Business opportunities Growing the education network


It might come as a surprise to learn that some 50,000 students are currently studying for their degrees using distance learning solutions. The range of courses on offer includes business and management; criminology and law; engineering; finance and accounting; graphic design; health and social care; human resource management; market- ing; psychology and, of course, computing and IT – but we believe that distance learning is on the cusp of substantial growth.


Perhaps it is less of a sur- prise to discover that Distance Learning is undergoing signif- icant growth as universities start to exploit their brands among disparate audiences at home and abroad. Advantag- es to the students driving this growth include: the ability of students to set their own pace of study; students can choose when and where they study; it doesn’t matter when or where a student lives – they can gain a degree from anywhere in the world; and, the real clincher, a distance learning course often costs less than a full-time de- gree.


The simultaneous rise in the move to collaborative educa- tional techniques increases the capability of educational institutions to offer distance learning by leveraging their digital platforms. In a recent report entitled: The Power of Integrated AV Experiences in Higher, AVIXA commented: “A new generation of students has arrived. They’re glued to their smartphones and grew up expe- riencing the world through mul- tiple screens. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that they want something more than the tra- ditional education experiences, like the well-worn classroom lecture or the stately campus library.”


“Students use mobile devices


to socialise, keep in touch with parents, handle finances and more. They communicate face- to-face — even when they’re miles away from each other. They expect brilliant high defi- nition everywhere they look and a soundtrack that fits in with their lives. Using new technolo- gy throughout higher education represents a natural progres- sion for a generation that fa- vours digital platforms”. “Today’s connected students are looking for meaningful, immersive experiences that impact their learning and their lives. They’re used to consum- ing audio and video information at the press of a button, and they want that in their physical world, from classrooms to pub- lic spaces. Students seek inter- active learning with peers and faculty — simulation, games, audiovisual (AV) collaboration — that will help them solve problems and retain vital in- formation. Research bears this out.”


Media and learning


There are some who argue that learning delivered digitally can produce better outcomes than traditional methods. Cognitive psychologist Richard Mayer


of the University of California, Santa Barbara, conducted ex- periments that prove students who get information in multi- sensory environments do bet- ter than students who perceive information through one sense. Mayer found that recall through multisensory stimulation is more accurate, detailed and longer lasting - even 20 years into the future.


Problem-solving ability also improves, helping students


had the vision for the project - to rethink the role of the univer- sity in students’ lives, and that of the business school in the community,” says Dan Nenon- en, Partner at the architecture and design firm GastingerWalk- er& (GSA).


Worldwide audiences


Using interactive and visual AV experiences, institutions can obviously expand the reach of


fessor. To further simulate re- al-time classroom interaction, speakers are concealed within the videowall. If the professor is engaged in conversation on one end of the videowall, a stu- dent on the opposite end inter- jects, he has a spatial, audio cue just as if in a classroom. In addition to live interaction, faculty can poll students and get real-time feedback. “Each student has a unique student-to-professor video feed


“Today’s connected students


are looking for meaningful,


immersive experiences that impact their learning and their lives.


They’re used to consuming audio and video information at the press of a button,


and they want that in their physical world, from classrooms to public spaces.”


programme to transform the educational experience. Its partnership with Sony has ex- pedited a move from traditional lecture theatres and auditori-


was to create an active learning environment with interactivity at its core. The


University had clear


ambitions to fundamentally rethink teaching and learning programmes to engage and cre- ate an educational environment optimised for all students. “We wanted to create a collabora- tive ecosystem that would al- low students to bring internet resources, specialist software or video footage into their dis- cussions for analysis, debate, comparison and any other con- structivist activity to develop knowledge and understanding. Moving away from ‘chalk and talk’ meant educators would become facilitators and guides within the learning environ- ment”.


From initial proof of concept through to the final tailored offering all


being campuses,


rolled Sony’s


across Vision


Exchange solution has been developed hand-in-hand with UWTSD. The intuitive,


scal-


able and flexible solution has been specifically tailored to the needs of Higher Education and the pedagogical requirements of UWTSD using:


Using interactive and visual AV experiences, institutions including Harvard Business School (HBS) have create its HBX Live virtual classroom to reproduce the intimacy and interaction of the physical classroom environment.


generate up to 50 percent more creative solutions. The growth of online degree programs and distance learning has contribut- ed to heightened expectations. What was once considered a niche channel for delivering education content has rapidly become mainstream. Now, stu- dents want more than one-way exposure to knowledge - they demand the kinds of engaging experiences they have outside the classroom. Higher educa- tion institutions that embrace experiential AV drive student engagement and retention. When the University of Kan- sas School of Business began designing its new Capitol Fed- eral Hall, everyone agreed the end result had to be a building that fostered a new and high- er level of connection among faculty, students and visitors. “Former Dean Neeli Bendapudi


their programs to educate stu- dents around the world. Har- vard


Business School (HBS)


created its HBX Live virtual classroom to reproduce the in- timacy and interaction of the physical classroom environ- ment and put students at the center of the learning experi- ence. Participants from around the globe can log in and join real-time, case-based sessions with HBS faculty and business leaders.


A high-resolution videowall mimics the amphitheatre-style seating of a university lecture hall, with up to 60 participants displayed simultaneously. High-definition views are also available from either side of the main videowall, facing the professor and teaching wall - a panoramic view facing the vid- eowall, or within the teaching wall for another view of the pro-


to simulate the typical conver- sational perspective, with addi- tional vantage points provided by multiple in-studio cameras. From inside the studio, the professor’s experience is just as personal and interactive.” Explained JoAnn Arcenal, Di- rector of Public Engagement, McCann System


UK perspective


The University of Wales Lam- peter and Trinity University Col- lege Carmarthen, the Universi- ty of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is the oldest Royal Chartered University in Wales, with campuses across South West Wales and in London. But a trailblazer for technolo- gy enabled learning. UWTSD has invested significantly in its infrastructure and embarked on an ambitious regeneration


ums to cutting-edge learning spaces,


delivering a collabo- rative and interactive environ- ment that is driving new levels of engagement and attainment. The University of Wales Trin- ity Saint David (UWTSD) has undergone substantial regen- eration and development as part of its mission to expand its campus and enhance its student experience. This cul- minated in the £350 million construction of its new SA1 Swansea Waterfront Develop- ment (completed in Septem- ber 2018), home to the Insti- tute of Education, Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, the Construction Wales Innovation Centre and a new library. In the upgrade of its existing campuses learning spaces and the ground-up con- struction of the SA1 buildings, the University’s primary goal


Vision Exchange is being pro- gressively deployed across all of UWTSD’s existing campus- es and incorporated into the ground-up build of the teach- ing spaces at the SA1 Swansea Waterfront, enabling lecturers to feature the technology at the core of their education. The University has also invested in Sony’s TEOS Manage device and room management solution to efficiently manage, schedule and monitor the content that is displayed on all its networked BRAVIA professional displays and projectors.


Allowing staff to move more freely in the room, Vision Ex- change has empowered better interaction between lecturers and students, improving par- ticipation and engagement with groups in the room as part of the educational process. Bringing ideas from different members of groups together - both inside and outside of the institution itself - also allows UWTSD to expand the learning environment beyond just


the


‘classroom’ setting and active- ly develop its distance learning offering.


P12 AV News August 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16