Education: University


been the ability to harness the ActivPanel's capabilities with app's such as OneDrive, Goo- gle Docs, Dropbox, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Rocketbook while using video-conferencing helps Coffs Harbour to commu- nicate quickly and efficiently. As students move through the school the format of the confer- ence calls slowly change until students are having one-to-one conversations. Critically the interactive calls allow the chil- dren to show their buddies that they have received their letters, postcards and artworks teachers


with from both schools


helping to shape conversations. Andrew concluded: “We want-


ed to be using cutting edge technology that complements what we do and is easy to use. Being online and interactive helps to research and under- stand the world around us, across all subjects. The great- est success of our programme has been the development of personal relationships between students. Through these re- lationships we hope to foster greater cultural understanding of our nearest neighbours.”


Continued evolution Continued


evolution of this


‘open door’ learning platform calls for continued investment in bigger and better screen technology, audio and camera solutions.


Where funding is


made available, the effects on student engagement are im- mediately apparent. For exam- ple, Paul Land of Elementary Technology has just installed a Sharp video wall in a new build Academy, the Aureus School, in Didcot, Oxfordshire. School staff report that: “The video wall has been absolutely amazing for


student engage-


ment, the scale and clarity of the screens helps to bring imagery, videos and ideas to life.”; “It is so immersive. Stu- dents can imagine themselves in the scenes presented, the video wall helps to draw view- ers


into the presentation.”;


and “The quality of the video wall has improved the imagery and videography that staff can use when presenting.” For the funding authorities, it’s a mat- ter of reprioritising their alloca- tion of resources in respect of effectiveness.


Lecture capture for resource sharing


Edge Hill University in Ormskirk has invested in new lecture technolo- gy from Panasonic and Panopto, creating a flexible space, suitable for both lecture capture and large events such as graduations.


Edge Hill University in Orm- skirk has invested in new lec- ture technology from Panasonic and Panopto, creating a flexible space, suitable for both lecture capture and large events such as graduations. The AV upgrade to the Health


and Social Care faculty is part of a £250 million plus invest- ment in to its 160-acre cam- pus, which has seen the Uni- versity named in the top three for its facilities and campus environment in the Times High- er Education magazine’s 2016 survey.


Three separate lecture the- atres have been designed with


system allows them to search specific topics, and will pick these up in powerpoint text, image tags or even the words spoken by the lecturer.”


Demonstrations


Elsewhere within the Health and Social Care faculty, Pana- sonic remote cameras are used to capture practical elements of


the University’s Operating


Department Practitioner (ODP) course. Students are required to carry out team demonstra- tions on everything from rou- tine procedures to life saving CPR exercises.


You’re speaking my language!


The career of a professional interpreter is a demanding one. After completing specialist training, interpreters need to deal with sensitive issues, unpredictable events and stressful conditions while listening, thinking and speaking in two languages in real time, and of course delivering accurate results. Their training calls for advanced audio technology.


When Queen’s University Bel- fast issued a competitive ten- der for a supplier to provide a hi-tech interpreting suite which gave its students a high quality of education and es- sential ‘real-world’ experience, they aimed to work with the best in the industry.


Cambridge-based, confer- ence technology supplier, Brähler ICS UK, partnering with language teaching soft- ware provider, Sanako, were chosen to provide the solution.


Integrating systems


Brähler’s world-renown CDS- VAN interpretation equipment included laptops, micro- phones, dual delegate units, interpreter consoles, a tutor/ chairperson’s unit and a dou- ble-seated booth. Together, the hardware provides students with hands-on experience of Brähler’s equipment which is already widely used by profes- sional interpreters worldwide. Complementing Brahler’s technology, Sanako’s Study 1200 software offered innova- tive features such as ‘blended learning’, enabling students to study and practice either in the interpretation suite or at home. This was another first in the interpreter training mar- ket.


Three separate lecture theatres have been designed with complete flexibility in mind. Each has a lecture capture system which combines Panasonic AW-UE70 4K remote cameras, alongside PT-RZ670 laser projectors, 65-inch Panasonic repeater panels (TH-65LFE8) and Pan- opto’s all-in-one video platform.


complete flexibility in mind. It means for larger events such as graduations, partition walls can be moved out to leave a 900- seat auditorium.


Each has a lecture capture system which combines Pana- sonic AW-UE70 4K remote cameras, alongside PT-RZ670 laser projectors, 65-inch Pana- sonic repeater panels (TH- 65LFE8) and Panopto’s all-in- one video platform.


Better engagement


Lecturers are able to control the lecture capture using an Extron controller, which starts and stops the recording. “We were concerned we’d see a drop in lecture attendance,” said Don Moffatt, Media Tech- nology Development Manager at Edge Hill University. “The reality is that the opposite is true. We have seen more stu- dents attending the lectures, we think that’s because they can concentrate fully on the teaching without having to slav- ishly take notes.


“The students can focus more on what the lecturer is saying and they can use the lecture capture platform as a revision tool afterwards. The Panopto


These are all captured using Panasonic’s AW-HE2 remote cameras and stored on the cloud based Panopto system. Kevin Henshaw, Senior Lec- turer in Operating Department Practice (ODP), said: “A clas- sic example is an exercise that I run with every student group, whereby I will attempt to touch the body of a ‘patient’ who is about to be shocked during CPR. It’s imperative from a safety aspect that the group is aware of who is within close proximity of the patient, yet often the group is too focused on their individual roles to no- tice. It’s far more powerful to have a video demonstration of what they did wrong, so they we can eliminate potentially life-threatening mistakes in the future.”


Amina Salem, Third Year ODP Student, was one of the students within Kevin’s exer- cise, “We have to write up the processes that we go through, and from memory, this may be only 10 or 15 things, whereas with the ability to watch back the video, I’d probably be able to double or triple that. We all learned a lot from it and were able to discuss it afterwards as a group.”


P12 AV News September 2017 AV News April 2018 P17


Versatility and authenticity The partnership between


Brähler and Sanako has result- ed in a versatile solution. For instance, students can practice in the booth while classmates privately practice at their own microphones and laptops po- sitioned around the ‘delegate table’. This flexibility allows the tutor to combine different learning activities, keeping stu- dents engaged and motivated. The system also helps tutors enhance teaching methods and classroom management. For example, they can closely mon- itor each student by listening in on their practice, recording their audio, and sending the required materials to students’ laptops as they progress. Tutors also have full control of every delegate unit and interpreter control console connected to the system from their own desk. Lecturer in Translation and Interpreting, Dr Chen-En Ho, uses the suite daily with stu- dents who interpret English / Mandarin. He says: “The new suite is a huge improvement on our former resources. It offers great authenticity, so students build knowledge while learn- ing in a setting that reflects the working environment. The software enables me to create customised lesson plans and support students individually.”


Overcoming challenges


The project presented tech- nical challenges for the Brähler-Sanako team, howev-


er, their combined expertise helped to overcome obstacles. “A particularly challenging aspect of integrating the hard- ware and software was chan- nelling the audio to the correct places within the system, us- ing analogue and digital sig- nals,” explains Duncan. “The audio generated by the ‘del- egates’ had to feed into the system to be interpreted, then returned to the software on the delegates’ laptops. “To achieve this, each del- egate microphone had to be paired with each laptop around the delegate table. Brähler and Sanako technicians found a solution which involved de- veloping a customised cable connection to ensure a reliable and professional-quality audio feed.”


suite


The alliance resulted in a that


not only benefits


students’ learning, but it also helps to boost the university’s profile in this area of study – this is crucial, as universities strive to attract new students each year.


Queen’s University Belfast: Stu- dents use the Brähler-Sanako interpreting booth.


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