Note: Installation of the room-wide audience microphones is ongoing. Refer to the Lecture Recording Service Availability page for the current list of locations.
Yes, many College of Engineering classrooms have microphones installed around to room to pick up and record audience questions and responses. Some rooms have size and configuration constraints, so audience microphones are not installed, but handheld mics may be available for audience use. These microphones are automatically fed through the room's audio system, including the Lecture Recording Service and the Zoom Live Streaming PC, where programming takes care of the routing and mixing. No instructor configuration is needed, as the microphones are essentially “always on.”
Audio from the audience microphones is mixed with the instructor's microphone, but the instructor audio has the priority signal. So, when the instructor speaks into their microphone, the audience microphones automatically dip in volume. Instructors are encouraged to use their wireless/lapel microphones for maximum audio quality, especially in larger spaces.