Transforming Learning Spaces Through Innovation

Jarrod McFarlane, Director, Classroom Technology, Stony Brook University

Jarred McFarlane began his career as a support technician in AV services, providing frontline assistance in live teaching environments. Leveraging his customer service background, he advanced into management, expanding operations campus-wide as a Support Manager. Later, as Associate Director of Learning Spaces, he integrated the interconnection of pedagogy, space, and technology to create effective learning environments. During the pandemic, he led emergency hybrid classroom upgrades as Director of Classroom Technology. In his current role, McFarlane oversees classroom support, design, and media systems engineering, driving continuous innovation to meet the university's evolving academic needs.

Recognizing Jarrod McFarlane’s expertise in classroom technology at Stony Brook University, this feature highlights his strategic approach to transforming learning spaces. By prioritizing projects based on feedback and institutional goals, McFarlane integrates emerging technologies like hybrid learning and automation to enhance the academic experience. His insights emphasize the importance of planning, resource alignment and innovation in shaping the future of higher education.

Project Prioritization, Planning and Challenges

We prioritize our projects, which classroom spaces to update and what initiatives are addressed in our roadmap based on a set of guiding principles we created shortly after 2020. These guiding principles were based on history and feedback on where we should emphasize when prioritizing rooms. They are not based on my ideas or those of a few technology people sitting in a room. We listened to history, user feedback and ticket data to determine where we would have the most impact.

Some of our guiding principles included having a minimum classroom standard. Faculty who teach in different rooms want to know what they are walking into. Another principle to reduce user frustration was prioritizing failing rooms, systems that have a reputation for not working. A hybrid-first approach, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic, was also adopted to ensure flexibility in classroom delivery.

Based on those principles, we achieved many goals, particularly around minimum standards. Currently, every general-purpose classroom on campus has a digital display, HDMI input, and computers installed. We have also standardized all computers to the same Dell Microform factor. We later updated our guiding principles based on user feedback from the previous 3-5 years, aligning them with our internal IT pillars and the university’s strategic plan, ensuring continued alignment with institutional leadership, including new IT leadership and university presidents.

“We prioritize our projects, which classroom spaces to update and what initiatives are addressed in our roadmap, based on a set of guiding principles we created shortly after 2020”

Time remains a significant challenge. The assumption that work can be completed only during class breaks is unrealistic. Strategic planning ensures that projects are ready to begin when rooms become available. Funding is another challenge, as classroom technology is expensive. Being a public state institution requires us to work within strict budget protocols while maintaining refresh cycles to avoid failing systems.

Aligning all project components—funding, procurement, construction, installation, testing, commissioning, documentation, training, and support—also presents operational challenges. The ability to pivot plans due to unexpected changes, such as supply chain delays, budget adjustments, team changes, or discontinued products, is crucial to keeping projects on track.

Emerging Technologies and Future Vision

We continue to monitor and evaluate emerging technologies for adoption. Many of these technologies are not entirely new, but their implementation evolves as tools mature and costs become more manageable. Hybrid technology remains a priority, with expectations for minimal setup, full room microphone coverage, camera accessibility for all room occupants, and near-100% total system uptime. Meeting these expectations is challenging and requires significant investment.

Automation is another focus, with systems that proactively report health statuses, open service tickets, and notify support teams. This allows for efficient maintenance and timely issue resolution. AV over IP is already being implemented, enabling true AV switching over the network while collaborating with IT infrastructure and information security teams to ensure compliance with institutional standards.

We are also exploring advanced display technologies such as DirectView LED screens with interchangeable parts, transparent LED displays, and modular pixel technologies. As these technologies become more cost-effective, we evaluate their scalability, cost and applicability.

Looking ahead, our strategic plan for the next five years includes prioritizing high-profile and large-capacity lecture halls, which pose challenges with camera tracking, microphone coverage, and hybrid learning integration. Experiential learning and active learning spaces are being developed in line with the university’s strategic plan as applied knowledge and hands-on experiences grow in importance alongside the rise of AI.

We also anticipate the need for additional classrooms to support institutional growth and continually update our technology standards. This includes evaluating the integration of USB-C, 4K and 8K technologies into our infrastructure. Piloting new technologies, gathering feedback and evaluating scalability and cost-effectiveness will continue to guide our technology adoption moving forward.

Key Insights for Advancing Technology in Higher Education

Two key recommendations I would offer to other higher education leaders are:

First, pay close attention to your institution’s mission, vision, culture and strategic priorities. Understand the specific needs of faculty and students, and ensure that your technology initiatives align with institutional goals and your smaller organization’s values, whether you report to IT, administration, libraries, or another department.

Second, communicate your resource needs clearly and support your requests with data. Whether advocating for funding, staffing, hardware, or collaboration, utilize data such as support tickets, survey results, financial analysis and user feedback to build strong, objective cases for leadership. Clear, data-driven communication ensures leadership understands the need and the impact of the requested resources.

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