found to be the contributing factors for deciding on class room furniture such as podium specification, dimensions of large desk, tablet arms chairs, width of tablet arm chair, clearance space for tablet arm chair, writing surface for tablet arm chair and so on. The major predictor of instructor’s workstation design in educational institutes was total strength of the institute. One fifth contribution for instructor workstation design was from year of establishment and one tenth was from type of management.
Year of establishment of the education institute was the major predictor of writing space design. Institute with more number of students in a class paid attention in designing location of the chalkboards, chalk board area, chalk boards frames and outside measurement, writing surfaces, colour of chalkboards, chalk tray and marker boards. Number of screens, location of projectors in lecture hall, minimum distance between projection screen and front row, screens placement, screen height in a flat-floor classroom were decided by the total strength in a class room. The institutes total strength and year of establishment were the two major contributing factors that decided the design of class room signage in educational institutes.
The deciding factors in designing the seating arrangement in a class, row to row clearances, passage clearance., minimum and maximum distance between the last row to end wall, clearance from the student desk to adjacent wall, desk to desk clearance, seating
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for students with a disability and seating design configuration were total strength of the institute and year of establishment of the institute. The single forward planner in multimedia design in a class room was total strength of the institute. Institutes with more number of students planned teaching stations with computer equipment, plus the necessary space for student materials. Provisions for audio system like microphones, amplifiers and speakers, network requirement were made in institutes with more number of students.
Description
DESIGNING A SMART CLASSROOM FOR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS