Activity reference No.4
Year(s) in which the activity takes place: 1996/97
Type of activity: Provision of the Multimedia Systems Laboratory

Description of the activity:

The Multimedia systems laboratory will be complementary to the lectures on multimedia systems (see activity 4). Its main goal will be to provide resources for education in this area. So the laboratory should be equipped with a multimedia server and a multimedia database management system, for the efficient storage and manipulation of data represented as text, image, voice, graphics, and video. The laboratory should also have facilities for designing, producing, programming, testing, and documenting steps in the creating of a DVI application. The particular focus should be put on experiments with compression of full-motion video as one of the central concepts and technical implementations behind DVI technology. It should be equipped with a group of powerful multimedia desktop computers connected with broadband network (ATM), that can handle a mix of variable-bit-rate and constant-bit-rate traffic over LANs and WANs. In general the laboratory should create modern environment for conceptualization of interactive multimedia systems of communication of all types. This includes interactive TV, HDTV, virtual reality, interactive cinema, and the school of the future projects. This activity will be carried in cooperation with Cambridge University, which has a profound knowledge and long-term experience in designing and teaching multimedia systems. That resulted in introducing there a powerful system, Pandora. However, the experience of the University of Westminster and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven will also be resorted to. The Olivetti Research Limited and MARI Ltd. will be consulted about lab's organization and graduate profile, respectively. At the aim of providing Multimedia systems laboratory the following steps are going to be taken:
  1. Visiting similar laboratories of EC industrial partners A person responsible for organizing Multimedia systems laboratory will visit the Olivetti Research Limited. He is expected to gain knowledge of how such a lab should be organized. He should become acquainted with the newest technology and how it can be applied to teaching students. This will be consulted with MARI Ltd., as well.
  2. Acquainting with educational process at EC partners' Universities Different labs will be visited at Cambridge University, the University of Westminster and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. It should result in acquaintance with labs' organizations and educational processes. At this stage the Olivetti Research Limited and MARI Ltd. as well as Polish enterprises will be consulted about the most demanded graduate profile and directions of industry development, since it is necessary to fulfill the goals of UMM's restructurizing.
  3. Discussing the lab organization with lecturers and professors The lab's organization will be discussed with didactic and technical staff of the UMM in order to adapt it to the UMM's reorganizing goals.
  4. Detailing lab's syllabus
  5. Completing lab's hardware and software
  6. Configuring and starting the new equipment in the way related to the syllabus
  7. Preparing presentations and teaching aids for students
The laboratory exercises will be conducted in small groups (approx. 8 people) by two assistants, who will be selected by the project's management body based on their merits. Their experience as well as educational and research activity will be crucial factors. Computer Science students (over 100 each year) will be the main beneficiaries of the lab. It is, however, expected that the course will be an advantage for over 50 students (yearly) from other faculties, too.

Outcome of the activity: