Can everyone hear me?
Students — even those in the back row — will soon be able
to answer yes to this question thanks to a computer software
system created by a University of British Columbia acoustics
expert.
Called ClassTalk, the software is the first of its kind in
the world. It can assist architects, engineers and acoustical
consultants to build classrooms that help students learn and
save teachers from unnecessary voice strain.
“Designing the noise out of classrooms benefits both
students and teachers,” says Prof. Murray Hodgson, of
UBC’s Centre for Health and Environment Research (CHER),
who developed the software. “Classroom noise became
widely recognized as a learning barrier for children with
and without hearing difficulties about 10 years ago, and it’s
becoming a concern among teachers who strain their voices
to be heard above the noise.”
According to acoustic specialists, children with normal hearing
can miss one in four words spoken by the teacher mainly due
to poor classroom design. The recommended level for classroom
noise is 35 decibels, however, traditional classrooms frequently
have levels ranging between 40 and 60 decibels.
Physical characteristics such as building materials, number
of windows, texture of surfaces, fixtures and fittings all
influence how a teacher’s voice reverberates through
the room and is carried to students. In addition, teachers
must be heard above the noise of heating and ventilation systems,
student activity in the classroom and neighbouring classes,
and outside noises such as traffic.
ClassTalk allows designers to predict and assess how the
teacher’s voice can be heard in different parts of the
room. Hodgson and his group are now working on an acoustical
virtual reality feature that will allow users to walk through
the virtual classroom while listening to the teacher talking.
“ClassTalk can be easily used during the design of
schools, where there is currently little consideration for
classroom acoustics,” says Clair Wakefield, president
of Wakefield Acoustics in Victoria, B.C. “Also, there
are many existing classrooms with poor acoustics, so this
software should be an effective tool for easily modelling
existing classrooms and determining the optimum acoustical
treatment for retrofits.”
The U.S. and other countries have established guidelines
for classroom noise limits and Canadian authorities may soon
do the same, adds Hodgson, who is also director of UBC’s
Acoustics and Noise Research Group.
He is working with UBC’s Industry Liaison Office to
commercialize the software. He has also developed a similar
system called PlantNoise, which predicts noise levels in industrial
workshops. Free demonstration versions of ClassTalk are available
by contacting Hodgson directly or via the Internet on www.flintbox.ca.
CHER represents researchers from more than 40 UBC departments
and has been established with funding from the Michael Smith
Foundation for Health Research to conduct innovative, world-class
research aimed at primary prevention of disease related to
hazards in the environment.
Note for Editors
- Demonstrations of the software can be arranged
- Photographs are available of the classroom acoustics
on which the ClassTalk algorithm is based - An electronic image of ClassTalk’s graphic user
interface is available
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