There is a radical transformation taking place in the AV space in Higher education. Increasingly, AV in classrooms is moving from analog to digital and from conventional to newer teaching paradigms. However, all of this is still very much a work in progress with different rates of adoption in different universities, depending on the budget and the ability of teachers to process the shift in teaching technology.
Some trends about AV in Higher Education:
A trend that is rapidly catching on in the higher education space is the consolidation of AV and IT. This means that what had been the school’s AV department has been absorbed by its IT group. This has meant that the role of AV has morphed into a more comprehensive role of technology infrastructure support.
While there was some initial trepidation about the AV/IT consolidation, it has proven to be a positive transition. It has resulted in a substantially larger budget for AV systems. Also, the movement of legacy “one channel, one wire” AV solutions to a packetized networked environment has increased reliability by reducing the number of potential failure points.
This transition is being helped by the steadily falling price of consumer electronics, which allows classrooms to have integrated webcams, DVD players and HDMI inputs.
Installing a state-of-the-art AV system however, also needs to focus on the human element of platform change. So, while millennial students may enthusiastically embrace technology changes, some teachers may not.
Getting teachers to embrace new platforms can be challenging. The right training can ensure that this happens. AV integrators emphasise the need to focus on simplicity and ease of use. This ensures that the technology is used to create the best possible classroom experience and to make the face-to-face experience memorable.
With AV integration rapidly changing for all domains, higher education is no different. With AV tech managers being increasingly called upon to transform the use of AV in higher education, this space is bound to see some dramatic changes in the near future.
For more information on how to install AV solutions for your home, business, or education space, contact Actis at 022-30808080 or at contact@actis.co.in.
(Content courtesy: www.infocomm.org and Image courtesy: www.crestron.com)