2 minute read
Starin Town Hall Rewind—Higher Education
The true convergence was not AV and IT, the convergence is AV and UC.
-Joe Way, PhD
He based his systems around IT principles and the idea that every system must be bidirectional—intending to bring in faculty from all over the world. The pandemic has become the great equalizer, and the turn to technology in every room is now necessary. The priorities are to continue education while maintaining student safety. With the groundwork already in motion, the lock down gave Joe and his team time to implement and test the systems more thoroughly before going live in the fall semester. The new classrooms are currently designed for educators to teach with minimal interaction. This includes microphones located in the ceiling, wide angle autoframing cameras to track the instructors, confidence monitors mounted on carts, allowing the instructors better interaction. One key point that Joe made was that Zoom powers the video calls and that his entire AV network is entirely IP to make routing and future routes possible using IT principles. The DTEN displays used in the classrooms as confidence monitors also join the call as a participant, which give additional flexibility to the instructors. Those same monitors are also part of a simple classroom design. One goal that Joe's team has aimed for is to simplify controls, based on Zoom's user interface. A key component to the overall design was the experience of the end-users. Allowing the faculty to decide how they wanted to interact with the technology was key. Their needs were met by removing the interaction with the physical technology and allowing the educators to teach and not act as a producer to their own class. Technology used to be viewed as a necessary evil to teach class, but now it is an essential
tool for success. Technology has finally been accepted as a legitimate method for connecting people. Though Joe and his team have been very hands-on with regard to the specification of the spaces, he encourages all Technology Managers to strengthen their relationships with manufactures, distributors, and integrators. These relationships are key to selecting the right technology, coordinating the project timelines, and getting the work done right.
As we closed out the Town Hall, Joe's advice to everyone is to listen more and to be vulnerable. Listen intently to the end-users, observe their interaction with technology and empathize with their needs to deliver a high-quality learning experience free from distractions.
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