Commercial Integrator May 2022 - 22

Hybrid Learning
K-12 vs. Higher Education
Is there a meaningful difference in hybridlearning
opportunities for K-12 clients
versus those for higher-education clients?
Among our interviewees, the answer is yes.
Vistacom's Boyer remarks, " ...[E]ducation
in K-12 - especially in the primary school
grades - can suffer dramatically when we
only use remote learning. Young students
do not have the attention span and focus
to learn this way. " Although the youngest
students really must learn in a classroom, he
says, some middle school and high school
students have proven they can do well in
a hybrid environment. He points to the
possibility that snow days might soon be a
thing of the past; instead, young students
can continue their education from home.
AVIXA's Wargo argues that dollar for
dollar, we can expect greater hybridlearning
expenditures in the highereducation
space simply because of the naAlthough
the process will take time, it sure seems like the traditional classrooms of yesteryear
- complete with rudimentary whiteboard and markers - are fading into extinction.
ture of K-12 learning. K-12 is about scalability,
he observes; moreover, public schools
must achieve an equality and universal
access. And, of course, not every student
Shure on the Stem Ecosystem Conference Room System
Whether students are in the classroom or connecting remotely, audio components
must be able to adapt to the real-world conditions of hybrid learning. Shortfalls in
classroom audio can have negative impacts on remote learning and lecture capture
- for both students and professors.
Distance-learning classrooms must remain adaptable. For example, a room might
be used for a talk-to-the-screen videoconference one day, a training session with an
in-room presenter the next day and a hybrid class with a remote instructor the day
after that. Audio/video needs for distance learning present unique sound-reinforcement
opportunities, where the addition of remote participants may be introducing
passive listeners or discussion leaders.
Choose microphones and audio DSP that offer a wide array of capabilities to accommodate
the expectations and limitations posed by the room. Adapting to these
needs might dictate overhead microphones, wireless table microphones, a wall
microphone - or a combination. What works in a spacious lecture hall with treated
acoustics may not be right for a more intimate classroom with a glass wall.
The Stem Ecosystem conference room system from Shure is a vital enabler of
distance learning. It comprises a modular set of high-quality, mix-and-match audio
devices that create integrated solutions for collaborative classrooms of various sizes,
configurations and use cases. Stem Ecosystem Platform tools (Stem RoomDesign,
RoomAdapt, RoomCheck and Remote Management) assist with installation, calibration
and management in support of Stem Speaker, Wall, Table, Ceiling, Hub and
Control devices. The portfolio delivers an optimal audio experience for both remote/
distance and in-room students, blocking out ambient noise such as street traffic,
dogs barking and audio outside the room.
If you want to learn more about Shure's audio systems for hybrid and distance learning,
please visit Shure.com/en-US/conferencing-meetings/room-type/education.
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Commercial Integrator MAY 2022
is technology-conversant or connected to
reliable, high-speed internet.
L3AV's Maltese picks up on the limitations
of hybrid learning for younger students.
" K-12 instructors have so much going
against them, " he says. With K-12 students
being less engaged when doing hybrid
learning, teachers working to foster that
engagement end up experiencing burnout.
Maltese continues. " Creating engaging
content for six hours every school day is a
very tall order for teachers that are already
overworked and underappreciated. " He
contrasts that with college professors, who,
he says, might only provide three hours of
instruction per section per week. " So, " Maltese
adds, " reimagining how that material
[could] be delivered over a distance-learning
methodology in a meaningful way is a
more realistic task. "
Solutionz's Askew offers a different
vision, saying that the recipe for K-12 may
be less about using hybrid-learning technology
to teach students in their homes
and more about transporting them in the
classroom to faraway places, thus broadening
their education journey. " Bringing
world-class educators into the classroom
and offering virtual field trips to students
[to] remote areas, like Alaska, transforms
their educational experience, " Askew
declares. He cites the Grand Canyon as
a prime example, saying, " ...[R]eading
about [it] is not the same as virtually flying
over the Canyon and seeing the entire
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COURTESY OF LEVEL 3 AUDIOVISUAL.
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Commercial Integrator May 2022

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