Acoustical Characteristics of Ohio State University Classrooms

Abstract

Learning in a classroom requires that students be able to hear the instructor’s speech signal without undue strain or discomfort. In 2002, the American National Standards Institute created a new standard for acoustical variables in K-12 classrooms nationwide. The standard sets forth maximum values for background noise levels and reverberation times and provides suggestions for how best to limit those values during the construction or renovation of a classroom. College students share in the same concerns of parents of school-age children, and nine classrooms were selected from an informal survey of college students about which rooms they had experienced were either "good" or "bad" acoustically. The purpose of our experiment is to test the background noise levels and reverberation times and compare them to the standard and attempt to find a predictive characteristic amongst them that pointed to exceptionally good or bad acoustics. We measured the volume and background noise levels, and calculated the reverberation times in each room at four different spots in the room. Results from the nine rooms show that both background noise levels and reverberation times are within the standard’s limits. We have concluded from our data set that there is not a predictive characteristic that can determine whether or not a room will be exceedingly noisy or reverberant.