Celebrating 8 AV/IT Directors in Higher Ed

(Left to right) Linda Jerrett, Director, Learning & Event Technology Services, Information Services & Technology, Client Services & Support, Boston University; Ed Berkey, Director of AV and Studio Services; The Brookings Institution, Tim O'Neil, Director for Information Technology, Client Services, Brandeis University; Julie Johnston, Acting Associate Vice President of Learning Technologies, Indiana University; Mike Lucas, Sr., Director of Instructional Technology, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Robb Mann, CTS-I, Manager – Integrated Educational Technologies, ITS, University of North Carolina – Wilmington; Joe Way, PhD, CTS, Director, Learning Environments, University of Southern California; Justin Rexing, M.S., CTS-D, Audiovisual Design Engineer, Western Kentucky University (Image credit: Future)

If there is a silver lining to be found in the devastation wrought by COVID-19, it’s that almost every individual has become proficient using remote technologies. Nearly 18 months after the world was sent home to work and learn, instructors and students are returning to college campuses with a newfound appreciation for the in-person experience, as well as the flexibility to be remote when needed or desired.

Instructional technologists have worked tirelessly with AV/IT design teams and vendors to develop plans that would be flexible for the duration of the pandemic, as well as provide sustainability for the future. A spotlight has been placed on hybrid and HyFlex modalities.

Technologies such as PTZ and auto-tracking cameras, beamforming microphones, interactive displays, and lecture capture that help enable hybrid and HyFlex education have been in use for many years. The cost of entry has become more affordable than ever, and manufacturers and solutions providers have continued to evolve their offerings. For the 2021/22 school year, more classrooms are being designed to accommodate hybrid and HyFlex modalities as an enduring solution.

Within articles found in the links below, you will hear from eight university AV/IT directors on how they have approached the fall semester. They share their challenges, offer peer advice, and provide a snapshot of what AV/IT technologies are in the classroom.

Please drop me a line and share what hybrid or HyFlex solutions you have in the works for your higher ed campus. Let’s keep connected.

Cindy Davis

Content Director, AV Technology

cindy.davis@futurenet.com

THE EIGHT

>> Spotlight on Boston University

>> Spotlight on Brandeis University

>> Spotlight on The Brookings Institution

>> Spotlight on Indiana University

>> Spotlight on University of Massachusetts Lowell

>> Spotlight on the University of North Carolina – Wilmington

>> Spotlight on the University of Southern California

>> Spotlight on Western Kentucky University

Download The Technology Manager's Guide to Fall 2021: The Hybrid/HyFlex Higher Ed Campus

Featuring:

>> 8 University AV/IT Directors Share Plans for Fall 2021

>> Developing for Today and Tomorrow

>> Case In Point x 21

>> Solutions for the Classroom

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Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology (AVT). She 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. Davis moderates several monthly AV/IT roundtables and enjoys facilitating and engaging in deeper conversations about the complex topics shaping the ever-evolving AV/IT industry. She explores the ethos of collaboration, hybrid workplaces, experiential spaces, and artificial intelligence to share with readers. Previously, she developed the TechDecisions brand of content sites for EH Publishing, named one of the “10 Great Business Media Websites” by B2B Media Business magazine. For more than 25 years, Davis has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer electronics B2C publications, associations, and companies. 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. Connect with her on LinkedIn.