Audio-visual tech to enhance higher education
February 4th, 2021
The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on all areas of education, affecting both staff and students. It has resulted in the closure of many university campuses leaving no other option but to adopt online learning. As the sector starts to rebuild, audio-visual (AV) technology is emerging as a key component in allowing face-to-face learning to continue in 2021.
Using A/V & collaborative technology to create the ideal learning space
Like many working environments, it’s often the small changes that go a long way to improving the overall experience. When it comes to learning, the key to success is creating inspiring spaces which stimulate student engagement and interaction.
In order for students to be fully absorbed, they need to be able to see the content and hear the educator clearly. Universities and education institutions can achieve this by implementing high quality display technology and professional grade audio products. If students can’t view the content properly or hear the educator, there’s a risk they’ll lose interest and engagement levels will drop.
When it comes to teaching, educators can engage with students in many ways whether that’s a live lecture, streamed or even on-demand. It is important to offer multiple ways for students to consume course content and offering choice will only enhance the learning experience. Whatever the choice, the systems must be easy to use for both educators and students. There’s nothing worse than a system that’s complicated and frustrating to navigate. Using feature-rich collaboration workspaces such as Microsoft Teams gives educators the ability to interact with students through chat, voice and video. Sessions can be recorded and learning resources shared through the platform’s secure file sharing functionality. This is a great tool for students, helping them access necessary information at their own convenience.
Fine-tuning audio-visual processes for the future
Within a learning space there are a number of considerations that need to be made when choosing video and audio solutions. It’s best to look for technologies that offer flexibility and AV devices that leverage the existing IT network (AV/IP) are a great way to achieve this. Compared to traditional analogue systems, AV/IP systems are much easier to scale across a campus and without the need to convert signal formats across devices the complexity and costs of implementation is reduced considerably.
These solutions allow educators to push video or audio signals to multiple learning spaces or even directly into the students’ homes, helping to increase efficiencies in the long run. Furthermore, AV/IP solutions can help organisations comply with social distancing guidelines. By delivering content across multiple lecture theatres and integrating into campus-wide streaming services the number of students in each physical space is greatly reduced.
Bring your own device (BYOD) is another useful service that should be made available to the wider student population, as it allows students to consume course contents at their leisure and on their own devices. Not only is this particularly useful for students moving around campus between sessions, but it also ensures the content is easily available for students who cannot physically attend lectures or sessions, for example, where self-isolation is required.
If you are considering any audio visual technology for your learning spaces please get in touch. We are perfectly placed to help.
