Electronic Campus

The traditional classroom lecture, supplemented with blackboard and chalk, has stood for centuries as the prevailing model for formal instruction. The term "lecture" is based on the Latin lectura, meaning "a reading," and classroom design has traditionally reflected the format where lecturers read from texts or notes held before them on a lectern. Educational institutions are now replacing blackboards and lecterns with hardware and software solutions that provide rich multimedia support for instructional presentations and help engage students in active learning experiences.

Electronic classrooms, like this one located in Benedum Hall in the School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, provide students with an interactive approach to learning.

Early attempts to supplement the classroom lecture experience involved adding equipment such as 16mm film and 35mm slide projectors to allow students to view previously prepared images. The film projectors were difficult to...