URI has most high-tech classrooms in N.E.

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island has the most high-tech classrooms in New England, after 67 classrooms received digital media technology upgrades, the university announced on Nov. 3.
The technology upgrades cost $2.4 million, pooled from federal, state and university sources, including a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, $1.2 million from URI’s budget and $700,000 from a state technology grant.
The high-end tech rooms include audience-response systems designed to increase student engagement, improve student understanding and allow anonymous responses to sensitive questions.
Six of the new rooms include ceiling and wall-mounted cameras that have the ability to automatically film an instructor to facilitate rebroadcasting.
Fifteen of the rooms have been designated as experimental learning spaces, called Next Order Multimodal Advanced Design, to allow faculty to test the instructional technology, including touch-screen controls and multiple flat screen monitors, the university said. &#8226