ORIGINALLY POSTED APRIL 2015:
We welcome your comments on how to improve the functionality and aesthetic quality of Bennett Auditorium (Draper 172) – a 320 seat auditorium serving large classes, lectures, general meetings, campus visits, summer orientation, small productions and the like. Please comment – What works well? What needs work? Dream big.
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SEPTEMBER 2016: Last year’s post caught some attention and we read good ideas on improving Bennett. The project was delayed, but is now back on the drawing board and a design team is looking at options. So, we fudged the date to pop this conversation back to the top.
What is being planned? Nothing is decided yet, but we hear:
- the stage will likely be lowered or removed
- the stage back walls might get a new angle
- the built-in furniture will be replaced with a typical console/lectern
- the seats will be replaced (still fixed)
- the aisles could change
- new lighting and sound
- not sure how to use the (old) projection room
Last time around, you mentioned:
- shorter rows (more aisles to proctor and for ease of access) – seems possible
- more front walking space – stage redesign smaller furniture in plans
- whiteboards – planners do not see how this will work due to room size; however, we can add a document camera and two sides screens – helpful?
- better video – can do (this was improved this summer, but will be again)
- surround sound – not feasible, but a robust audio system with subwoofers is
- using the stage exit halls/doors for normal exiting – I don’t know
- seats which turn – I doubt this is on the list, but see how it was done at Iowa State
What else needs to be considered? Do you have any issues with the lobby, the entry doors, the empty room at the back, lighting controls? Anyone want windows? Can we give up seats for more aisles? Do we need electric power among the seats?
Would three screens be of use – a main screen for primary content with two side screens to show secondary content (notes off a doc-cam, polling or back-channel communications, timers, additional websites)?
Now is the time to discuss as the designers are making their plans. Click here, or the gold comment bubble above, to reply.
(By the way, this could occur in the Summer of 2017 or 2018.)
I want more control over the lights, so that you can dim the lights in the front without putting the entire room into darkness. It is hard to show high-quality visual images due to the poor configuration of lighting in the room at present.
Also, can we increase the wi-fi capacity? I want to have 300 students participate in real-time polling via wi-fi.
I’d like row letters and seat numbers so that I can random seat assignments for exams. This would also allow Baylor to sell reserved tickets for events in the room. Seats that swivel would be a pedagogical benefit.
Great thoughts – I am not sure anyone has thought of seat numbering. We will definitely ask ITS to address the wireless internet reception; much progress has been made with dense Wi-Fi populations, but it is still challenging.
We see increased demand in using wi-fi technology in classrooms and large auditoriums present unique challenges to cover hundreds of devices. The classroom wi-fi is expected to work and seats are expected to have AC power handy. Baylor ITS needs to be involved in the upcoming renovation of Bennett. 🙂
Any reason to not allow the students to exit behind the stage (currently these are alarm-protected doors) and there is usually debris in the exits
Here is my wish list for Bennett Auditorium.
1. More control over lighting, so I don’t have to turn off the lights to show visual images on the screen.
2. Higher quality projector.
3. Access to a white board even when screen is down.
4. Surround sound.
I teach large courses (220ish) in Bennett every semester and love the idea of movable or swivel seating. If the seats can be replaced, it might also be nice to create a little more walking space in the front of the room. I walk the aisles when I teach and routinely bump the front row chairs (which might be due to my own lack of grace as much as the space constraints). Beyond that, the room is just due for a general refresh. Thanks for seeking input!
I’ve taught in Bennett for many years. The room is now showing its age. I’ve also had my share of projector and screen problems, but most have been resolved relatively quickly. Since every idea is on the table, I would recommend (if Bennett is ever totally remodeled), dividing the center section into two sections with an aisle down the middle. This might cost some seating, but it would improve accessibility. It is difficult to proctor exams and get to students who are stuck in the middle.
The World Cinema Series, sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, seeks to enrich students’ lives and cultural knowledge by showing movies in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Czech, Chinese, and Japanese. Over the years, we have also shown movies in Turkish, Estonian, and other less common languages. We are now in our eighth year of existence, and during the past seven and a half years, Bennett Auditorium has been our home every single Tuesday (or Thursday) at 6pm. We very much prefer for the Cinema Series to continue to take place in Bennett Auditorium, as we have developed a “regular clientele” over the years. We are pleased with the current state of the Auditorium. If at all possible, the only thing we would recommend is purchasing a multi-zone/region DVD player, as our professors oftentimes have DVDs from different regions (Europe, Asia, etc.).
The sound system has not been reliable, and I sometimes can hear other lecturers in the building whose signal interferes with my microphone. The room also looks very old. Since we use it heavily in Orientation, I wish the room looked nicer. It’s very 1970s. I also wish the projector screen was more reliable. The last few times I’ve tried to use it, I couldn’t get it to move up or down, which limited my ability to use the board behind it. Also, the hallway behind the stage is not well-cleaned.
I routinely teach large courses in Bennett. From a pedagogical standpoint, having chairs that move would better facilitate small group discussions and would help so much to improve the classroom experience. I understand, though, that this may not be feasible in a room that serves both as a lecture hall and classroom.
LeBaron Hall Auditorium at Iowa State University was constructed with this in mind using a newly designed swiveling seat design. I imagine this would require a very intensive renovation but it is worth keeping in mind.
Over the last several years, there have been too many problems with the quality of the sound system – crackling microphone sounds were persistent. I actually did not have the trouble this year as in the past.
For reference, Bennett served 12 faculty and their classes during the 2014-2015 academic year along with 18 other unique users who held over 70 non-academic events. (No wonder some of the seats squeak.)