Acoustical Evaluation and Comparison Between Two Classroom Types in Erbil

Abstract

In order to acquire an effective learning process in lecture halls with good speech intelligibility, good acoustical performance is essential. Inappropriate acoustic quality in classrooms reduces learning quality experience and can induce emotional disorders among students. The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare acoustic quality in two classrooms to determine their performance in terms of the learning process, at two types of theoretical halls at the Faculty of Engineering, Tishk International University. The calculation for the acoustical parameters of Reverberation Time (RT, T30), Speech Transmission Index (STI) and sound pressure level (SPL) for the selected educational spaces (classrooms) by simulation software (ODEON) were conducted, and the results were compared with acoustical requirements and guidelines for educational spaces. The results indicated that the closer the receiver (i.e., learner) is to the source (i.e., the lecturer), the lower the reverberation time; conversely, the further students (receivers) are from the teacher (source), the lower the STI and SPL values. This is mainly because of teacher's direct sound. It can be concluded that the acoustic quality of flat halls is better than raked halls for the learning process.