Classroom Hotline provides 360-degree images of 200+ classrooms

The section also provides information about the equipment in the room and number of seats and seat type. In addition, a link with each room shows its location on a map and an image of the exterior of the building.

The Hotline site is primarily used by the Office of the University Registrar, the Classroom Scheduling team and about 150 individual department scheduling officers. Other campus departments, such as Facilities Services and the Center for Faculty Excellence, use the site to gather data about classrooms. Facilities Services, for example, has used the images to assess room conditions, such as window HVAC units and wear and tear of flooring.

For instructors and students, the 360-degree images give them a good feel of the size, architectural design, desk style and general atmosphere of a room without ever having to set foot in it. Instructors can explore different rooms and request the Registrar place them in a classroom that caters to their preferred teaching style.

Students, especially those with disabilities, can get familiar with all of their classrooms across campus before the first day of each semester without ever having to leave their bedroom. Guest speakers and departmental administrators can explore any classroom or lecture hall for special events and select a room with an appropriate size, design and technological capability for their event.

The site went live in August 2017 after more than a year of planning, determining needs, developing the website and shooting photos. Shooting and editing photos took about six months. Classroom Hotline staff went to each room during quiet times on campus, arranged the desks and chairs in an orderly manner, and then set up a Ricoh Theta S 360 camera in the room. After taking the pictures, staff edited them to emphasize the aesthetic look of each room.

Those familiar with the new website have found that the images useful. Guest speakers and departmental administrators can explore any classroom or lecture hall for special events and select a room with an appropriate size, design and technologies.

For example, physics instructor Duane Deardorff said, “I really like the new 360-degree panoramic view of the general-purpose classrooms on the hotline website! I have already used this functionality a couple of times this semester to check out details in different classrooms.”

Because the site is well used by Classroom Hotline staff and does not require Onyen access, collecting usage data is currently not possible.