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Register for Our Final VIBE Event on the Future of Education and Learning

AV in Education

Today is the third of our three VIBE events on “The Future of Education: Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders.” During today’s event, you’ll learn about the ways video collaboration, advanced room control, and intelligent buildings improve the learning experience while reducing the health risks for students, faculty, and staff.

You’ll also discover the strategies, tactics, solutions, and resources you can use to streamline your learners’ transition from graduation to the workplace, including:

  • 5G, 8K, and IoT
  • Augmented and virtual reality
  • Active learning 
  • Virtual field trips
  • CARES Act funding

To facilitate this discussion, we’ve gathered prominent thought leaders for a panel on innovation and insights into the ways technology will empower the future of education. Our panelists include:

  • Marci Powell, noted expert in distance learning and chair emerita of the United States Distance Learning Association
  • Jay Bosch, AVI-SPL director of business development for state/local government and education
  • John Stenzel, Legrand national accounts director
  • George Borden, NEC solutions sales architect

Stenzel and Julian will share some specific technology solutions from Legrand and NEC that you can use right now to create a better learning experience.

Register for the next VIBE event, “The Future of Education: How Technology Will Empower the Next Generation of Leaders” >

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Recap of AVI-SPL’s VIBE Event: The Future of Education

AV in Education

During the first of three VIBE events in July on the future of education, four experts in education technology got together to discuss the challenges and opportunities schools are facing in light of COVID-19.  Their talk touched on technology solutions that educators rely on to connect with and engage remote students, and that also address their health.

The panel included:

  • Marci Powell, chair emerita of the United States Distance Learning Association
  • Jay Bosch, AVI-SPL director of business development for state/local government and education
  • Cindy De Ianni, West U.S. regional GEM, sales, Poly
  • Adam Sowers, manager, consultant relations, Western region, NEC

They also looked at on-campus solutions that can connect a classroom-based educator with those in the same room as well as distance-learning students. Other topics included:

  • CARES Act funding
  • Steps schools can take to prepare for distance learning this coming semester
  • The role and capabilities of digital signage to deliver mass notification
  • Supporting immersive experiences like labs in a remote environment
  • Solutions from Poly and NEC for online and in-person learning and messaging

One of the key takeaways for me was the need for K-20 education to step up and meet the demands of next-generation learners so they can seamlessly transition into the workplace. Powell discussed the kind of technology and tactics that schools can use as part of this effort, including augmented and virtual reality, 5G networks, 8K resolution, and gamification.

You still have a couple of chances to be a part of this informative series, as AVI-SPL is hosting one on Tuesday, July 21, and on Thursday, July 23.

Register for the next VIBE event, “The Future of Education: How Technology Will Empower the Next Generation of Leaders” >

To view our Partner blog, click here

Webinar: Workforce Readiness Through Technology

AV in Education

Over the next 10 years, millions of jobs will require skilled workers, but the number of skilled workers is dropping. To meet the challenge of matching jobs with qualified people, some communities are working to grow and retain their skilled workforce with workforce readiness programs.

Join us on October 29 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET to hear how educational institutions are outfitting their learning spaces with technology to help students — young people, career-changers and mid-career experts — prepare for or continue successful careers in high-growth areas like healthcare.

This interactive, 60-minute webcast will:

  • Explore how educational institutions are using technology to attract students and keep them employed in the community.
  • Examine how smaller communities are upgrading their workforce readiness programs to better compete with larger communities.
  • Investigate how strategic investment in simulation and other technologies can result in better communication, collaboration, and training outcomes.

Register for “Confronting the Growing Labor Shortage: New Approaches to Workforce Readiness” >

About the presenters

Dr. Kecia Ray, Principal, K20 Connect
Dr. Ray is a member of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and is past president of the ISTE Board of Directors. In 2013, she was appointed by Tennessee Governor Haslam to the Advisory Council on Alternative Education and in 2014 was appointed by the Tennessee Commissioner of Education to a Personalized Learning Advisory Committee. In 2015, she was invited to serve on a U.S. Department of Education technical working group focused on evaluating education technology. Dr. Ray currently serves on the board of Learning Bird Inc. and holds advisory positions with Mackin, Inc. and H Institute Award for Excellence in Education.

She is a five-time recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award and has earned the ISTE ‘Making IT Happen’ Award. Dr. Ray was named ’20 to Watch’ by the National School Board Association, Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women, one of the top 10 EdTech Leaders by Tech and Learning magazine, and most recently was named a Top 100 EdTech Influencer by EdTech Digest. She leads K20Connect and other passion projects supporting K20 education around the world!

Jordan Myers, Regional General Manager, AVI-SPL
Jordan Myers is the Regional General Manager for AVI-SPL’s Tennessee region. AVI-SPL is the largest AV integrator in the world, providing audio-visual and collaboration solutions for corporate, higher ed, healthcare, and federal clients across the country. His team’s higher education clients include University of Tennessee, Loyola, Auburn, ETSU, Clemson and others. Previous to AVI-SPL, Jordan was a manager with Interactive Solutions, which was acquired by AVI-SPL in 2018. He also worked for DePaul University in enrollment management.

Based in Memphis, TN, Jordan has a B.A. in Public Relations and an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship, both from DePaul University in Chicago. He has his CTS certification from AVIXA, the professional AV industry’s foremost trade association.

Steven Zink – Moderator
Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Education
Steven Zink is an emeritus faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he served as the university’s first vice president of information technology, while simultaneously serving as dean, university libraries. During his lengthy tenure at the university, Zink assembled a vibrant hybrid organization of information professionals, ranging from specialists in instructional technology to librarians to information technology professionals. In 2008, the physical manifestation of the organization was realized with the opening of the widely acclaimed 300,000-square-foot Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center. From 2011-2016, he served as vice chancellor for the Nevada System of Higher Education, the coordinating body over all public institutions of higher education in Nevada.

To view our Partner blog, click here

Webinar Recording: Healthcare Simulation in Higher Education

AV in Education

Learn about the benefits of healthcare simulation technology and how it prepares future healthcare professionals and improves patient outcomes through training.

The Center for Digital Education (CDE) hosted “Future-Ready Learning: How Technology and Simulation Are Transforming Healthcare Education.” This webinar looked at the ways that healthcare simulation solutions are being applied to give competitive advantage to the colleges, universities and teaching hospitals that adopt them.

Kecia Ray, senior fellow for the CDE, led this event and was joined by an expert panel that discussed:

  • What goes into a healthcare simulation center and how instructors are using the technology in their teaching
  • Barriers to healthcare simulation technology adoption and ways to overcome them
  • How the University of Miami is using its healthcare simulation center to prepare students for the workforce

Speakers include:

  • Jim Angelillo, VP of AVI-SPL’s Advanced Visualization Group
  • Paul Metcalf, Ph.D., development director, School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Miami
  • Amar Patel, Doctor of Health and Chief Learning Officer, CAE Healthcare

Get the recording for “Future-Ready Learning: How Technology and Simulation Are Transforming Healthcare Education” >

To view our Partner blog, click here

Benefits and Examples of Virtual Reality in Higher Education

advanced visualization

Virtual reality is about creating experiences. Within higher education, those experiences can have the goal of increasing student engagement with areas of study, improving their learning outcomes and attracting prospective students to your school.

Virtual reality solutions can do more than distinguish your college or university from those who don’t have the technology. They help you keep pace with those who do and with current teaching practices. Research firm Gartner predicts that by 2021, 60% of U.S. higher-education institutions will use virtual reality systems to create simulation and learning environments. The barriers to implementing the technology fall away as the experience improves (better visual acuity and responsiveness) and prices come down,

If your department or your school has been on the fence about adding virtual reality resources to its toolkit, consider the possible applications and how they’ve been successfully implemented:

  • Recruiting students — As I noted in this post on higher ed and workforce development, some schools are using virtual reality technology to immerse prospective students in environments where they can learn and train. They also enable them to take virtual campus tours from the comfort of their home or at college fairs.
  • Preparing students for their careers — Plenty of schools — including the University of Toledo and the University of Nebraska — are using virtual reality in inspiring ways. These institutions are using virtual reality and advanced visualization to help train their medical students in safe environments. AVI-SPL played a significant role in implementing the virtual reality and visualization technology for the University of Nebraska’s iEXCEL program for healthcare education. It’s also helping the school’s medical center track human simulator data so that medical trainers understand student performance during simulation-based instruction. The same team that worked with Nebraska implemented similar solutions for the University of Toledo Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center.
  • Creating engaging education programs — There’s an application for virtual reality in many fields of study, including aerospace, architecture, biology, history, mathematics, and medicine. Learners move through and interact with environments like ancient ruins and cities, crime scenes, molecules, engineering structures, and scientific data. For the instructors, the benefits include another way to evaluate learners in competency-based simulations. At Rice University, users of the DaVinci virtual environment can walk amidst seismic data that influences drilling and acquisition decisions for the oil and gas industry.

Getting Comfortable With Virtual Reality

Understand how virtual reality is successfully being used in higher education, and you’ll have realistic expectations of what it can do to advance your program or department’s goals. I’ve included a handful of resources to help you build that confidence.

  • “Virtual Reality in Higher Education: Q&A” — Jim Angelillo, AVI-SPL VP of enterprise business development, explains the benefits of virtual reality, refers to use cases and explains AVI-SPL’s value as a partner that designs and implements these solutions.
  • “Preparing Professionals With Advanced Visualization: Q&A” — Bill Schmidt, AVI-SPL sales director, answers questions about a topic close to virtual reality: advanced visualization. He addresses the technology involved and the process of designing and building the systems.
  • “Visualization and Simulation for Research and Collaboration” — This AVI-SPL tech paper explains the value of virtual environments, and how to choose the right visualization or simulation system. It also looks at North Carolina State University and the visualization and simulation solutions that AVI-SPL implemented to improve the school’s ability to conduct research and collaborate with outside partners (including the U.S. Navy).

Work With an Expert in Virtual Reality Outcomes

AVI-SPL has teams who are dedicated to analyzing your goals when it comes to using virtual reality systems, and designing and implementing systems that will meet those goals. Share your questions and ambitions with our experts.

 

To view our Partner blog, click here

The Technology Systems Supporting Workforce Development

AV in Education

Manufacturing companies and community colleges share a problem. Schools want students to enter their career and technical programs (CTE). And companies want the students who graduate from those programs to work for them. But both must overcome the perception that these programs and jobs are meant for low-ambition people or those who are resigned to careers of low pay. A number of recent articles explore the ways companies and higher education schools are tackling this dilemma. One way is through marketing campaigns. Another is by working together so that students get hands-on experience and can learn directly from those who work for the types of businesses they want to join.

As University Business has reported, community colleges are investing in marketing campaigns that emphasize the earning potential of careers in skilled trades. Some of these efforts target demographics not traditionally associated with particular fields. Women are invited to careers like welding and manufacturing. Men are courted to become teachers and nurses. Hands-on and virtual demonstrations complement these campaigns. In one example, California Community Colleges are trying to attract students by letting them wear virtual reality goggles that simulate a lab or work environment.

A letter to the editor in the Free Press (Mankato, MN) describes the need for universities and businesses to work together on developing people ready for the workforce. The chancellor of Minnesota State, one of the country’s largest systems of two-year colleges and four-year universities, describes a challenge requiring a million jobs over the next 10 years, of which nearly 75 percent will require post-secondary education. He emphasizes the importance of public-private partnerships, some of which take the form of funded scholarships. Through government funding, Minnesota colleges can obtain equipment that students use for hands-on training.

An article in Industry Week looks at workforce development programs in Kentucky, where high schools, higher-ed institutions, and businesses combine apprenticeships, job shadowing and summer employment to prepare graduates for the workforce. GE Appliances is leading a number of these training programs, including one that will give high school students the opportunity to take a virtual tour of GE Appliances and talk with employees about their responsibilities, job opportunities, and the education and experience they’ll need. Students will also be given the chance to solve real-world problems facing the company.

As community colleges and other post-secondary schools build workforce centers to compete with for-profit trade schools, they will need to have the technology that will attract students because it takes them beyond the classroom. That technology can take the form of advanced visualization and simulation systems. It also includes video collaboration systems that bring together groups of students and mentors. AVI-SPL specializes in designing, building, integrating and supporting the technology systems that companies and schools are using to teach students so they will be ready to work in well-paying, high-demands jobs after high school or college. You can see examples of our work for North Carolina State University, Florida International University, and the University of Toledo. In each of these schools, the solutions we implemented are essential to their educational programs. Contact us at sales@avispl.com or 866-559-8197 to discuss your workforce initiatives and see which solutions AVI-SPL may provide to support them.

 

 

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