On Higher Ed Tech: Yamaha Unified Communications

Holger Stoltze, Senior Director of Technical Sales and Marketing at Yamaha Unified Communications
(Image credit: Future)

AVT Question: Please share insight and best practices for designing the higher ed classroom for today and the future.

Thought Leader: Holger Stoltze, Senior Director of Technical Sales and Marketing at Yamaha Unified Communications

When designing today’s classroom, as well as the classroom of the future, AV/IT managers can no longer expect that all participants of the class are on site; students and/or teachers may very well be remote. Creating a classroom with remote participants in mind not only allows for the pandemic (or snow-day) case, but also for the student that cannot attend class due to illness. This mindset also benefits colleges in rural areas that don’t offer all courses in person at all sites, and opens the option for remote experts to offer classes, such as a researcher at a different organization.

Microphones need to capture everyone in a classroom, as successful remote classes include peer-to-peer communication as well." —Holger Stoltze, Senior Director of Technical Sales and Marketing at Yamaha Unified Communications

For a class to be successful, audio and video in the classrooms and remote locations need to adequately handle the demand for each application, while also providing equity for all participants. Speakers might be anywhere in the room or off-site, and they need to be the focus of transmitted video while speaking. Video images also need to be transmitted to the correct screen. When the teacher’s eyes are facing in-person students, the teacher should see a screen showing remote students; and students facing the front of the class should see a screen showing their remote teacher. Furthermore, remote students should easily see both their teachers and peers, with priorities set for each situation, e.g., zooming in on a teacher during a lecture. 

Microphones need to capture everyone in a classroom, as successful remote classes include peer-to-peer communication as well. This will require more microphones in the classroom than just a teacher microphone, while also including technology to enable the teacher to control the audio. Audio reproduction in the room must also support this kind of setup. Lastly, a successful higher education classroom requires an intuitive, easy-to-understand management environment. Remember, (most) teachers are not audio engineers.

Cindy Davis
Brand and content director of AV Technology

Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology. Davis enjoys exploring the ethos of experiential spaces as well as diving deep into the complex topics that shape the AV/IT industry. In 2012, the TechDecisions brand of content sites she developed for EH Publishing was named one of “10 Great Business Media Websites” by B2B Media Business magazine. For more than 20 years, Davis has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer electronics B2C publications, associations, and companies. From 2000 to 2008, Davis was the publisher and editor-in-chief of Electronic House. From 2009 to present, as the principal of CustomMedia.Co, Davis developed content plans and delivered content for associations such as IEEE Standards Association and AVIXA, content marketing for Future Plc, and numerous AV/IT companies. Davis was a critical member of the AVT editorial team when the title won the “Best Media Brand” laurel in the 2018 SIIA Jesse H. Neal Awards. A lifelong New Englander, Davis makes time for coastal hikes with her husband, Gary, and their Vizsla rescue, Dixie, sailing on one of Gloucester’s great schooners, and sampling local IPAs.