How Is Higher Ed Utilizing AV Today

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How Is Higher Ed Utilizing AV Today?

Higher education is leading the way in AV. Universities around the world have recognized the impact AV solutions can have on teaching and the student/parent experience. In fact, just about any space can be improved with the presence of audiovisual systems, whether that space is used to educate, entertain or inform. Some of the most popular AV solutions in high ed include:

• Digital signage
• Wayfinding
• Interactive panels
• Collaboration solutions and furniture
• LED displays and tickers
• Enhanced audio
• Lab cameras

That’s by no means an exhaustive list, but with these AV solutions, universities, colleges and professional schools can modernize the way they do education.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Wayfinding And Digital Signage Work Everywhere On Campus

Digital signage is popping up in universities all over the place because it is so versatile. With digital signage, you can reinforce university branding and spirit, display event and class schedules, broadcast emergency messaging, and help people find their way around. It’s that last solution - wayfinding - that’s particularly valuable to large university campuses. Every semester is marked by confusion as students and their parents get accustomed to the campus’s layout. Wayfinding can make this transition much easier by providing visual directions for whoever needs them. Some wayfinding solutions are as simple as a map database, but others take it further. Wayfinding software can provide 3D navigation, present scheduling information, and output a QR code that people can use to download directions to their own device. This can greatly reduce the workload on your support staff during high traffic days.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Business Colleges: Digital Ticker Displays Provide Real-time Market Information

Digital ticker displays are powered by LED technology and are a useful visual aid in business colleges. They’re also compact and can be installed in places where standard digital displays wouldn’t fit. In most cases, you’ll see digital tickers used to display market information, such as stock and asset prices. However, they can also be used to display news headlines, weather information and other market-relevant information. They work best when paired with LED displays or an LED video wall, so they’re typically designed into a single system.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Huddle Rooms: Interactive Panels Inspire Students To Work Together Better

Huddle rooms are designed for small teams, like student groups, to collaborate and work together on a class project. Given their purpose, huddle rooms work best when outfitted with collaboration-focused technologies. A certified AV integrator can provide those technologies. For example, interactive flat panels are an ideal huddle room addition. With an interactive flat panel, students can connect their own devices, share project content, brainstorm visually and engage with each other in more effective ways. Best of all, interactive flat panels are easy to manage and secure, so your university can integrate an entire network of displays with minimal ongoing costs.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Flex Rooms: Create Versatile Collaborative Spaces With The Right Technology And Furniture

Universities are targeting their libraries and lounge areas for AV upgrades, and these larger rooms are perfect flex spaces. A flex room is all about flexibility. Within reason, a flex room should be able to accommodate a group of any size for just about any purpose. Studying, small group collaboration, large group meetings, teaching, training or just plain relaxing - this should all be possible in a flex room. To do that, universities target interactive flat panels for their flex spaces, along with configurable furniture. The interactive flat panels can be used as collaboration, presentation or teaching aids, while configurable furniture makes it easy for people to sit individually or in engaged groups.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Auditoriums: LED Video Walls And Enhanced Audio Can Engage Hundreds At Once

With their large size and acoustic properties, it can be a challenge to get the sound and visuals right in an auditorium. An AV integrator can help with that. Large digital displays are a must in auditoriums, and LED video walls are even better. With a large enough display, even the people a football field away can see what’s going on. Improved audio is also a priority for most auditoriums, and this can be delivered using audio enhancement hardware. Audio enhancement solutions can be as simple as mounting a gooseneck microphone to the lectern. Microphones can also be worn, mounted to the ceiling, or installed along the edge of an auditorium stage. AV integrators can also position speakers for optimal audio coverage and ensure amplifiers and control technology is in place to tie the system together.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Labs: AV Hardware Can Give Your Students A Better View Of Every Experiment

University labs, whether they’re used for experimentation or observation, are another top choice for AV augmentation. In experimentation labs, document cameras are an easy way to get more out of every lesson. Lecturers can use the camera to show students how to use lab equipment or to point out experiment results. The camera provides a much closer look at what’s going on, and the camera’s feed can be sent to displays in the room so that every student remains engaged. In observation labs, use of cameras can be paired with live streaming technology. This allows students, no matter where they are located (even on the other side of the world) to follow what’s going on inside observation rooms. Cameras used for this purpose can be discreetly installed so they do not interfere with lab results.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Training Rooms: Educate Your Teachers With Visual Collaboration Software

Universities are also upgrading their training rooms with AV technology, and this can improve training engagement and retention. In university settings, training is frequently a collaborative experience, where faculty work together to improve the department’s education offerings. Collaboration-focused solutions are an ideal choice for training rooms, with solutions like the Thinkhub and Clevertouch leading the way. Training rooms are also more effective with larger digital displays and audio enhancement technology.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

A Certified AV Integrator Can Bring Your High Ed AV Ambitions To Life

On university campuses, there’s an AV solution for every space. Finding the best solution for each space and integrating it properly is the real challenge, but one that certified AV integrators are trained to handle. Experienced integrators do much more than install AV solutions—they design them, source the hardware, configure the hardware, and provide long term support and maintenance for the technology. That can make your university’s ambitious AV initiatives much easier to execute.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]