News
Connecting Research and Learning Through Technology
The IT Services event “Connecting Research and Learning Through Technology” was held in the Daedalus Building in Belfield campus on the 10th December 2008. Attended by Dr Hugh Brady, President of UCD and Dr Philip Nolan, Registrar, among many academics and researchers, the event demonstrated the collaborative teaching and learning and research technology available today. This advanced technology has been incorporated into these new spaces and is now available for staff and students use.
During the event, the attendees toured the three new technology enabled spaces and expanded Research IT Data Centre.
The Teaching and Learning Space
The Teaching and Learning space showcases and pilots technology solutions which can be deployed in teaching and learning spaces across campus. On the day of the event, lecture capture technology was demonstrated using an example of a lecture given by Dr Patrick Felle, School of Medicine, which was recorded earlier.
Review for U Lecture capture is one of the features of the new technology enabled teaching station which has been customised to meet UCD specific requirements. Lecture capture is a solution that allows a lecturer to easily capture different aspects of their lecture and to make it available to their students as a Podcast via their Blackboard module. The process can be fully automated by scheduling in advance or can be carried out as a series of simple steps by the lecturer on the day.
The Sypmodium Interactive Pen Display is another feature which allows a lecturer to make any presentation interactive. The lecturer can write over their favourite applications (Word documents, Powerpoint presentations, Images etc.) in “digital ink” and save their notes.
The Collaboration and Visualisation Space
Visual communication is an important facet of effective communication for collaborative learning and research. UCD IT Services now provide a Collaboration and Visualisation Space in the Daedalus Building offering Video Conferencing, 3D Visualisation and Smartboard technologies. The technologies implemented within the room are cost effective solutions which could be implemented in various locations across campus.
from left to right: Dr Rob Sands, Dr Hugh Brady, Ms Eimhear Ní Dhuinn, Professor Alan Keenan
3D Stereo Visualisation enables researchers to see their data in a meaningful way. The attendees were invited to wear 3D glasses to experience the benefits themselves. The illusion of depth is created by presenting each eye with a different image, which the brain then combines to give the 3D effect. Examples of how this technology can aid researchers included viewing the complex molecular structure of a human haemoglobin molecule and a supermarket simulation created by researchers in Computer Science in conjunction with the National Rehabilitation Centre. Smartboard and video conferencing technologies were also demonstrated.
Our Video Conferencing solution is based on Polycom hardware connecting to the HEAnet Video Conferencing service and enables point to point and point to multipoint conferencing without the need for all participants to have compatible end point equipment installed. This is a high definition system giving excellent picture and voice quality.
Smartboard Technology is also available. Whilst offering traditional whiteboard capabilities this technology can be used in a variety of learning and collaboration situations.
As this room was designed with the end user in mind, all of the technology in the room is easily accessible and can be controlled through a single Crestron control system. The room itself is furnished to high standard with capacity for up to 16 people in an academic boardroom format. Internet access is available both wirelessly and through fixed network points and there are plenty of power points in the room.
The Flexible Learning Space
The Flexible Learning Space for students, which has been refurbished in a friendly, informal and functional style was also showcased. This space is wireless enabled and SUAS stations are also provided for handy internet access. IT Services new applications: Blackboard Backpack, Software for U, Curriculum Builder and clicker teaching technology, were also demonstrated on the day. This space was identified as the ideal space to promote a useful and well designed learning space for students and its location at front of house in Daedalus was ideal from an accessibility and visibility point of view.
It is already a very popular spot for students to gather and work together.
The aim for the redesign of this room was to trial new furniture and a new layout to create an open access work/learning space which was flexible, informal and functional. It was not envisaged that teaching will take place in this room, however provisions were made to allow for this to consent to maximum flexibility in the use of the room.
The Research IT Data Centre
The Research IT Data Centre, which was recently expanded to host the Stokes ICHEC supercomputer and our own HPC cluster, was open to view on the day. The Daedalus Research IT Data Centre currently hosts IT equipment from a wide variety of both UCD and national Research projects. UCD projects include Life Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematical Sciences, Conway Institute, Geary Institute, Engineering, IVRLA and Irish Folklore while national projects include Irish Centre for High End Computing (ICHEC), Grid Ireland and NIBRT.
The Data Centre is a state of the art hosting facility which uses the APC ‘hot-aisle’ InfrastruXure solution to provide power, cooling and environmental management with a fallback backup diesel generator.
The ‘Stokes’ ICHEC cluster was listed as number 117th on the November 2008 top 500 list of fastest supercomputers worldwide www.top500.org . UCD has purchased 11% of this cluster for use by UCD researchers on a first come basis.
For more detailed information on any of these facilities and technologies please visit the IT Services website www.ucd.ie/itservices