Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Google
AV and IT: Stronger Together!
This month’s article is By Lisa Stephens and Rebecca V. Frazee of FLEXspace.org, featuring guest contributors Noah Holm from University of Minnesota, Adam Pellittieri from University at Buffalo, Andrea Mayer from Wolfvision and Don Merritt from University of Central Florida. To browse details, images, floorplans and more from spaces featured in this column, plus hundreds more, login to FLEXspace.org and visit the Gallery “FEATURED IN HIGHER ED AV MAGAZINE”
When UB first became involved with the Consortium of College & University Media Centers, the AV folks felt right at home! CCUMC’s mission evolved out of library and media center support to ensure student access to academic films and videos. The membership focus expanded naturally over time to include technology classrooms that support contemporary pedagogies.
Anecdotally, “AV folks” are pretty comfortable with the fluid nature of last-minute faculty requests and responding to “in the moment” help calls. “IT folks” are typically under a different type of pressure. When server-based enterprise systems fail our IT colleagues take a lot of focused heat – obviously there’s a big difference between one classroom experiencing an issue vs. an entire campus service, so it’s not surprising that a cautious and incremental approach is part of their daily work. Having observed these two “camps” for nearly 30 years, it’s clear that we’re “stronger together.”
The pandemic has reshaped dialogue between traditional AV and IT departments. The key stakeholder groups foundational to FLEXspace (Faculty, AV/IT, and Facilities) have found new ways to communicate more efficiently and effectively about technology in service of pedagogy in light of the critical need for online, hybrid, and hyflex teaching and learning – which shows no evidence of completely going away, even as students prepare to return to campus in the fall.
Convergence vs. Divergence
We asked our guest contributors how AV products were different from devices in the past, how they were impacting the network, and whether their work culture had shifted as a result of this evolution? We also wondered if these challenges were limited to a campus environment, or if similar issues arose within the manufacturer and vendor community.
Cables, People, and Processes
“The most important message etched on my memory during a recent meeting was, “If it doesn’t have a LAN port, then you don’t have a future proof product,” said Andrea Mayer, Internal Sales Manager for Wolfvision, Inc. “AV over IP is increasingly important and allows us to avoid complicated wiring, black boxes, and more points of failure.”
“We’re in the middle of a sea change in our department,” said Adam Pillitterie from the University at Buffalo. “We’ve leveraged the network for elements of AV control since I started here in 2016, but “the last mile” has always been a challenge with classroom installs – and it’s been a bit of a tug between AV and IT. With the relatively low data rates and (short) distances we’ve previously had to cover, it made sense from a cost perspective to use a lower spec network switch in our lecterns, but some of the new AVoIP protocols have network-intense needs that have us looking at more of an “IT standard” deployment. I’m sure we’ll have a lot more to say after we finish bringing up 3 large AVoIP powered spaces encompassing ~200 streaming devices alone this summer.”
The University of Minnesota’s Bruininks Hall – an impressive building that cast an early mold for active learning design and practice comes to mind. Built in 2010, many elements of technology were just starting to leverage the network. Noah Holm shared, “We rely on OIT to provide great wifi coverage, as well as hard-wired network connections for the instructor and our dedicated AV network in most rooms. We’re fortunate to have an in-house AV installation team that’s worked over the years to collaborate with IT, especially network architects and server administrators, it’s what’s made troubleshooting AV hardware possible for several years now.”
Very recently my Dean asked me to investigate how to upgrade one of our large classrooms to a full HyFlex solution. Having been out of the classroom technology business for more years than I can count, I’ll admit to saying like, “You mean Dante is something other than part of a title of well-known literature?” I was blissfully unaware of Audinate’s Dante solution (or similar) for moving AV signals around a network… I’m lucky my friendly posse of AV experts didn’t run in the other direction!
“The Office of Instructional Resources (OIR) at UCF is unusual in that we are a full integration operation within the university,” said Don Merritt. “We were already working closely with our Telecom infrastructure group before we began integrating with Crestron’s NVX AV over the network solution. That shift really put our relationship into overdrive. We’re doing more testing and configuration collaboration than ever before.”
Several schools reported subcontracting cable and network installs, moving away from internal staff. “The goal is to shift some of the workloads off of our teams and to give the Telecom group more control into cable consistency, and an overall better relationship with the code inspection group,” said Don Merritt. Concern was voiced to the authors through several conversations that this staffing trend removes flexibility in managing large-scale projects on a campus level.
Returning to Andrea’s opening point, It’s clear that AVoIP is no longer optional. This is where the industry is going and we need to better understand the convergence to support more flexible learning experiences for our students. Andrea continued, “This (AVoIP) was a benefit for Westminster – they could now easily choose between in-person, hybrid, and online learning using a single device on the network. The Loughborough installation involved several hundred devices; it is essential to be able to manage and maintain them remotely over the university network.”
Noah made the most obvious point in favor of networked solutions, “We’re able to support a very large number of rooms with a relatively small staff,” and noted that an increasingly complex room design, if monitored remotely and proactively, can still scale. Technology classrooms have moved from a single computer tethered to a projector into mini-media stations for faculty to pull up and share assets to students whether they’re seated or at the other end of a videoconference. COVID stepped it all into high gear, and enrollment demand (particularly advanced degree students) will rely on these investments for some time to come.
A Lot More in Common Than Not
“I think that the differences between the communities tend to be a little overblown” Adam mused; “In one week, an AV expert might be asked to do some light carpentry to hang a display or projector, troubleshoot an electrical problem inducing audio noise, get a couple dozen devices active on a network, design a touch panel user interface, and program a control system to talk to a new model of projector. This can result in a reflex to play “hero” when there’s a problem, which sometimes falls out of standard IT practices. But I’m part of a generation of AV professionals that have never worked outside of an IT organization. I was expected to learn how SIP worked before I could study for my CTS! I entered the industry with the expectation that we’re a part of the IT organization, and have always had to work closely, especially with our networking and desktop support groups.”
“As technology has become core to all areas of our lives, the tolerance for downtime has practically vanished. This has resulted in a priority of selecting and implementing solutions that are scalable, available, and secure. This can result in some people who come from the traditional AV side of the house perceiving IT groups as inflexible or slow-moving, but the margins for error are so much lower. If an AV solution goes down, a class gets moved or canceled, if an IT service goes down (especially desktop imaging, networking, or similar), the university may stop business for the day.”
We all agree with Adam’s illustration and the mixing of AV and IT cultures has smoothed out significantly in the past few years. Don zeroed in on a key point with, “Most campuses still struggle a bit with “AV vs. IT” but the key is to find wins that accentuate everyone’s skillsets and expertise. For instance, we completed a project over the winter break replacing and re-imaging nearly 150 classroom console computers. This involved several OIR teams, the support zones, endpoint engineering, networking, and project management. The success of that project has really changed the dynamics among our teams, and everyone involved has been citing that project as a major shift in our cultures.”
Yup, nothing like a major cross-departmental project to make it easier to meet new people and establish new friendships. Ask anyone at a campus that has survived a major student information system upgrade! But we were still wondering if this was a challenge unique within higher education, or if it also extended to the vendor and manufacturing community.
“The merging of AV and IT has happened already in the majority of educational institutions” Andrea suggested. “In the case of WolfVision, we have not experienced any issues, and we have IT Consultants on hand that can “speak both languages” if necessary. Training is the most important piece of the puzzle.”
“Wolfvision is working with a number of schools that require full IT support and planning – ASU’s active learning classrooms and multiple rooms at Northwestern, University of Tennessee, London Business School, and so many more – all have large numbers of devices connected to the network. As a company, we’ve tried to make this a little easier by including multiple network interfaces so they are easy to connect to segmented networks without creating issues with existing infrastructure. Network IT wants and needs to know what is being put on their network – with security being the utmost concern.”
WolfVision has found that customer needs are often not only driven by a necessity to urgently address the current challenges, but also by a desire to explore how new innovations could be introduced into teaching methodology that are also beneficial for the longer term. See how three campuses in the UK are addressing these challenges, using WolfVision Cynap and document camera systems as an integral part of their hybrid learning audio visual infrastructure.
Noah reflected a common theme with, “This coming year will stretch us and we’re working more directly with IT. Pilot spaces being built and designed now are responding to demand and are being outfitted with an unprecedented amount of screens, microphones, and cameras that rely on a Zoom Room appliance to connect students and faculty from the classrooms and elsewhere. Oh, and did I mention that we’ve been supporting a BYOD environment for many years? Let’s compare notes after the start of the fall semester.”
Lessons learned?
Noah: “It’s important to have all stakeholders at the table and get buy-in from everyone involved. One cannot talk only AV without having IT involved.”
Adam: “What Noah said. You’ve got to give your organization the opportunity to deploy and support together. A common refrain from AV professionals is how late we tend to be brought in on projects, and if we make a conscious habit of including other groups as early and often as possible, it primes that behavior in the other direction as well.”
Don: “Our new Downtown Orlando campus was two new buildings and one partial retrofit done using Crestron NVX. We created a new computer experience for the classroom computer, specialized rooms to support Mock Trial and Polycom conferences, cooking and beverage labs, a maker space, and audio and video recording studios and editing rooms. All of these spaces required close coordination between us and all of the IT units. It included the creation of a new support zone where traditional IT and AV support teams are co-located for the first time. Downtown has been a great success so far, and it would take a while to list out everyone who was involved. We’re still reaping the benefits of that collaboration, and expect to see more benefits as time goes on.”
Andrea: “Indeed sometimes AV is pulled into a project later than what is ideal, but remember that vendors and manufacturers supporting these new flexible environments and are here to help.”
Don added one last nod to our AV-IT relationship theme with, “Culture change is a process done one step at a time. It also requires personal leadership. Go get coffee with your colleagues and talk about challenges. Grab a beer if you’re so inclined. But don’t forget to have those conversations with your own teams, too. Steps towards a better relationship need to be recognized on both sides, and modeling it as leaders can help keep the process moving forward when the challenges arise.”
Want to contribute to the FLEXspace Community?
The growing FLEXspace community is always looking for the latest examples of innovative and effective learning spaces. Please share your campus spaces by logging into FLEXspace.org, and contact Rebecca or Lisa if you would like to be featured in an upcoming issue of Higher Ed AV magazine.
BIOS
NOAH HOLM
Academic Technologist
University of Minnesota
Noah Holm is an Academic Technologist for the Office of Classroom Management at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. He has been working at the University since 2011 in a technology support role. In his current role, he provides wide-ranging support to faculty and staff utilizing technology to enhance teaching, while helping to develop the what’s next. https://classroom.umn.edu
ADAM PELLITTIERI
Classroom Design and Support Specialist
University at Buffalo
Adam Pellittieri is a classroom design and support specialist at the University at Buffalo. He’s been an AV/IT integrator primarily in higher education since 2012, with projects ranging from simple conference room systems to whole building rehabs. Adam holds degrees in Music and Sound Recording Technology from SUNY Fredonia and spends his spare time teaching marching band and drum corps.
DR. DON MERRITT
Director, Office of Instructional Resources (OIR)
University of Central Florida
Dr. Don Merritt directs the Office of Instructional Resources (OIR) at the University of Central Florida. OIR is the internal AV integrator for UCF, handling projects from design through installation, training, and support. Don has spoken nationally regarding accessibility, strategic planning, organizational development, classroom multimedia management, and teaching and learning strategies in media-rich environments.
ANDREA MAYER
Inside Sales Manager, CTS, CompTIA IT-Fundamentals
Wolfvision
Andrea Mayer has been with WolfVision for over 25 years, working in close contact with higher education institutions across the US, and she understands the needs and challenges these institutions are facing.
The FLEXspace Team
LISA STEPHENS, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean, Digital & Online Education
School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, The University at Buffalo
Project Director, FLEXspace.org
Lisa serves as Assistant Dean at the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences leading the Office of Digital & Online Education, and also serves as Senior Strategist for Academic Innovation in the Office of the SUNY Provost. She enjoys an appointment in the UB Department of Communication as an Adjunct Associate Professor. Her SUNY portfolio includes leadership of FLEXspace.org™ and serves as the SUNY Partner Manager for Coursera.
REBECCA V. FRAZEE, EdD
Faculty, Learning Design & Technology Program
San Diego State University
Associate Director, FLEXspace.org
Rebecca teaches in the Learning Design and Technology program at San Diego State University and is the FLEXspace.org Manager. She enjoys experimenting with new technology tools and techniques to support active learning and team collaboration in higher ed and the workplace. Rebecca is a singer and songwriter and has been having fun with asynchronous ‘socially distanced’ recording projects this year. Contact Rebecca at rfrazee@sdsu.edu, and Twitter at @rebeccafrazee.
The Flexible Learning Environments eXchange (FLEXspace.org) is an award winning community and open digital repository for higher ed that houses a growing collection of user-contributed content “by campuses for campuses,” with detailed examples of formal and informal learning spaces ranging from multimedia studios, makerspaces, computer labs, hybrid/flexible classrooms, and huddle spaces to large exhibit spaces, simulation labs and renovated lecture halls. FLEXspace was launched in 2012 as a collaboration between SUNY, the CSU Cal State University system, and Foothill-DeAnza Community College District and has since grown to include over 5000 members from 1400 campuses around the world, with PennState joining the partnership in 2019. FLEXspace won the Campus Technology Innovators Award in 2016, and the California Higher Education (CHEC) Collaborative Conference Focus on Efficiency Award in 2018.
FLEXspace users include practitioners, experts and decision makers in higher education, K-12, libraries, and museums who are focused on campus planning and facilities, learning technology, A/V systems integration, instructional design, teaching, and research. The FLEXspace portal provides a sophisticated suite of features that enables users to document and showcase their own campus learning spaces, share research, best practices and tools for planning,