1 Classroom Design PrincipalsNERCOMP Session – February 28, 2017

2 Designing Learning EnvironmentsWell-designed classrooms help to remove barriers to the teaching and learning process, allowing all learners to experience the material being presented without distractions from unwanted environmental factors. #NercompPD04

3 Basic Questions Who gets to define the standard?What “classes” of learning environments will you define? Who are the stakeholders? What industry standards exist? Are they keeping pace with changes? How “standard” can your standard be? Do you need several standards? Once a room has been brought to standard, then what? Standards need to be applied with an understanding of your institution and its unique needs #NercompPD04

4 Environmental StandardsSome environmental factors, such as a room that is too hot or too cold, serve as distractions. Others, such as poor lighting or lack of proper fixtures can interfere with the teaching/learning process. #NercompPD04

5 Level Color/Kind Direction Zoning ControlLighting – 5 basic factors Level Color/Kind Direction Zoning Control #NercompPD04

6 Lighting – Level Measured in Footcandles or LuxRecommended standards set forth in ANSI/IESNA RP-1-12 Additional standards and practices specific to Educational Institutions is available from the Illumination Engineering Society Some Levels in Footcandles (from Office Lighting: A Review of 80 Years of Standards and Recommendations) General reading 20-50 Studying Reading poor reproductions Computer terminal work 5-10 Passageway lighting 5-10 What is required for safety Special requirements for specific facilities? #NercompPD04

7 Lighting – Color & Kind Color defined in “Degrees Kelvin” (K)Blue – “cool”, red “warm” Modern office lighting typically 4200K Color Rendering Index (CRI) also sometimes used Important for lecture capture – exact color not important, but consistency necessary High CRI should be considered for some fields (art, sciences) Chromacity Diagram showing typical lighting color temperatures from #NercompPD04

8 Lighting – Direction, Zoning and ControlsImportant when lecture capture is used Get light on your presenter! Don’t get light on your projection screen! Energy-efficient systems usually don’t allow much control! Zoning is most critical in lecture capture rooms Typical zones are the seats, presenter, and writing surface In large or public-access rooms, consider reserving a zone for an ASL Interpereter Simplest form of control is a bank of switches Consider a dimmer with presets if the system is complex Allow for user override #NercompPD04

9 Physical Access Must meet building code and Americans with Disabilities Act Significant changes to the 1991 code were adopted in 2010 State or local access standards may in some cases exceed national code Don’t forget teacher stations! Others are local custom or option Does the door to the classroom enter the front or back? Where is the teaching station located? Do you have a cart, lectern, desk, wall-box, or other facility for the instructor? #NercompPD04

10 HVAC Usually under control of Facilities/Physical PlantRecommend between 68 and 74 Degrees Farenheight Usually the major source of environmental noise in the classroom Registers should be kept 4-6’ from projection screens Registers should not be located between the projector and screen Use care with placement of fan-coil units or booster fans #NercompPD04

11 Display Standards Equipment that is now customary in classrooms was extremely uncommon 20 years ago. #NercompPD04

12 Displays – Screen Size Several competing standards exist – which to apply depends on usage If you remember the old “4:6:8” rule, it no longer applies! SMPTE and THX standard are for motion picture SMPTE – Display fills 30° of visual arc THX – Display fills at least 26°, and ideally 36° of visual arc For classroom use, InfoComm has created standards ANSI/INFOCOMM V202.01:2016 Display Image Size for 2D Content in Audiovisual Systems Based on the size of characters as displayed Free for InfoComm members #NercompPD04

13 Displays – Resolution/Aspect RatioIncreasing resolution means increasing screen size for text to be legible Ideally the resolution of the computer should match that of the screen What rooms need “True 1080”? Will you need to go to 2K, 4K or higher? HD (16:9) and Laptop Wide Screen (16:10) the most common SD (4:3) still around, but increasingly less common Avoiding distortion is key! #NercompPD04

14 Displays – Resolution/Aspect RatioImage by Jedi787plus - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vector_Video_Standards4.svg, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid= #NercompPD04

15 Displays – Resolution/Aspect Ratio5 Years ago the chart ended here for non-theater purposes, and 21:9 did not exist! Image by Jedi787plus - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vector_Video_Standards4.svg, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid= #NercompPD04

16 Displays – Screen Surfaces & Viewing AngleThe one color you can not project is black Special surfaces are available that reflect more light back to the viewer Colored surfaces are available to help make the blacks “blacker” “Traditional” surfaces were fine with older projectors – Matte White was usually recommended Higher resolutions will often require some form of “HD” surface, depending on screen size With a traditional surface you may not achieve a good focus As you move off-axis, images are increasingly distorted Ideally, top of screen should be no more than +10° from the viewer Ensure all seats can see the bottom of the screen! Ideally, no viewer should be more than ±45° from the screen center #NercompPD04

17 Displays – EDID, HDCP and other annoyancesExtended Display Information Data Information that the display gives to the computer or other device Used to automatically set resolutions Often presented incorrectly or not passed through systems #NercompPD04

18 Displays – EDID, HDCP and other annoyancesHigh-bandwidth Digital Copy Protection Only available with certain digital video cables (mostly variants of HDMI) End-to-end digital encryption of video signal The source device asks for it, the display device must provide Leads to “Red Screen of Death”, periodic flickering, or loss of video A particular issue with Macintosh computers Systems should include some form of management #NercompPD04

19 Displays – Brightness While we talk about it all the time, screen brightness really isn’t important! #NercompPD04

20 Displays – Brightness While we talk about it all the time, screen brightness really isn’t important! Contrast is what we should be looking for Recommended minimum contrast ratio is 5:1 #NercompPD04

21 Displays – Brightness While we talk about it all the time, screen brightness really isn’t important! Contrast is what we should be looking for The contrast ratio of the device is important, but not the deciding factor Recommended minimum contrast ratio is 5:1 Measure by comparing ambient light on screen to projected white field ANSI/INFOCOMM 3M-2011: Projected Image System Contrast Ratio Direct Image System Contrast Ratio in public review #NercompPD04

22 Displays – Brightness Or use an online calculator – check out projectorcentral.com, others exist #NercompPD04

23 In Summary There are a few things you should always consider. There are a few things you should always consider. #NercompPD04

24 Summary Try to arrange and control lighting so that the screen can be dark, the presenter can be bright, and participants can take notes in a lecture room Be aware of building code and ADA Use an appropriate screen material based on your projector resolution Aspect ratio should typically be 16:9 or 16:10 Seats should fall within ±45° from the screen center Projector brightness is less important than contrast ratio #NercompPD04

25 Additional Resources This presentation will be distributed after the session. We will continue to add to these based on our conversations today… #NercompPD04

26 Screen Size, Projector contrast ratioTHX Theater Alignment Program ANSI/INFOCOMM V202.01:2016 Display Image Size for 2D Content in Audiovisual Systems SMPTE ST 196:2003 Motion Picture Film – Indoor Theater and Review Room Projection – Screen Luminance and Viewing Conditions ANSI/INFOCOMM 3M-2011 Projected Image Contrast Ratio ANSI/INFOCOMM V201.02:2015 Direct View Display Image System Contrast Ratio projectorcentral.com (includes throw, brightness calculators) #NercompPD04

27 Lighting ANSI/IESNA RP-1-12 Recommendations for Office LightingIES/INFOCOMM RP-38-1X Videoconference Lighting #NercompPD04

28 AV Standards ClearinghouseAdditional Standards AV Standards Clearinghouse #NercompPD04

29 Additional Resources InfoCommConsortium of College and University Media Centers AV-1 Google Forum Project Management Institute Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Audio Engineering Society #NercompPD04