An innovative and thoughtful AV design delivers a futuristic classroom experience for one of India’s premier management institutes. Nishita H. Kalita reports.

Think management education and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are almost always the first to come to mind. Every year, scores of students from all walks of life aspire to join these prestigious institutions. But today, the IIMs are more than centers of academic excellence; they are leading the way in embracing new, intelligent AV technologies and transforming into futuristic learning environments. Swaroop C.R., Founder and Director of Sales at Ideas Ahead AV Solutions, shares insights on designing and implementing a modern classroom solution tailored to the specific needs of IIM Visakhapatnam (Vizag).

A futuristic campus takes shape

IIM Vizag first started on the campus of Andhra College before moving to a 240-acre campus on the city’s outskirts. “We were introduced to IIM Vizag by IIM Bangalore, who was entrusted with mentoring them in the initial stages. We already had a working relationship with IIM Vizag when they approached us to design a futuristic solution for their new campus,” notes Swaroop.

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Swaroop and his team designed a solution that won over the board of directors, leading to their selection as the AV systems integrator for the project after a competitive tender process. “For phase 1, we worked on AV systems for 24 classrooms across three academic blocks, an administrative block, and multiple meeting and board rooms. Phase 2 is in progress,” he explains.

Smart design

What makes IIM Vizag’s AV solution design unique? Swaroop explains: “The design of the classroom AV system seamlessly integrates various AV products from the market, each playing a specific role and coming together to create a functional, user-friendly environment that is extensively used.”

Downtime was not an option, so the system has built-in redundancy to minimize downtime. “It was important to integrate inventory into the design to ensure replacements are readily available in case of failures,” he adds.

Swaroop describes the classroom layout: “The seating is tiered, with a specially designed podium that includes a foldable laptop shelf and an interactive monitor. Instead of using a traditional board, professors can annotate their PowerPoint presentations directly on the Wacom Monitor. If the overhead lights reflects on the monitor and bothers the professor, the podium has two switches to control the overhead light. You also have a USB port for easy access to the room’s PC, a sliding tray for the keyboard and mouse, and space for microphones, all operated via an Extron 10-inch TLP Pro 1025M touch panel.”

Clear sight lines

Good sight lines are fundamental to an effective classroom experience, Swaroop notes. “The tiered seating layout ensures that all students have an unobstructed view of the video content on show. Those seated at 90 degrees have the best visibility, while off-axis positions may experience a slight strain. To keep this compromise minimal, we included two wall-mounted 110″ Elite Saker Tab Tension projection screens on both sides of the centered whiteboard like an arc, ensuring all students could view the monitors clearly.” The classroom also included a 75″ Christie UHD752-L confidence monitor to help professors keep track of the slides they’re presenting without turning around.

The classroom features two Epson EB-800F ultra-short throw 4000 Lumens projectors just 1.5 feet from the wall. Swaroop highlights that these projectors solve a common issue with traditional models, which are usually placed 15 feet away from the screen and are often obstructed by professors standing in front of them. “These ultra-short throw projectors allow for large image projection, as long as the professor stays out of the direct light path,” he notes. Swaroop also underscores Epson’s strong reputation and local support in Vizag as key factors in their choice. “Local service was essential; other top brands are available but don’t offer support here,” he explains.

Natural dialogue

When it came to audio, Swaroop explains that the Institute wanted to create an environment for natural conversation that was “akin to talking to one another in the room. To ensure smooth sound for the tiered seating classroom, we used a multi-audio system with QSC AD-S162T and AD-S802T modular column array loudspeakers and AD-C6T ceiling speakers for consistent sound pressure levels (SPL) at every seat. We also treated the acoustics and optimized speaker placement to achieve a speech transmission index (STI) of six for enhanced intelligibility.”

Unclipped and unstoppable

“At IIM Vizag, professors often move around and emote with expressive gestures. To keep them in focus, we used the HuddleCamSimplTrack2 auto-tracking camera, with a unique tracking technology that tracks the professor without the need for wearables,” details Swaroop, adding that the camera frames the lecturer by analyzing the body movements, zooming in on the upper half of the professor’s body for tight, close-up framing and tracking.

A “trigger point” is set to prevent the camera from mistakenly tracking students who may happen to be nearby. “When the professor stands at the podium for 30 seconds, the camera follows him,” explains Swaroop, stating the assumption that students will not approach the podium since the IIMs are a professional setting. When the professor leaves, the camera resets to its home position.

A key requirement for many lady professors in traditional attire, like sarees, was the ability to move freely without clips or wires attached to their clothing. Swaroop highlights how RevoLabs’ lightweight wireless HD microphones, initially deployed at IIM Bangalore, addressed this challenge and received raving feedback from faculty. “These devices don’t need to be clipped on and come with a lanyard. A dual-channel rack-mount system supports two wireless microphones, one always charging while the other is in use, allowing professors to easily swap microphones when one runs low on battery. Additionally, a classroom compounder monitors all equipment, ensuring an operationally smooth teaching experience.”

Boosting student engagement

Questions, conversations, and the exchange of ideas: active learning truly thrives on student interaction. “The institute wanted a solution that encourages natural dialogue. So, we moved away from traditional handheld microphones that often disrupt the flow of dialogue and installed four ClearOne BMA 360 beamforming microphone array ceiling tiles in the 100-seater classroom and three in the 75-seater classrooms,” explains Swaroop, noting that ClearOne was chosen for its competitive pricing and excellent warranty.

When a student speaks, the ClearOne ceiling microphone detects the audio source and provides coordinates to the two overhead Panasonic AW-HE38 Full HD PTZ cameras which adjust focus automatically, and zoom in on the student speaking.

Capturing whiteboard visual aids

Lecture recording along with capturing the visual aids was another crucial requirement. “The faculty wanted to capture everything written on the whiteboard with a regular marker while achieving true-to-colour recordings,” says Swaroop. Enter Kaptivo for HDMI Room Systems, a whiteboard capture system designed for precisely this. The Kaptivo system features a compact camera that attaches to the top of a whiteboard and automatically streams content in real-time. But how exactly does it work? Swaroop explains that it automatically captures everything written on the whiteboard, including the presenter’s hand, which is then electronically removed for a beautifully clean display of the content, adding, “It also enhances the written text.”

Campus-wide communication

Moving on from the classrooms, Swaroop discusses the public address (PA) system installed in the director’s office. “PA systems are usually used for audio announcements, but the director wanted students to be able to ‘see and hear’ important announcements and speeches. To achieve this, we used the Aurora Multimedia En/Decoder with video functionality, allowing the director and other guests to broadcast messages via audio and video in real-time across all AV enabled rooms throughout the entire campus from within the director’s office.”

Empowering flexibility

The classroom AV systems were designed for flexibility with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) capabilities. Swaroop emphasizes how BYOD allows professors to present in various ways: “They can use the classroom computer, USB drives, or personal devices like laptops and tablets. Even photos taken on an iPhone can be projected directly on the screen.” He also mentions that all classrooms have BYOM capabilities, which are compatible across major platforms such as MS Teams, Zoom, Webex, and Google Meet. While the system is designed to be platform-agnostic, he notes that some features may not function with less common platforms like GoTo Meeting.

The controls

Swaroop highlights that each classroom has a small, independent control system, monitored by a central “big brain” Extron control system, which also integrates with the Global Viewer campus monitoring system. This “big brain” not only oversees the smaller classroom systems but also ensures security by powering down systems while the classrooms are locked over the weekends. “If there’s an attempt to disconnect or turn on the equipment, an alarm notifies the admin.”

All classroom lectures are recorded and stored on the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS). “The LMS captures everything – from the professor’s facial expressions and audio to what is written on the whiteboard, all in a picture-in-picture format which is easily accessible. If a student is absent, they can easily access the recorded material, and faculty can use analytics to track student engagement and identify areas where they may need extra support. ”

In conclusion, Swaroop says, “The results speak for themselves. These were new classrooms, and we had complete freedom to innovate and design a modern classroom that augments teaching and boosts engagement. The Institute is pleased with the outcome, and we take great pride in designing such a dynamic, interactive, and futuristic learning environment that continues to create limitless possibilities every day for teachers and students alike.”