A:
AAP Plate – An Extron product that allows for modules with audio, video, data, power, and control connectors, along with mounting options for maximum flexibility in placing connectors and controls within reach.
Absorption – Different materials absorb and reflect sound differently. Acousticians have a method for measuring these phenomena, describing the percentage of sound energy absorbed relative to the overall energy transmitted as the sound absorption coefficient of that specific material. Environments that are overly absorptive and lack reflective sound may require sound amplification to compensate.
Acoustics – Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of sound, including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound, and infrasound.
Active Learning – Active learning is any learning activity in which the student participates or interacts with the learning process, as opposed to passively taking in the information. Active learning environments are built to enhance this methodology of teaching.
ADA - (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs such as being comfortable at our University.
Amplifier – An amplifier, electronic amplifier, or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). All GP classrooms have an amplifier that feeds the sound from various sources into the room speakers.
Amplitude – Amplitude is the relative strength of sound waves (transmitted vibrations), which we perceive as loudness or volume.
Aspect Ratio – An aspect ratio is a proportional relationship between an image's width and height. Essentially, it describes an image's shape. Aspect ratios are written as a formula of width to height, like this: 16:9. For example, a square image has an aspect ratio of 1:1, since the height and width are the same.
A/V -This is a generic term used to describe an industry and trade that provides a vast array of products and services for recording, processing, and reproducing sound and images. AV is a subset of the greater communication industry, which includes broadcast, telephone, and electronics. For instructional technology, it entails utilizing the equipment in the classroom to provide you with the best possible experience using our A/V technology.
B:
Blu-ray – The Blu-ray Disc™ is a high-density optical disc format designed for storage of high-definition video and data. This technology is considered legacy and not supported. Stand-alone disk players are no longer offered in GP Classrooms.
Bluetooth – Bluetooth is a wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices. Commonly used for audio and mobile telephone headsets / hands-free applications operating in the 2.4GHz band.
Bridge - In GP Classrooms, a bridge is integrated into the system to capture and sync video and audio into a single stream, which is then sent to the Presentation Computer via one connection.
BYOD – This initialism is a short term for 'Bring Your Own Device' (BYOD). All GP classroom presentation systems allow users to connect their devices to broadcast audio and video content. Common connections include HDMI and UCB-C. For instance, if you bring your laptop into the classroom and present it using the HDMI or USB-C pull-up cable versus using the classroom PC.
C:
Classroom Technology Services - "Classroom Technology Services" (CTS) is a division of ETS Client Services (ETS). It became part of ETS on January 1st, 2019. CTS is an academic support unit whose mission is to design, install, manage, and maintain instructional technology in over 250 registrar-booked and controlled classrooms and other mediated spaces. Additionally, CTS provides best-in-class service, including user support and training.
Crestron – (or simply Crestron) is an American privately held multinational corporation, and manufacturer and distributor of audio-visual automation and integration equipment based in Rockleigh, New Jersey. The company designs, manufactures and distributes equipment used to control technology in commercial audiovisual environments such as meeting spaces, conference rooms, classrooms, and auditoriums. We use these devices on most of our Touch Panel systems in our classrooms. To learn more about Crestron Electronics, you may visit their .
Cross-talk – The unwanted transfer of signals between communication channels.
D:
Display – An electronic device (such as an LCD Display/Monitor) or part of a device that presents information in visual form. In GP classrooms we have one (or two) displays, in addition to the WACOM Pen Display that serves as a secondary, or tertiary display device.
Display Link – Display Link technology makes it simple to connect any display to any computer that supports USB or Wi-Fi and provides universal solutions. This becomes important when trying to connect a newer laptop to a (used mainly in non-GP spaces). For further information, see here:
Display Port – DisplayPort can be used to transmit audio and video simultaneously, although each can be transmitted without the other. The video signal path can range from six to sixteen bits per color channel, and the audio path can have up to eight channels of 24-bit, 192 kHz uncompressed PCM audio. The signals coming out of the classroom PC are display port and then converted to HDMI for integration into the switcher.
Document Camera/Doc Cam – Document cameras, also known as visual presenters, visualizers, digital overheads, or Doc Cams, are real-time image capture devices for displaying an object to a large audience. We currently use the model. The document cameras in the GP classrooms have also been modified with a dry-erase-safe surface so that you can write/draw on it without the need for paper.
Driver(s) – A driver, or device driver, is a set of files that tells a piece of hardware how to function by communicating with a computer's operating system. All pieces of hardware require a driver, from your internal computer components, such as your graphics card, to your external peripherals, like the WACOM Pen Display, or other classroom components.
Duplicate Mode – In duplicate mode, the same image appears on all displays. The displays will run using the highest common resolution and refresh rate. For instance, if you duplicate the display, the same image will be on the main display and the WACOM. In Extended Mode, the image displayed on the WACOM will be displayed as an extension of the display with its own separate workspace.
E:
EDID – “Extended Display Identification Data” is a data command structure provided from a digital display (i.e., Screen, TV, or projector) that communicates its capabilities to the AV system. EDID data typically includes manufacturer name, model and serial number, display size, resolution, luminance information, etc.
EMS – is the University's easy-to-use event reservation portal. Within EMS, you can search for available rooms, browse room images, and reserve extra services. Please visit their for more information.
Ethernet – An interface used to connect computers and peripherals in a Local Area Network (LAN). Our classroom equipment also has an internal network that it relies on for proper communication of all devices.
ETS – Enterprise Technology Services exists to partner with the University’s academic, administrative, and research communities and affiliates to provide, support, and protect a wide array of information technology solutions that enhance the student experience and advance the mission of the University. Classroom Technology Services (CTS) is an extremely important element in Enterprise Technology Services.
Extended Mode – In extended mode the external display is treated as a separate screen so that you can have a different window open on the projector and the WACOM. It is easy to switch between the two settings using the icons on the desktop of the computer.
Extron – is a manufacturer of professional audiovisual equipment. It is headquartered in Anaheim, California. Extron products are used in video and computer interfacing, switching, and signal distribution to professional displays and projectors. The company is certified. We use Extron equipment in our classrooms that have pushbuttons versus a Touch Panel.
F:
Feedback – Microphone Feedback (also known as the 'Larson Effect') is the disturbing howl/squeal/buzz noise created when a microphone and loudspeaker negatively affect one another. Feedback occurs when sound from loudspeakers is picked up by the microphone, re-amplified, and picked up again from the speakers. This continuous loop results in the howl or rumble of the feedback effect. We have done our best to correct over-level conditions in classrooms that may cause feedback.
Frequency – Frequency describes the number of waves that pass a fixed place in each amount of time. Many different devices can communicate wirelessly using the same frequency. For example: In classrooms, we use different frequency bands to transmit and receive the signal on the wireless microphones to avoid cross-talk.
Focal Point – A focal point is most simply defined as the point of interest in an image and the area that is the center of attraction for a viewer.
FOV – Field of view (FOV) is the open, observable area a person can see through their eyes or via an optical device, such as a camera.
G:
GP – “General Purpose” Classrooms are spaces that are primarily used for academic purposes. These rooms are booked by the Registrar’s Office with academic reservations given priority over other uses. Room schedules are listed in EMS which can be found at the University Events Services (UES) website.
Gigabyte - Abbreviated as GB, Gig, or Gigs is short for gigabyte. A GB is a measurement of binary data. It equals roughly 1,073,741,824 bytes; depending on the media.
GIF – Pronounced gif or jif, the GIF file type was originally designed for graphics, but it's now mostly used for simple animated images on the Web.
Group Policy – Group Policy is an infrastructure that allows Administrators to specify managed configurations for users and computers through Group Policy settings and Group Policy Preferences. In the classroom environment, this is centrally managed.
H:
Headset mic - A miniature microphone that is worn over your ear and connected to a wireless mic pack.
HelpLine – Also known as The Tech Team, serves as the main entry point for all IT support issues at ̽̽. Tech Team support services are available to all ̽̽ affiliates, which includes current Students, Faculty, and Staff. They can be reached by emailing techteam@uvm.edu or by phone on (802) 656-2604.
HDMI – Stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface and provides an easy and convenient way of connecting digital audio-video components. You’ll most likely recognize this as the cord that you connect your laptop to in our classrooms (Newer laptops will require a USB-C To Digital AV adapter available at the ).
High-Density Wireless – High-Density Wireless is a type of wireless service that is engineered based on the amount of people and devices that could occupy a certain space. For more information about networking at ̽̽ such as High Density Wireless coverage and location availability, please contact the Telecommunications and Network Service team.
I:
iClicker – is a classroom interactive response system that allows students to participate in polls and answer questions during class. Students can respond with a physical iClicker remote or their mobile device using the student . For instructional lessons on the use of the iClicker or its software, please visit the Center for Teaching and Learning’s website.
IP – An IP address is a unique address that identifies a device on the internet or a local network. IP stands for "Internet Protocol," which is the set of rules governing the format of data sent via the Internet or local network.
J:
JPEG/JPG – JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, a consortium that has developed and spread this format worldwide. It is a compression format that efficiently stores digital images.
K:
Kilobyte – A kilobyte (KB) is a multiple unit used for binary data. Although "kilo" generally refers to 1,000, in computer science, one kilobyte often refers to 1,024 (2^10) bytes. It may also be used to refer to 1,000 bytes depending on the context. This measure is often used to describe memory capacity and disk storage.
L:
Latency – Latency is the time it takes for data to pass from one point on a network to another. Although data on the Internet travels at the speed of light, the effects of distance and delays caused by Internet infrastructure equipment mean that latency can never be eliminated completely. This can also be referred to as “Lag”.
LCD – Liquid Crystal Display, a high-quality LCD display gives a clearer picture with excellent color, contrast, and detail. All classroom displays are LCD. Certain displays have 4K capability.
Lumens - Lumens, or LM is a measure of the perceived power of visible light emitted by a source.
Lavalier/Lapel mic - A miniature microphone that clips onto a person's clothing. It should be worn approximately 76 mm to 152 mm (3 to 6 in.) below the neckline for the best sound.
M:
MeetUp – A MeetUp is designed for small conference rooms and huddle rooms. With a room-capturing, super-wide 120° field of view, MeetUp makes every seat at the table clearly visible. Motorized pan/tilt widens FOV even further: up to 170°. We have installed these in most GP classrooms. The 4K Classrooms have two cameras. One facing the Instructor and one facing the class.
Megabyte – Abbreviated as MByte, meg, or Mbit, MB is short for megabyte. An MB is a measurement of binary data. It equals 1,048,576 (220) bytes or 1,000,000 (106) bytes, depending on the device's manufacturer that stores the data.
Microphone / Mic / Mic Packs – Classrooms have microphones with one of the following: Logitech MeetUp (described above), a ceiling-mounted array, or wireless transmitter microphones. The Meetup is a high-quality webcam with an integrated microphone and speaker. The ceiling array is mounted as a ceiling tile, and contains a very powerful microphone system. The wireless microphones have transmitters that you wear and are connected to a transmitter that's connected to a headset or lavalier mic element.
Microsoft Office – Microsoft Office is now called . It is a powerful cloud-based productivity platform that includes apps like Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneDrive, as well as intelligent cloud services and advanced security. This is standard on all classroom PCs.
Monitor – See Display
MPEG4 – Stands for Motion Picture Experts Group and represents a family of digital audio and video coding standards. MPEG4 has a high compression ratio, which creates a small file size that is suitable for personal computers and Internet applications. If you use DVDs, there are options to convert these to MPEG4. This is preferable since most DVD players have been removed from the classrooms.
N:
Network – A network is a collection of computers, servers, mainframes, network devices, peripherals, or other devices connected to allow data sharing. An example of a network is the Internet, which connects millions of people all over the world.
NIC – A NIC (network interface controller) card, also known as a network adaptor or network interface card, is a circuit board that is installed on a computer or peripheral to connect it to the network.
Non-GP – Non-General-Purpose classrooms are spaces controlled and scheduled by departments. These spaces may or may not be used primarily for academic purposes.
O:
Operating System (OS) – The software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications, and controlling peripherals. This can be Windows as in the classroom PCs, MacOS/iOS, Apple products, Android, or various Linux distributions.
P:
Patch Bay – An audio patch bay connects all the inputs and outputs of your outboard gear into a centralized hub. This allows you to route one device to the next without needing to go behind a rack full of gear to change one thing.
PIP - Picture in Picture mode combines two sources making one larger in the background, and one smaller in a separate smaller frame on the same display.
Plosive – Plosive consonants are made by completely blocking the flow of air as it leaves the body, normally followed by releasing the air. English pronunciation contains 6 plosive phonemes: /p,b,t,d,k,g/: These consonants can make a pop or explosive level when using a microphone.
POE – Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a technology that passes electric power over twisted-pair Ethernet cable to powered devices (PD), such as wireless access points, IP cameras, and VoIP phones in addition to the data that cable usually carries. It enables one RJ45 cable to provide both data connection and electric power to PDs instead of having a separate cable for each. We use POE in many components in our classrooms.
Push Button – These panels connect to a control processor to perform a wide variety of AV system functions such as display On/Off, input switching, volume control/mute, controlling the projection screen, etc. Push buttons are normally found in Extron systems.
Presentation Computer - Every GP Classroom presentation system includes a computer, mouse, and keyboard for your convenience. These DELL small format, desktop PCs are imaged identically - Windows operating system, software, applications, and utilities - and can access the internet.
These units are always in the ON state and are preset to restart every evening.
Users must sign in using their ̽̽-provided NetID.
Projector – A projector is an output device that takes images generated by a computer or another input device and reproduces them by projection onto a screen, wall, or another surface. Soon, all existing lamp projectors in our classrooms will be replaced with . This provides a longer life for better sustainability along with an increased image quality of 5,200lm laser light source projection.
PTZ - PTZ stands for Point, Tilt, and Zoom for camera functionality. On our Touch Panels, there are controls to adjust the PTZ functions.
Q:
QoS – Quality of Service is the use of mechanisms or technologies that work on a network to control traffic and ensure the performance of critical applications with limited network capacity. It enables organizations to adjust their overall network traffic by prioritizing specific high-performance applications.
R:
Reboot – In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. The term restart (as a system command) is used to refer to a reboot when the operating system closes all programs and finalizes all pending input and output operations before initiating a reboot.
Receiver – In a wireless microphone system, the transmitter is the handheld mic or the bodypack/mic pack (worn by the talker) that connects to a lapel/lavalier mic or a head-worn/headset mic. The transmitter always has a battery of some type. The receiver is in the rack of CTS equipment that connects to the room sound system.
Resolution – Resolution is the distinct number of pixels that can be displayed. It could be displayed on a laptop, desktop, TV, projection screen, etc. The higher the resolution, the greater the amount of detail that can be seen in the image.
S:
Screen – A projection screen is an installation consisting of a surface and a support structure used for displaying a projected image for the view of an audience. Typical in each GP classroom, the screens have an automatic control from the touch panel or push button systems, along with a manual control switch on the wall.
Shure - The Shure Radio Company (now just ) started in 1925. Since then, they have been manufacturing quality audio equipment to this day. We use Shure products in our classrooms for room amplification as needed. For more information on Shure products, please visit their .
Switcher – Signal switchers are complicated devices that take multiple audio and video sources from different places and send them to a destination like a display or a projector. Manufacturers include Extron, Creston, and Q-SYS.
T:
Touch Panel – A touch panel is a piece of equipment that lets users interact with the switcher by touching the screen directly.
Tech Team Helpline - ̽̽'s Tech Team Helpline is available for all current ̽̽ Students, Faculty, and Staff for technology problems. Please call the Tech Team Helpline at 656-2604 or submit a .
U:
UHD – UHD is the official name for a display resolution of 3840x2160p and is four times the resolution of HD, which is currently 1920x1080p.
USB – Short for universal serial bus, USB (pronounced yoo-es-bee) is a plug-and-play interface that allows a computer to communicate with peripherals and other devices. USB-connected devices cover a broad range; anything from keyboards and mice to music players and flash drives. USB may also send power to certain devices, such as powering smartphones and tablets and charging their batteries.
USB Type-C – The USB Type-C cable is featured on most modern-day Android smartphones, flagship laptops, and other USB-connected devices. Unlike other forms of USB connections, USB-C cables are reversible, meaning they plug in correctly regardless of whether they are "upside down." In addition to charging batteries and transferring data, USB-C cables can display video. For this reason, some manufacturers have removed both standard USB and HDMI ports in favor of USB-C ports, as seen on the MacBook series of laptops.
V:
Video Wall – A video wall is a special multi-monitor setup that consists of multiple computer monitors, video projectors, or television sets tiled together contiguously or overlapped to form one large screen.
W:
WACOM – A manufacturer of pen displays. A pen display is a monitor you can draw on with the stylus/pen provided. These appear as the tablet-type device next to the instructor's desk. They are not iPads or similar tablets; they are merely a second-display device that allows you to use them as a markup tool or whiteboard with the provided pen. More information can be found on their .
Wireless – Devices that are Wi-Fi or Wireless enabled can connect to a local area network and send/receive data without the need for a physical (wired) connection.
Wolfvision - is a manufacturer of many products. One is the document cameras we use in our GP classrooms. Wolfvision document cameras allow the onscreen display of ‘live’ content materials for in-classroom, online, and hybrid learning. We currently use the Wolfvision VZ-3neo model. The document cameras in the GP classrooms have also been modified with a dry-erase-safe surface so that you can write/draw on it without the need for paper.
X:
Y:
Z:
1080p – A 1080p resolution means the image has 1920 pixels horizontally by 1080 vertically (1920x1080).
4K – 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 3840 × 2160 (4K UHD) is the dominant 4K standard, whereas the movie projection industry uses 4096 × 2160 (DCI 4K). CTS is making a constant effort to equip classrooms with 4K capable projection systems.