Marine Corps University - Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia

Introduction

General Projection was hired through the Marine Corps design agent T-ASA (another government agency) to design and build the distance learning, smart classrooms and various presentation systems and television distribution systems for the newly remodeled Command and Staff College at the Marine Corps University in Quantico.

The Command and Staff College is the Marine Corps "finishing school" for senior officers. Generally of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel, students at this college are destined for major Marine Corps command duties around the world.

Training these officers is a paramount responsibility of the Marine Corps University at Quantico.

Design

For this project, reliability, intelligibility (both of visual and audio programs), brightness and ease-of-use were the chief goals. While each of the numerous classrooms can operate completely stand alone, the ability to interconnect and perform a variety of distance learning functions was also required.

Main Auditorium
The centerpiece for the facility is the large auditorium which can hold the entire "class" of officers for a briefing, "all hands" and other events. This large venue was designed from the outset to allow for visiting dignitaries to speak to the entire group of students at once.

The view from the projection booth.
(Note light valve projector and one of the high brightness slide projectors).

To match this facility, General Projection installed a Hughes/JVC 320 series projection system in the control room/projection room located on the second floor of the building. Random access, high-brightness slide projectors were also provided.

Audio is handled through two superb Apogee speaker systems hidden to the left and right of the main stage. Stage monitors provide feedback to presenters in the cavernous space.

Hundreds of microphones situated throughout the seats allow for students to stand and interact with presenters locally or at the distant end.

Classrooms

More than 20 classrooms sport large screen projection (such as the JVC DLA-G11U high brightness projection system) or large Panasonic presentation monitors (which can present high resolution data or video).

AMX control systems run the presentations, lower screens and step through Power Point briefings by professors teaching their audience. Interactivity and ease of use were provided in every room.

Networking

Marines love to network in their training. The ability to link into distant sites as well as delivery television signals to classrooms and offices was another requirement that General Projection met. A "headend" creates the equivalent of Marine Corps TV and is delivered to all key rooms.

Success

The Command and Staff College has a rich history of effectively training Marine Corps officers for future key leadership roles. The smart classrooms and distance learning capabilities of the new Marine Corps provides this department of the military with teaching technologies second to none.

For more information on smart classroom and distance learning design and integration or other educational and training multimedia communications systems, please fill out our Information Request form or email us at Solutions@genproj.com