Otto‑von‑Guericke‑University Magdeburg (OVGU) is a public research university founded in 1993 in Magdeburg, Germany. It has 12,500+ students studying for degrees in nine faculties spanning specialties in engineering, science, medicine, education, and economics. The main research areas of the university are neuroscience, biosystems technology, disease prevention, automotive research, digital engineering, and renewable energy.
Besides providing evaluation products for real world proof-of-concept testing on the University’s network, Extron stood out with their upfront support, knowhow, and design advice based on technical evaluation of the campus network topology, bandwidth, and traffic loading conditions. This ensured a flawless testing process and created the confidence needed to deploy NAV on a larger scale.
Karl Christian Balzer
IT System Administrator
Otto-von-Guericke-University
CHALLENGES
OVGU considers itself to be a face-to-face university, but also sees hybrid learning as a way to reach a more diverse and international student population. Students with permanent or temporary mobility or commuting restrictions, or those who have commitments that make it inconvenient to attend classes in person, can comfortably participate in courses and interact with their on-campus peers via video conference. Instructors benefit from the ability to reach a wider circle of interested parties, have broader options to invite expert guest speakers whose busy schedules preclude on-campus appearances, and can hone their teaching techniques by observing themselves on recorded class sessions.
The campus has more than 100 rooms equipped with audiovisual teaching technology. These include large and small seminar rooms, lecture halls, conference rooms, and the Campus Welcome Center. The university adopted a long-term initiative to upgrade and standardize all AV systems across the campus to enable hybrid learning and to make AV system support more efficient. The University’s in-house IT/AV department designed and installed the upgraded AV systems in consultation with key AV equipment suppliers, including Extron.
A key design requirement for the AV upgrade entailed distribution of AV content over the university’s existing enterprise network to take advantage of inherent cost savings from using existing physical cable plant infrastructure. Multiple AV over IP solutions were tested on the university network. Extron NAV® Pro AV over IP was selected for its demonstrated reliability and the high image quality produced by the PURE3® codec on the converged network.
DESIGN SOLUTION
A range of Extron technologies were used to outfit the upgraded AV systems. The NAV system is the AV over IP switching and distribution backbone. At the endpoints are DMP Plus audio DSP processors, NetPA® amplifiers, ShareLink® Pro presentation systems, SMP streaming media processors, and MediaPort® USB scaling bridges. Controlling it all are IPCP Pro xi Series control processors, TouchLink® Pro touchpanels, and GlobalViewer® Enterprise (GVE) AV resource management software.
Large Rooms Benefit from NAV Pro AV over IP Flexibility and Scalability
The NAV Series, with its flexibility to easily add or remove endpoints as needed, performs AV signal switching and distribution in large classrooms and lecture theaters. The NAV System also anchors AV in the Campus Welcome Center. AV sources send HDMI content to the AV over IP network through NAV E 101 encoders. AV destinations receive HDMI content from NAV SD 101 scaling decoders. The NAVigator System Manager configures, manages, and controls the NAV endpoints and is fully integrated with the Extron Pro Series control system.
AV-Equipped Instructor Desk. Audiovisual teaching content originates at the instructor desk. Several AV sources are available: a PC, a guest laptop plugged-in at a desktop Cable Cubby®, a document camera, and a ShareLink® Pro 1100 for wireless sharing from portable devices. To support hybrid learning sessions via Zoom and BigBlueButton®, the desk contains a MediaPort 300 that interfaces the AV system via USB to UC software codec conferencing applications that run on the instructor desk PC or laptop. NAV E 501 encoders and NAV SD 501 scaling decoders route USB content over the network to the MediaPort units.
Recording and Streaming. AV content from any of the large rooms can be recorded and/or live streamed by a central bank of SMP 352 streaming media processors. DXP 42 HD 4K PLUS matrix switchers determine whether the SMP 352s receive instructional content or PTZ camera content, both supplied over the network.
Microphones, PTZ Cameras, and Projectors Support Hybrid Learning. The large rooms include mics, cameras, ceiling speakers, and projectors that allow interaction between those in the room and those attending remotely. Wireless microphones allow instructors and presenters to be heard clearly by those in the room and by remote attendees. Wide coverage ceiling array microphones capture other sounds in the room to allow remote attendees to experience in-room ambiance.
A PTZ camera can aim at pre-programmed locations or track the motion of presenters. Projectors display instructional material and/or teleconference video delivered via the AV over IP network. Lecture halls are equipped with two projectors; the second projector is a backup for the primary projector.
Presentation Switchers Benefit Small Rooms
In the small rooms, four-input IN1804 DO scaling switchers perform AV signal switching and DTP2 distribution of AV content over CATx cable. In most other respects, the small rooms have the same AV system amenities as the large rooms, including a diverse selection of AV content sources, audio capabilities, projectors, and video conferencing that supports hybrid learning.
In keeping with the reduced needs of the small rooms, the instructor desks don’t include PC’s, instead relying solely on BYOD laptops. Wireless microphones are not used, nor are PTZ cameras. MediaPort 200’s with 2K video resolution support videoconferencing instead of the 4K MediaPort 300’s used in the large rooms. Also, the small rooms do not currently connect to the bank of SMP 352’s that perform recording and streaming.
AV System Control
IPCP Pro 250 xi control processors operate the AV systems in both the large and small rooms. In some buildings, the existing building automation system is integrated with the Extron control system, allowing control of room lighting and raising/lowering projection screens from the AV system touchpanels.
The large rooms have 12″ Ultra‑wide TouchLink Pro touchpanels with connectivity to the AV over IP network that enables users to monitor content either windowed or full screen on the touchpanel screen. 7″ TouchLink Pro touchpanels provide the operator interface in small rooms.
OVGU media technicians are Extron trained and certified on Global Configurator Professional and also hold Extron Authorized Programmer certification that enables access to all features of Extron’s ControlScript utilities, and the ControlScript® Python library for programming Extron Pro Series control systems. The University’s own staff creates, manages, and deploys all of the Extron AV control systems on campus. They develop their own touchpanel GUIs in close collaboration with university instructors, which enhances the overall user experience and streamlines changes and updates. Taking AV system maintenance efficiency a step further, OVGU also deployed GlobalViewer® Enterprise AV resource management software to monitor and maintain all AV-equipped rooms remotely from a centralized help desk location.
Room Scheduling
In addition to incorporating Extron AV solutions in learning spaces across the campus, OVGU uses Extron room scheduling technology, including Room Agent™ software and TLS TouchLink scheduling panels. Users can make reservations directly from these panels, from a computer, or a smartphone or tablet. Scheduling panels at room entry doors show red and green backlighting to indicate occupancy status. The customized user interface on the scheduling panels shows booking time availabilities and titles of courses and events scheduled for the rooms.
RESULTS
As expressed on the OVGU’s web page, Digital Teaching at OVGU, the University sees digitization as an opportunity to react to the changing demands of students and teachers and to address the diversity of both groups of stakeholders in its teaching. The University has translated this philosophy into action, continually upgrading the digital tools that it provides to faculty and students and providing technical support to users so they can effectively use the technology to create the best academic achievement outcomes.
An important component of the digital toolbox is the array of audiovisual teaching systems used to convey information to in-person attendees in classrooms and lecture halls, as well as to remote attendees through hybrid learning that includes real time videoconferencing and on-demand recordings. The University continues its campaign to upgrade its AV systems to the latest Extron technology, methodically working its way through the many instructional spaces until conversion is completed campuswide.
From design through commissioning and continuing into day-to-day use of audiovisual systems by instructors and students, the University has expressed complete satisfaction with Extron’s product performance, reliability, ease of use, and Extron’s technical support. This has created a professional relationship that will continue well beyond current AV upgrade projects.
Using Global Configurator Pro and IP Link Pro xi control processors enables the University to create, manage and deploy all AV control systems without having to bring in third party programmers. OVGU in-house media technicians attained Extron Control Professional Certification through instructor led and on-line training, which prepared them to perform these tasks themselves.
Richard Zabries
Media Technician
Otto-von-Guericke-University
- AVNation Staff
- AVNation Staff
- AVNation Staff
- AVNation Staff
