To equip its campus for the new hybrid education reality, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA recently outfitted more than 40 classrooms with Nureva HDL300 audio conferencing systems, and an additional 32 systems have been ordered.
SMARTSolution Technologies, an authorized Nureva dealer, supported the university in its search for an audio conferencing system to help students learn in a hybrid environment, where some students are in the classroom and others are participating in remote learning. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Duquesne was using several Nureva systems it purchased in late 2019 and early 2020. Once the need to shift to a hybrid learning model became apparent, the university installed another 37 units specifically for those classrooms. Most recently, Duquesne installed a Dual HDL300 system in a mock courtroom at the School of Law. An additional 32 units have been ordered, with plans for a campus-wide implementation of Nureva audio systems. According to the company, the wall-mounted systems can be installed in less than an hour, making the upgrades quick and easy.
Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to Audio in the New Era of UC
Duquesne’s COVID-19 Master Plan reflects safety measures and protocols that the university has taken to create a structured campus environment that allows for face-to-face and hybrid classes, adapted living conditions, and other necessary changes, while making it possible for students to be on Duquesne’s campus and earn a high-quality education. Since August 2019, prior to COVID-19, academic affairs—which includes faculty and technology teams—has been working to create HyFlex, an educational experience that provides students with both in-class and remote instruction during the fall semester.
The HDL300 systems are powered by Nureva’s breakthrough Microphone Mist technology, which provides the full-room microphone coverage needed to accommodate the Master Plan’s physical distancing requirements and enable remote students to hear every word and feel engaged in the class. For professors and lecturers, lapel and podium mics are never needed, giving them freedom from the constraints and potential complications of conventional audio-conferencing solutions. And for IT and AV support staff, the system’s continuous autocalibration provides optimal performance no matter how the classroom is configured or how many times the configuration changes.
“Nureva systems are the perfect solution to accommodate the classroom audio requirements brought on by COVID-19,” said Mitchell Schwartz, SMARTSolution’s CEO. “We were happy to help Duquesne University fulfill that component of their Master Plan.”
“We are thrilled that our audio systems are helping remote students at Duquesne receive the same quality of education as the in-classroom students receive,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “This is a new way of teaching and learning for most universities, and we are delighted that Duquesne continues to deploy our systems across the university.”
Duquesne University is one of a growing number of postsecondary institutions globally that are broadly deploying Nureva audio systems to meet the needs of hybrid learning models. Nureva audio systems enable these institutions to continue providing a high-quality education to students by delivering advanced full-room audio coverage in classrooms and lecture halls. In-room participants can make full use of their space, and remote students can fully engage and feel like they are in the room with classmates.
