The Power of Integrated AV Experiences in Higher Education

Pam Taggart of AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association™, discusses how integrated AV experiences are transforming universities from just places to get a degree into thriving learning communities that set the course for sustained innovation.  

A new generation of students has arrived. They’re glued to their smartphones and grew up experiencing the world through multiple screens. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that they want something more than the traditional education experiences like the well-worn classroom lecture or the stately campus library. Students use mobile devices to socialise, handle their finances, keep in touch with parents, and much more. They communicate face to face — even when they’re miles away from each other. They expect brilliant high definition everywhere they look and a soundtrack that fits in with their lives. Using new technology throughout higher education represents a natural progression for a generation that favours digital platforms.

Today’s connected students are looking for meaningful, immersive experiences that impact their learning and their lives. They’re used to consuming audio and video information at the swipe of a finger or touch of a button, and they want that in their physical world, from classrooms to public spaces. Students seek interactive learning with peers and faculty members — simulations, games, audiovisual (AV) collaboration — that will help them solve problems and retain vital information. Research bears this out.

The American Cognitive psychologist Richard Mayer of the University of California, Santa Barbara has explored the link between multimedia exposure and learning. His experiments prove that students who get information in multisensory environments do better than those who perceive information through one sense. Mayer found that recall through multisensory stimulation is more accurate, detailed and longer lasting — even 20 years into the future. One’s problem-solving ability improves, too, helping students generate up to 50 percent more creative solutions.

The growth of online degree programs and distance learning has also contributed to heightened expectations. What was once considered a niche channel for delivering education content has rapidly become mainstream. Now, students want more than one-way exposure to knowledge — they demand the kind of engaging experiences that they enjoy outside the classroom. Higher education institutions that embrace experiential AV drive student engagement and retention.

Some of the most powerful benefits of integrated AV experiences in higher education include better collaboration, improved listening, interactive learning through visualization, and the opportunity for more effective pedagogies supported by technology. In short, schools that reimagine experiences

• attract the best students and help them achieve their full potential

• transform the student-teacher relationship in active-learning classrooms where technology fades into the background

• create unique spaces that enhance learning through multisensory stimulation

• immerse the entire university community — students, parents, alumni, partner businesses and thought leaders — in integrated experiences that go beyond campus.

The combination of compelling content, thoughtful use of space, and modern technology represents the core of today’s integrated learning experience. When students consider higher education campuses, they look for signs that the learning experience will be interactive, collaborative – and audiovisual.

Co-written by Pamela M. Taggart, who is a Senior Director of Development Europe at AVIXA

https://www.avixa.org

About AVI XA

Avixa is the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association™, producer of InfoComm trade shows around the world, co-owner of Integrated Systems Europe, and the international trade association representing the audiovisual industry. Established in 1939, AVIXA has more than 5,400 members, including manufacturers, systems integrators, dealers and distributors, consultants, programmers, live events companies, technology managers, content producers, and multimedia professionals from more than 80 countries. AVIXA members create integrated AV experiences that deliver outcomes for end users. AVIXA is a hub for professional collaboration, information, and community, and the leading resource for AV standards, certification, training, market intelligence and thought leadership. Additional information is available at https://www.avixa.org