How to transition to hybrid learning in the education space
Schools and other education spaces have been greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with restrictions put in place to keep people at home. Students could no longer attend school, and the teachers had to re-think their approach to learning. Many teachers would make the switch to video conferencing and hybrid learning in Melbourne as it was the only way to keep the students learning whilst in lockdown.
This made way for the introduction to virtual and hybrid teaching which soon became the reality for students around the world. As the world begins to open back up, there is still plenty of room for hybrid learning to continue in education spaces. There are actually a number of benefits to hybrid learning which are not present in solely face to face lessons. Hybrid learning solutions allow teachers to facilitate learning through the use of technology. This includes both in-person and virtually online with a video conferencing system for education facilities.
It opens up possibilities for teachers to create and use highly interactive and engaging content that students will resonate with. But how exactly should you prepare to transition into hybrid learning for your classroom? We’ll share our top tips for video conferencing solutions for hybrid learning down below.
Get yourself familiar with the technology
If you’re not used to teaching remotely, it’s a good idea to get familiar with your equipment before you run a lesson. Do a test run of your lessons through MS Teams, Zoom, Webex, or any other collaborative meeting/presentation platforms. Ensure that everything you plan to do will run smoothly and you have no issues operating the program. When the lesson flows freely, students are much more likely to stay focussed and engaged. If you are teaching your lessons in a classroom whilst your students are at home, you may need to take advantage of the school’s video conferencing system. Ask a supervisor or I.T support to give you a rundown on how your specific video conferencing system works. Ensure that you can set-up the system and connect all the relevant screens, microphones and cameras that you require. If you’re looking to install a new video conferencing system in Melbourne, we can help design, install and train you on a suitable system. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Important considerations to select the best platform for your campus
- Be sure to know the types of spaces you need connected on your campus. Each room may be different in acoustics, size and purpose. You can create greater consistency across various spaces by ensuring you implement an open platform. Eg. If your school has a range of room sizes to consider from large auditoriums to smaller hybrid classrooms, you should consider a solution that is effective for both. This will create easy operation and consistency not only for the teachers and staff, but also for the students.
- Research the costs of your resources operating and maintaining your new systems. Sometimes your IT support can manage these easily, or you may consider outsourcing these to an integration partner.
- Should you choose on-premises or cloud functionality to support your staff and students? What sort of online conferencing platforms will suit your requirements best?
- With everything changing so rapidly now, it is important to consider how long you may need this system, or whether you should select a platform that is scalable.
Hybrid Learning Solutions:
Online Video Conferences
Choosing the right video conferencing system to teach your class is paramount to its success. Think about how many cameras you need, where they will face and what spaces they need to cover. Will there be students in the class or do you just need one camera for you? Our video conferencing solutions for education facilities can be supported by intelligent framing and tracking features that will automatically provide an equal view of all students in your choice of online program.
The speakers and microphones you use are just as; if not more important than your cameras. If the camera feature is not working, students can still attend an online class with the assistance of a quality audio installation. At Serity, we offer microphones that provide coverage for an entire room, so everyone is heard equally. We even offer echo-cancelling speakers and microphones to ensure that your audio quality is perfect.
You also need to consider if your video conference is going to be wireless or whether you’re going to present it via USB and HDMI in-person. Ensure that your chosen video conferencing system is capable of presenting the way you need it. If you’re going wireless, ensure that your internet connection is stable before you teach your first class.
Wireless Presentations
Hybrid learning requires that teachers are able to teach and students are able to learn away from your education space. When considering video conferencing solutions, you’ll want to ensure that its capable of sharing and presenting a hybrid course wirelessly. We provide turn-key conferencing solutions for wireless presentations, from sourcing the products to installing and maintaining them. Our video conferencing systems effectively integrate with devices. This enables seamless collaboration, presentation, video conferencing, and digital signage throughout your teaching and learning.
Room Scheduling
There are some important considerations for room scheduling
Booking – The management of your teaching and working areas is extremely important. Both teachers and students may be working and meeting at varying times throughout the day. Correct management of bookings can ensure that everyone has a space to use when they need it. Digital signage solutions can be utilised to aid with the booking process.
Availability – We install digital signage and other features such as lighting so that it’s clear when rooms are in use. Utilising a system that is able to determine if collaboration and meeting areas are in use can make the campus space more efficient.
Usability – If you want valuable insights into how your certain rooms are used, the best way to do this is through a system that is capable of collecting data and analytics. It may feature a sign in option before people enter the rooms. This data can tell you who is using the rooms, and for what purpose. From there you can design the space to meet certain needs.
Flexibility – You need your hardware to support the scheduling application that you choose. If you’re looking to upgrade your scheduling software or digital signage in Melbourne, you should purchase a system that is going to be compatible with future software updates.
Transitioning to a hybrid education facility can be daunting at first. If you’re looking to purchase room scheduling solutions, wireless presentation or a video conferencing system for your school or education space, please contact us today. Our team of specialists are renowned for providing quality audio-visual designs and installations in Melbourne to many of our commercial clients. Get your education space set up for the future of hybrid learning!