Q & A; The AV Future of Education

There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed the way universities can reach students. Pre-pandemic, unless students attended a completely virtual university, they had to attend classes in person, which limited the flexibility of the students and staff. During the pandemic, everything went virtual and students and staff could be in their homes learning and teaching. When the world started opening up, students were given the opportunity to learn in a hybrid model, some in the classroom if they felt comfortable going to class in person, and some still at home. With the help of AV technology, learning and teaching is now more interactive and engaging than ever.

Many in the AV industry might be familiar with the innovative work and reporting of Gary Kayye, founder of rAVe pubs and teaching assistant professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC). Pre-pandemic, you probably saw Gary and his dedicated rAVe crew conducting camera interviews at major industry trade shows such as InfoComm and the Digital Signage Expo. With his first-hand experience in academia, we thought it would be compelling to get the inside scoop from Gary on how AV is shaping the future of education and learning. We hope you find his perspective as insightful as we did!

Sharp: As someone who’s in the AV space and teaches at a university, what major trends are you seeing right now?

Gary: During the Spring of 2021, UNC allowed staff and students to return to the classroom at 50% capacity, and considering many students wanted to be back on campus, I had to create a rotating schedule to decide which students were allowed to come in person on which days. It was during this period that I built a true “hyflex” classroom to meet the needs of my students, and I can confidently say I see the future of education trending towards this kind of model. A true hyflex classroom can add additional revenue streams for universities and needed flexibility for students and staff.