Consult with Classroom Technology Services when designing presentation technologies for classrooms.
AN IDEALIZED APPROACH TO CLASSROOM AND AV DESIGN
A presentation classroom that is 3 units wide to 2 units deep is optimal in plan. This reduces the distance between the faculty member and students at the back of the room and also affords more space on the front teaching wall for writing and visuals. These rooms feel more intimate than deep rooms.
Screens are sized by most distant viewer (MDV) divided by six. This yields the minimum screen size by height. Thus max room depth can be determined by subtracting 48" from the proposed finished room height and multiplying by six.
This method works well for most classrooms.
Shape can differ in group learning spaces if that's the only methodology. More rectangular spaces may be modestly better for group learning, given more perimeter space (and access to boards and displays) v. interior space.
WRITING SURFACES
Writing surfaces are the most important presentation technology for many teaching styles. The selection of white boards vs. blackboards is often a disciplinary preference. By default, whiteboards should be part of the initial classroom board specification but there are circumstances where either a hybrid board specification will be needed or all blackboards will be the classroom stakeholders preference. Bring up this discussion early in the planning and design process.
In some cases, writing surfaces also serve as projection surfaces. In these cases, all immediately adjacent boards shall also be of projection quality. This is primarily an aesthetic choice to ensure the surface color of the boards are continuous across the primary projection wall.
Vertical or horizontal sliding boards may be utilized in large and extra large spaces if ceiling heights allow. These boards may or may not be motorized depending on the quality of the board or the UL related challenges of motorization. In the case of non-motorized vertical sliding boards, consider useability and ADA compliance when specifiying and designing the implementation.
Maximize the classroom vertical surface area with writing surfaces in medium and small classrooms. In large classrooms, consider the impact of the quantity of hard surfaces on the acoustical environment.