AVT Question: Please share insight and best practices for designing the higher ed classroom for today and the future.
Thought Leader: Chris Mertens, Vice President of US Sales, B2B Displays at Samsung Electronics
Designing classrooms for the future can be difficult because you never know what the future will bring. For example, before 2020, no one could have predicted the seismic shift that would happen when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to transition to remote learning overnight. What the last three years have demonstrated, however, is the need to remain agile and adaptable in the face of unpredictable circumstances.
It’s important to continue supporting educators with professional development resources so that they can effectively leverage classroom technologies long into the future." —Chris Mertens, Vice President of US Sales, B2B Displays at Samsung Electronics
For AV/IT managers thinking about classroom design and their long-term digital strategy, consider if the technologies being introduced and used are conducive to an adaptable classroom. This includes if the solutions support a seamless transition between in-person, fully remote, or blended learning environments. Moreover, they should offer high compatibility with the software and hardware that educators already use, as well as with classroom technologies that may be incorporated later in the future.
For example, if you are planning to implement interactive displays in classrooms across your campus, you should look for product offerings that are operating system agnostic to ensure educators and students can readily pair them with their own laptops or mobile devices to access and collaborate on course materials. Any new displays should also be highly intuitive and easy to use immediately out of the box to minimize the learning curve needed to start leveraging them in lectures and discussions. Such ease of use and integration into the classroom promotes quick adoption and long-term utilization of the technology.
It’s important to also continue supporting educators with professional development resources so that they can effectively leverage classroom technologies long into the future. Resources can include online seminars, self-paced training courses, and forums where they can connect with other professors to exchange ideas on meeting the evolving needs of higher education.
