Extron AV Switching and Control Help Phoenix College Maricopa IT Institute Create a Skilled IT Workforce

Phoenix College recently opened the Maricopa IT Institute, a facility dedicated to training students to become credentialed IT professionals who can satisfy burgeoning demands from area businesses for such workers. The Institute’s building is packed with IT, AV, and network technology. The AV systems not only support classroom lesson delivery but also serve as a real-life testbed where students can get hands-on lab experience. Much of the AV tech that students encounter in their studies is Extron switching and control equipment. Over 150 pieces of Extron equipment are used in the IT Institute’s AV systems. Phoenix College’s AV Project Manager Chuck Fortino and Audiovisual Coordinator Henry Denman oversaw AV and IT system design and installation, with assistance from the IT Department staff and technology integrator Aspen Technologies.

According to Henry Denman, Audio-Visual Coordinator at Phoenix College and lead AV designer for the Maricopa IT Institute, “The IT Institute AV systems rely on Extron switching, distribution, and control. All rooms network to our GlobalViewer Enterprise server, allowing us to monitor and control the AV systems remotely for maintenance and to help faculty operate the AV. This is very important since we are located offsite at our main campus three miles away.”

All classrooms have an instructor podium that supplies AV program content from a PC, document camera, or external sources. An Extron IN1804 or IN1806 Presentation Switcher in the podium selects among the sources. Content is fed to the podium touchscreen display via HDMI, and to the room displays over shielded twisted pair cable using Extron DTP transmitters and receivers. The podiums contain a TLP Pro 725M 7″ touchpanel that works with an IPCP Pro control processor to control system power, source selection, volume, and the projection screen. FF 220T wide dispersion speakers, driven by XPA 1002 amplifiers, provide consistent sound levels across the listening area. OCS 100C occupancy sensors automatically turn off all classroom technology when the rooms are empty.