By Khalida Sarwari
The lives of some students at West Valley College got a little easier with the introduction of built-in cameras in the classroom that record faculty lectures and student presentations that can later be viewed online.
These are cameras called PTZ–which stands for pan, tilt, zoom–and are located in 10 classrooms in the newly remodeled language arts and social sciences building. The wall-mounted cameras can be controlled with a remote by students or instructors, according to Scott Ludwig, spokesman for West Valley College. The technology has been popular with students, he said.
“If an instructor is giving a lecture, we have the ability to record it with video and audio,” Ludwig said. “That gets recorded on a Mac mini computer at the instructor’s workstation and the instructor can download it onto a jump drive, post it on the website and give the link to students.”
The equipment was installed during the second phase of the building renovation project, which was completed in August. This phase, which shut down the building all of last year, also included the remodeling of 26 general-purpose cross-disciplinary classrooms.
Work on the facility initially began in early 2011, with the remodeling of faculty offices and the lecture hall. Designed by HMC Architects, the upgraded facility now boasts 27 classrooms and 47 faculty offices.
Where once loomed a nearly 40-year-old building with dark and confined hallways and classrooms, now stands a modernized facility that pulls in natural light from solar tubes in the ceiling, wide open hallways and a conference room that has floor-to-ceiling windows.
“It’s a 180-degree difference, a good learning environment,” Ludwig said. “Good for learning and good for teaching.”
The project was designed and built to meet LEED Certified Silver standards, but certification is pending a third party verification, according to Ludwig. To achieve those standards, the college opted for as many natural and non-toxic materials as possible during construction, such as wood and recyclable carpets. The building is energy-efficient overall, Ludwig said, with the addition of a new HVAC system, motion sensors in every room and removal of the boiler.
Additionally, a bio-swale, which is a ditch composed of gravel and sand designed to manage rainwater runoff, has been constructed at the base of the building, Ludwig said. And, in keeping with the environmentally friendly theme, the college had bike racks installed around the building.
The $18.7 million project was funded by Measure H bond funds approved by voters in 2004.
The building began service on Aug. 26 for the fall semester, offering more than 225 class sections in history, English, economics, foreign languages and psychology. Ludwig estimated that roughly 4,000 students–nearly half of the total student population–currently take classes in the building.
Next up for renovation at West Valley College is the applied arts and sciences building, Ludwig said. Construction on the building, which houses architecture classes, and the interior design, park management and health care technologies programs, is tentatively scheduled to begin at the end of the spring semester.
Building at West Valley opens with a little pizzazz–or at least, some PTZs
