AVT Question: Please share your insights into emerging trends and how AV/IT technologies are reshaping the higher education classroom and beyond.
Thought Leader: Joe Andrulis, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Biamp
The Pro AV higher education market, paradoxically, has become both more simplified and more complex.
On the one hand, emerging technologies such as AI and unified communication software are helping to streamline the process of installing, provisioning, managing, and using AV equipment that has become mission-critical for higher education classrooms—from conferencing bars to projectors. On the other hand, with the growth and maturation of hybrid learning—otherwise known as the ability to learn and teach from practically anywhere—integrators, AV specialists, and IT managers are forced to manage an ever-growing and increasingly complex ecosystem of connected AV devices.
AV assets are increasingly spread out across a variety of geographies and scenarios—from the traditional classroom to the home and practically anywhere in between." —Joe Andrulis, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Biamp
After all, higher education students increasingly desire the flexibility hybrid learning provides in that it affords in-person instruction when they can and remote learning when they can’t. This enables them to better manage personal and professional commitments outside of school. Meanwhile, professors who may attend a midweek conference can still maintain office hours while off campus. As a result, AV assets are increasingly spread out across a variety of geographies and scenarios—from the traditional classroom to the home and practically anywhere in between.
To wrangle this complexity, AV manufacturers are introducing cloud-hosted software solutions. This additional software layer will empower everyone along the AV value chain to seamlessly integrate and oversee all deployed AV systems from a unified dashboard that is accessible anytime, anywhere.
Integration of such software will require a mindset shift for all, but the rewards are unmistakable. Manufacturers will be able to manage a product’s entire lifecycle seamlessly; integrators will be able to install and provision AV assets more efficiently; campus IT pros will be able to monitor and manage AV assets more effectively; and finally, the students and instructors will enjoy an improved overall educational experience.
