Classroom AV Technology

What technology should someone expect to see in a ClassTech supported classroom?

Our team provides audiovisual technology support to classrooms of widely varying sizes and functionalities. However, most of them share the following equipment and features. If you’d like to learn more about the technology in a specific classroom, please send an email to [email protected] with the building name and room number and one of our technicians can provide specific information about the equipment in that space.

On the Lectern

  • Telephone- this phone should have a speed dial button for the NC State Help Desk or call 5-HELP (4357) to reach out for immediate assistance. The classroom phones are registered with the Help Desk by room number and will bypass their phone tree, connecting you swiftly to our team for a faster response time.
  • Touch panel- a touch screen device on the lectern with the building name and room number that allows users to control inputs, displays, volume, camera angles, and other AV technology in the room.
  • Lectern PC- the default input in 110 classrooms, the installed PC has a keyboard, mouse, and monitor provided by ClassTech. NC State faculty, staff, and students can sign in with their UnityID and password to access these computers. 
  • Laptop connections- physical USB-C and HDMI cables routed directly to our equipment for users to share video and audio from a personal device (laptop, tablet, etc.)
  • Document camera- allows users to show papers on the lectern surface to the classroom using the classroom displays
  • Desk microphone- either installed in the surface of the lectern or in the ceiling, each classroom will have a microphone to capture audio near the lectern for lecture capture (not for amplifying voice in the room)
  • Lapel or handheld microphones- not every room will need a microphone for speech amplification, but many of our large classrooms will have 1-2 microphones with a separate volume control slider on the touch panel. If you can’t find the microphone on top of the lectern, check for a drawer in the lectern holding spare microphones and batteries. 

In the Lectern

  • Media recorder- provided by NCSU’s DELTA Panopto team, these devices will capture classroom camera, audio, and content for lecture recordings. 
  • AV Processor- the piece of equipment communicating with our touch panels to control the classroom technology

Mounted Equipment

  • Camera- mounted to the ceiling or wall, the camera will have three presets to choose from under “Room Controls” on the touch panel. The camera video is captured on classroom recordings and available for Zoom on the lectern PC.
  • Projector- Either mounted in the ceiling or in a projection room, the projector will display content from the input selected on the touch panel to the projector screen.
  • Projector screen- most screens will deploy when the touch panel is activated and have options in the “Room Controls” for moving it up and down. If not, look for a wall switch or a pull string at the front of the room to move the projector screen.
  • TV/Smartboard- Additional displays mounted on the classroom walls should power on when the touch panel is activated, and have Off/On commands in the “Room Controls”
  • Audience mics- Some classrooms feature microphones mounted in the classroom ceiling to capture discussion and audience participation in the classroom recording and for Zoom audio on the lectern PC. The “Room Controls” allow users to Mute/Unmute these microphones as needed. 
  • Speakers- classrooms are typically equipped with wall-mounted speakers to play audio from the lectern inputs (PC and Laptop). Some larger classrooms feature additional speakers for speech amplification of lapel/handheld microphones.

If you have further questions about the AV technology supported by ClassTech, please send an email to us at [email protected] and someone from our team can answer your questions or schedule a one-on-one training in one of our classrooms.