The traditional classroom is slowly but surely fading away. No longer confined to four walls and a blackboard, the modern learning experience is becoming immersive, experiential, collaborative, and even fun. At the heart of this shift lie the innovative ways AV technologies are being integrated into nearly every aspect of the education experience. We speak to Aakriti Raina, Marketing Strategist at Vallect, Pankaj Bellad, Business Head at LOGIC, and SwaroopRam., Founder and Director of Sales at Ideas Ahead AV Solutions for insights on how AV technologies are shaping the future of classrooms, and opening up limitless possibilities for a diverse, digital-savvy generation of students preparing for a highly globalized world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated digital adoption of education across India. What began as an emergency response has evolved into a lasting transformation, with many institutions embracing hybrid teaching methods. This shift has democratized access to quality education, extending beyond urban centers into semi-urban and rural areas, largely driven by governmental initiatives promoting digital infrastructure development.

In classrooms across India, the traditional blackboard is fading into history. Today’s learning spaces are becoming more interactive, collaborative, and engaging through advancements in AV technology. The pandemic accelerated this transformation, turning what was once considered a luxury into a necessity for educational institutions across the country.

“The entire dynamic changed after the COVID-19 pandemic,” explains Pankaj. “The focus on education shifted dramatically, with increased adoption of hybrid teaching methods even in smaller rural areas.”

Before the pandemic, technology in education was seen as interesting but not a priority. When schools were forced to close their physical doors, educators quickly recognized the need for digital solutions. What began as an emergency response has led to a permanent change in how teachers instruct and students learn.

“Once COVID hit, the necessity for change became clear,” says Aakriti. “Educators began to recognize the real transformation that was taking place and how was benefitting them in so many ways.”

This digital transformation isn’t limited to major cities; It is spreading rapidly to semi-urban and rural areas, fuelled by the government’s push toward digitalization.

“Digital transformation is rapidly spreading beyond urban areas to semi-urban and rural areas,” notes Swaroop. “The Government’s push towards digitalization and the impact of COVID set the ball rolling.”

What was once considered a luxury available only in elite institutions has become more accessible. Educational institutes at all levels – ranging from village settings to prestigious universities – are now investing in AV technology.

“Digital classrooms were once a luxury and mostly restricted to tier-one cities,” Aakriti points out. “Today, institutes across India want these smart classrooms, regardless of location – from Bihar to the southern states, from the eastern states to Guwahati. It’s no longer restricted to premier colleges or certain areas.”

Beyond the basics: The evolution of classroom technology

Educational technology has evolved from simple projectors to sophisticated systems including video walls, interactive displays, and integrated recording solutions. These tools enable real-time collaboration across campuses, allowing institutions to share expertise and resources effectively. Modern AV systems have expanded classroom capacity, allowing a single teacher to effectively engage hundreds of students simultaneously.

The technology itself has evolved significantly. What started as simple projectors and whiteboards has expanded to include video walls, interactive displays, live streaming capabilities, recording solutions, and more.

“Earlier, the most common solutions would be something like a projector or whiteboard,” Aakriti explains. “Now client’s are looking at video walls, live streaming solutions, and intelligent technologies which are enabling teachers and students to interact in a more collaborative ways.”

These advanced systems allow educators to create more engaging lessons. Students can interact with content directly, share their screens, annotate presentations, and participate actively in ways that weren’t possible before.

One of the most significant benefits of modern AV technology is its ability to connect students and faculty across different locations. This has been particularly valuable for institutions with multiple campuses, such as the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

“For multidisciplinary discussions, there are multiple IIMs in India,” Aakriti explains. “For them to interact, they need to connect with each other – faculty with faculty, and students with students, for guest lectures. With solutions like live streaming, it’s become much easier.”

This connectivity has practical benefits beyond mere convenience. It reduces travel costs and time, allows institutions to share expert faculty, and enables more frequent collaborative sessions between campuses.

“Now good professors are in high demand,” notes Swaroop. “IIMs have already established agreements to share professors when required. Professors prefer not to travel often. Earlier, there were only six to seven IIMs; today, there are 30 or even more. So, geography is becoming a challenge.”

The future today: Emerging technologies in education

The educational technology landscape is rapidly evolving with AI-powered learning systems, virtual reality environments, and voice-controlled classrooms already being implemented. These innovations offer unprecedented immersive experiences, allowing students to visualize complex concepts and interact with educational content in revolutionary ways. Energy-efficient solutions and higher-resolution displays further enhance the learning experience while addressing sustainability concerns.

While video conferencing and interactive displays have become mainstream, several emerging technologies are beginning to make their way into educational settings. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how educational content is created and delivered. “Now that we have integrated AI technology into our displays,” Pankaj explains, “you can solve complex problems, generate written content, create quizzes, and implement gamification.”

These AI-powered systems can assist with grading, provide personalized learning paths, and even help solve complex problems step-by-step.

Virtual Reality (VR) offers immersive learning experiences that were impossible before. “In VR, you can virtually enter the respiratory system; you can see how the lungs function, how the internal organs function,” Pankaj explains.

Swaroop shares an example: “We have built a Harvard classroom in a Taj Hotel in Mumbai, which is directly taught by Harvard professors sometimes. The complete classroom is on VR, and everybody uses VR goggles.”

This technology eliminates the challanges of time zones and physical distance, allowing students to interact with professors from around the world as if they were in the same room.

Smart classrooms are becoming even smarter with voice control. “One technology finding its feet is the voice-controlled environment,” explains Swaroop. “When a professor comes in, he simply say, ‘Turn off the lights, switch on the projector,’ or ‘start recording, stop recording, ‘mute the student microphone.’ He just says what he wants to get done, and everything happens automatically.”

Sustainability is becoming an important consideration. “Energy-efficient products are something that people have started noticing,” Swaroop notes. Educational institutions are increasingly looking for technologies that not only enhance learning but also reduces their environmental footprint.

Higher resolution displays are making their way into specialized fields. “For medical colleges, we have started giving 8K displays,” says Swaroop. These ultra-high-definition screens allow medical students to see the finest details in anatomical images and surgical demonstrations.

Challenges and opportunities: Bridging the digital divide

Despite significant progress, challenges remain in the widespread adoption of educational technology. Complex user interface, system integration challanges, and budget constraints present hurdles for many institutions. Despite government initiatives, the current digital classroom penetration stands at just 9% nationwide, indicating an enormous growth potential for the future. The focus remains on establishing foundational infrastructure while working toward greater accessibility and inclusion.

Not all institutions need or can afford cutting-edge technology in every classroom. The key to successful implementation is understanding each institution’s specific needs and budget constraints.

“It’s important to first understand the client’s current ecosystem and then their specific needs,” says Aakriti. “Often, institutions show interest in high-tech options out of trend or hype, rather than genuine necessity, so a cost-effective approach is crucial.”

Swaroop describes his company’s approach: “We conduct a demonstration where we set up a workroom for half a month and gather feedback from professors and the main users. While we can’t address all feedback, we strive to find a compromise.”

Despite the enthusiasm for new technology, several challenges remain. User interface (UI) design is often a hurdle. “UIs are a little bit of what I see as a challenge,” Aakriti notes. “UIs can be quite challenging; the kind of solutions that we deliver are sometimes be a challenge for users, especially when it comes to adoption, as they are engaging with something completely new.”

Integrating new technologies with existing systems can be complicated. “Integration APIs, the current system talking to the existing systems… you have to keep both things in mind,” explains Aakriti. “What they have now, what they want, and how scalable it is for the future.”

Cost remains a significant consideration. “India has always been a price-sensitive market,” Swaroop points out. “Not many providers hold their horses when it comes to the technology, the quality, the endurance. They start compromising, drop the cost, or change the product. Users might only discover the drawbacks six to eight months or even a year later; by then, they’ve had a negative experience and may feel disillusioned, and this can tarnish their perception of all products in that category, “he says adding that if customers are educated on the reasons for higher pricing, the industry as a whole will benefit greatly. It’s important to convey that spending a larger amount isn’t always necessary, but customers need to understand the value behind their investment.

The Indian government has played a crucial role in accelerating digital adoption in education. “I would like to thank the government here first,” says Pankaj. “They are the ones who started implementing it first. The government is investing a lot of money, whether at the state or the central level.”

The National Education Policy (NEP) has made digital education mandatory, further driving this transformation. Government investments in both physical infrastructure and digital tools have set a standard that private institutions are following.

Despite the rapid progress, much work remains. “We are only at 9% penetration when we see the overall number of classrooms across India,” Pankaj reveals. “That means there is large scope also.”

While technology is helping to bridge educational gaps, ensuring equitable access remains a challenge. The focus currently seems to be on building foundational infrastructure, with more sophisticated accessibility features to follow.

“It might come in due time, but right now the focus is more towards building that infrastructure. The foundational piece needs to be in place,” says Aakriti.

As technology continues to evolve, the classroom of the future will likely become even more interactive, accessible, and personalized. Collaboration tools will continue to improve interactions between students and educators while increasing the capacity of institutions.

“With the help of AV, you can address up to 500-600 students at once, which is not possible in a normal classroom where you’re just addressing 50-60,” explains Aakriti.

Technology will also make education more inclusive for students with special needs. “Solutions that support these students, can facilitate smooth lectures and help them in navigating what’s happening in the classroom, ensuring they feel as present and engaged as any other student.”

A balanced approach

India is home to one of the largest education systems in the world. For the AV industry, this represents both a tremendous opportunity and a huge responsibility. Creating accessible, intelligent, technology-driven, and collaborative learning experiences will be pivotal in shaping the future of education.

However, with these opportunities will come the need to adopt a more holistic and balanced learning approach that will blend modern technologies with traditional learning methods, centered on human interaction and guidance that only educators can provide. As classrooms become smarter, the human element of education will remain irreplaceable.