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State-of-the-Art Campus Facilities and Services

The University has assembled a strong infrastructure of technology-related facilities and services throughout the campus that are tailored to meet the needs of our community of scholars. These shared public resources provide the ideal complement to Penn's focus on convenient, residentially-based personal computing for students, as detailed in "Bringing IT Home" in the Social section of this site.

Classrooms. With hundreds of technology-equipped classrooms campus wide, Penn is well positioned to provide the right environment for learning into the 21st century. More than 95 percent of classrooms provide students and faculty with wired or wireless access to the Internet. In addition, the Provost's Classrooms Committee selects a number of rooms each year for renovation and upgrades that keep Penn technology current. Among the many examples of Penn's premier learning spaces are the classrooms of Fisher-Bennett Hall, a School of Arts and Sciences flagship building housing the English, English Language Programs, Film Studies, and Music departments. Fisher-Bennett features 26 smart classrooms with computing, projection, multimedia, and recording technology designed to support most majors. Another example is the technology-rich Innovative Learning Space in the Towne Building, which includes videoconferencing, remote-control cameras, compact computers with wireless networking, multiple projection screens, and a sophisticated audio/video control system.

Public Computing Venues. Penn's 24 public-access campus computing labs are located in both academic and administrative buildings across campus. The public labs are open to all faculty, students, and staff with valid Penn IDs. The public labs contain more than 500 computers, in addition to useful peripherals such as printers and scanners. In addition to general campus labs, several specialized departmental labs provide controlled access to students in specific disciplines. With almost 500 public-access computers, including laptops on loan, the University's Library system also provides a convenient means for students to access and explore the Library's ever-increasing digital holdings. (To learn more about the Library's offerings, see "Libraries and Research" in the Academic section of this site.)

Technology-related Services. The wealth of technology-related services at Penn helps ensure that teaching and learning at the University are actively enriched by the latest developments in technology. The Office of Information Systems & Computing (ISC) provides many services to the University community, including a Support-on-Site program that helps College House staff and Local Support Providers (LSPs) meet their computing needs. ISC's Networking division has launched Penn Video Productions, a full-service production unit that provides the University community with services ranging from concept development and location shoots to complete broadcast-quality digital video production and streaming web video deployment. To learn more about the innovative support and training services for students that make it possible for them to gain maximum benefit in our technology-rich environment, see "What type of IT support will I receive at Penn?" in the Requirements section of this site.

In addition to services available across the University, each academic program offers added computing assistance appropriate to its needs. For example, the School of Arts and Sciences is served by its Multi-media Educational and Technology Services (MMETS). In support of the curriculum, MMETS provides useful services such as videoconferencing, streaming media hosting, multimedia workstations, supplemental computer labs, and audio-visual support for live events.