The pandemic meant – inevitably – a major focus on technologies that could support remote or hybrid learning. Emerging from that period, and its colossal economic fallout, schools, colleges and universities have since had to confront budgets that are either static, or actually decreasing in real terms. At the same time, however, they have arguably experienced more pressure than ever to incorporate new technologies – from elaborate collaboration solutions to virtual production – that could be both expensive and training-intensive.
So the overriding question for this latest sortie through the education market is: ‘How is education prioritising new technologies for investment?’
CONTROL & CONNECTIVITY
Alex Moss is senior sales manager, UK & Ireland, for AV distribution, AVoIP, collaboration and control solutions provider Atlona – a company for whom the education market has become increasingly pivotal in recent years. He indicates a general mindset in the education market shaped by economics and competition.
He observes: “There are lots and lots of options out there for end-users now. Then what we’re seeing in terms of budgets is that secondary [school] budgets aren’t changing all that much, whilst in the primary sector I have seen research suggesting that budgets have dropped by about 10 percent.”
The research Moss refers to is a report by the British Educational Suppliers Association & NAACE, which suggests that primary school EdTech expenditure in the UK was set to drop by 10 percent during 2022/23, with a further drop of 1 percent in 2023/24 – leaving an average of £17,100 to spend on EdTech.
All of which translates, he says, to a growing need for solutions that are all-in-one and can be used for longer periods of times [thanks to] upgrades. Atlona has found education to be a highly receptive market for
its own product range, which was recently expanded with the third addition to the Omega AV presentation and collaboration range – the AT-OME-CS31-SA-C 3×1 system featuring one USB-C input and two HDMI inputs – and the Velocity AT-VKP-8E keypad for IP-based system control in classrooms and other spaces where a straightforward interface is preferred.
AVoIP DEMAND
Looking ahead, Moss anticipates that AVoIP will be increasingly used by larger universities as their backbone. He believes, however, that there will continue to be plenty of demand for the more basic HDBaseT-style technologies.
The rapid rise of remote and hybrid learning during the pandemic period was so wide-reaching that – perhaps inevitably – catering to online education demands continues to feature prominently on the priority lists of colleges and universities, in particular. This is confirmed by Madhav Jain, customer insights manager, education technology, at Sennheiser.
HYBRID SOLUTIONS
“Education facilities continue to invest in hybrid solutions,” he says. “This trend is here to stay. According to a recent CHLOE [Changing Landscape of Online Education] report, many institutions are therefore investing more deeply in their online programmes, with 42 percent of COLOs [chief online learning officers] reporting at least some increase in their online learning budget.”
A general three- to five-year refresh cycle for new technology solutions means that there is currently a slight decline in terms of demand overall – although universities seem to have bucked this trend, in part due to expectations resulting from the high price of tuition, he believes. Meanwhile, Sennheiser continues to release new products and upgrades – including the introduction of the TeamConnect Bar Solutions to provide high-quality video to accompany the company’s audio technology – as part of its focus on improving collaborative learning for both students in the classroom and those who are connected remotely.
The importance of supporting remote learning is also highlighted by Shure, with regional sales manager Phil Waterhouse noting that the trend has definitely impacted the company’s development department. He comments: “Working closely with our customers allows us to better understand their needs and, therefore, implement enhanced features that solve their main challenges.”
MULTIPLE FACTORS
So, as well as perennial concerns such as ease of installation and use, there is an evident prioritisation of higher-quality audio and video-conferencing solutions, with Waterhouse remarking that the surge in educational emphasis on clear and reliable audio is driven by several factors.
He explains: “Firstly, the rise of hybrid learning environments has made it imperative to ensure that every student, whether on-site or remote, can hear clearly and participate in lessons properly. Secondly, investments in AV technology are seen not just as an upgrade, but as a critical AV infrastructure to support modern teaching methodologies. Enhanced audio quality directly impacts student engagement and learning outcomes, which has made educational institutions [keen] to prioritise these investments.”
Shure’s own latest introductions to the market include the Microflex Wireless (MXW) neXt 2, which comprises four components in one: a two-channel wireless microphone system, a smart charging station, an advanced digital signal processor and a fully equipped audio interface, collectively ensuring what the company describes as “successful hybrid classes in a user-friendly manner”.
DISPLAY & DIRECTION
Frank Trossen, global business development for education and corporate at PPDS, says: “We still see a lot of schools and colleges [prioritising investment] in high-quality displays. Displays are adding value, making it easier for teachers to give inspiring lessons, and – outside of the classroom – provide support in terms of efficient student information.”
Trossen acknowledges that budgetary pressures are also a factor, hence an increased end-user emphasis on future-proofing, which he says includes durability, connectivity, software updates, management, and so on. In line with the desire for multi-faceted solutions highlighted elsewhere in this article, he also believes that educational facilities are increasingly receptive to a holistic solution for the whole market, which is one of the reasons PPDS is investing a lot in hardware and software.
Accordingly, recent developments by PPDS include the introduction of Philips Genius, a cloud-based software bringing together the tools that educators need for lesson planning, delivery and classroom activities in one easy-to-access, intuitive and secure place.
Looking ahead, Trossen hints that – ahead of the next edition of BETT, taking place in London in January – PPDS will unveil what he describes as a new, fully secure and GDPR-compliant presentation software for what he describes as “effortless collaboration and interaction” in the classroom. Meanwhile, embracing BYOD, the unnamed software (at the time of writing) for Philips Collaboration Displays for Education will, he believes, allow students and tutors to interact with the main display, using any device, on any network, and without additional hardware.
CAMPUS SIGNAGE
The multi-faceted benefits of campus display technology are also highlighted by Xavier Carreras Sanchez, who is business development manager, Europe, for interactive digital signage software innovator Navori Labs.
He observes: “Whereas in the past digital signage on campuses was more a point of communication between the student and the institution, now it’s really evolving [to include other content]; DOOH or advertising is entering into the world of universities, and there are companies specialising in using screens [to reach] these kinds of audiences.”
Carreras also indicates that AI is playing an increasing role in assessing the effectiveness and reach of the content. With some evidence suggesting that educational facilities are becoming a greater target of cyber-attack, it’s not surprising that security is also paramount. Sanchez says: “Education customers really, really take into consideration how their data is being managed. [As a SaaS provider] we are very proud that we achieve what we believe is the highest certificate in terms of security.”
He adds that such credentials are important for successful educational tenders.
AI TRENDING?
Several contributors have suggested that virtual production and MR technologies could become more popular in education as the use cases become more defined – and easy to implement. But it will come as no surprise whatsoever to regular Installation readers that one trend features above all among responses to an enquiry about which technologies are likely to inform the next major cycle of EdTech investments: AI.
“As we see that there will be a rapid adoption of AI based technology, this impacts our R&D as we seek to develop ways to incorporate AI into our solutions,” says Jain. “We have already integrated AI-based camera features into our TeamConnect Bars, like auto-framing and person-tiling, and will continue to innovate with AI at the forefront. In addition to AI, we also see developments in cloud solutions as a popular theme now and in the coming years. I think that’s also an area in which universities will be investing more.”
For Shure, Waterhouse expects the adoption of AI productivity tools to play a significant role in educational environments. He says: “In this context features like voice recognition or real-time language translation will become increasingly important, and for these high-quality audio is crucial. We’ve been innovating for almost 100 years creating solutions that last and our goal is to continue to provide solutions that not only meet the current demands, but also anticipate the future requirements.”
It’s a duality that vendors everywhere will surely need to accommodate as educators’ expectations of technology continue to evolve at an unprecedented rate.
