Developing innovative Educational Technology with Sony

With Post-Covid 19 adaptations in full swing, the implications of disruption to education across the higher education sector is very much at the forefront of discussion. Institutions are still in recovery mode, dealing with surging cases of Covid and staff shortages, which risk inequitable learning experiences for students.

The closures of university campuses and face to face teaching shifting to an online format gave education leaders a unique insight into the student’s experience and the direct implications this learning format has on attainment and achievement.

A pedagogical study by Aston University’s 151 Bioscience students explored experiences of studying from home, and the impact of the lockdown on mental wellbeing and quality of life.?Analysis of the survey data revealed that from a technology and connectivity perspective, the majority of students faced no issues, predominantly stating that they felt this was due to their high speed and robust home internet connections.

Shifting to remote learning and online classrooms uncovered conflicting preferences. Despite wanting more interactive lectures, only half of the students were comfortable interacting using video cameras. Free text responses provided an insight into why, with some students reporting an inadequate home working space/environment and lacking necessary items such a desk. This highlights how remote working may intensify social and digital inequality - particularly for students from more deprived households.

Many universities are embracing hybrid course delivery, allowing students some of the flexibility afforded by remote study, whilst also providing the benefits from the on-campus facilities. Moving forward, especially in the current competitive higher education market, where student attraction and retention is key, educational leaders, IT integrators and HR representatives need to be all present in the decision-making processes when considering student demographics and digital equity to ensure an appropriate approach is applied to cater for all students.

When the pandemic hit, immediate contingency plans were put in place so students were able to continue accessing their studies via a digital interface. This ‘emergency response’ included the desperate attempts to bridge the technological divide in education in a few short weeks. This led to the mass buying of laptops, tablets, 4G routers, classroom video conferencing devices and collaboration displays.

Now over two years later, questions have begun to arise on whether the technologies purchased are fit for purpose and meet the expanding needs of the institutions moving forward. Transforming teaching and learning with creative solutions to engage and inspire every student is a vision companies such as Sony take very seriously.?

Working alongside institutions to develop their innovative educational technology, Sony offers a plethora of hybrid learning AV solutions. This ranges from high brightness projectors for promoting lessons, microphones with inbuilt speech reinforcement to AI powered Edge Analytics appliance for simplifying the creation of impactful video presentation content with less use of expensive resources.

Sony’s flexible, easy to use remote learning solutions gives students instant access to high quality academic content on their laptop, phone, or tablet, whenever and wherever they want it. This provides smarter ways to help universities manage infection risks, maintain continuity of teaching and stay competitive in a changing higher education landscape.?

Showcase lecture content with high-contrast, high-quality projectors.

Sony’s range of reliable, easy-to-use projectors include tailored solutions for learning environments. Its cutting-edge technology produces consistently clear, colour-rich images that fill even large lecture theatres to ensure no detail is missed, while intelligent settings optimise performance and simplify operation.?

Improve the campus experience with BRAVIA 4K Professional Displays

Sony’s range of BRAVIA professional displays are ideal for a variety of different applications, including digital signage and smaller study spaces. 4K - four times the resolution of Full HD - produces detailed pictures, while simple integration with existing AV systems streamlines content sharing for greater efficiency and productivity for staff and students navigating the campus.

What next?

Get in contact with Maverick to find out how we can help to transform your educational environment.

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Visit Sony’s Website to explore the latest tools and techniques.

Read more about How Sony Professional Displays and Solutions is supporting remote and hybrid learning for Universities across Europe -?