On Higher Ed Tech: Sony Electronics

AVT Question: Please share insight and best practices for designing the higher ed classroom for today and the future.

Thought Leader: Terrence Boyd, Senior Business Manager at Sony Electronics

The future is flexible, agile, and accommodating, and modern classroom design and implementation must embrace this same philosophy. Remote and hybrid learning are here to stay and it’s imperative to have accessible solutions in place that afford all students with a similar experience, regardless of where they’re located.

Designing a classroom that offers an inclusive and user-friendly learning environment requires proper planning and analysis on the front end. A focus on return on objective (ROO) can help set the framework for a successful refresh or a greenfield project. This is defined by identifying your goals, use cases, and expected outcomes and determining how you measure those results. Work toward SMART objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. It seems obvious, but speak with key stakeholders who will use the space—IT, professors, students, or staff—who will interact with and benefit from a successfully redesigned classroom. Once the space is in use, check back in with those same critical users to ensure everything is working as expected and nothing can be improved upon. Feedback and analysis are an important part of the learning journey. Data and analytics are often readily available but under-utilized sources for measuring, analyzing, learning, and improving.

Another factor in preparing for the future is choosing technologies that are scalable and can grow with a user as their needs evolve. Consider updatable and upgradable hardware and software. Additionally, cloud-based and remote solutions can afford more flexibility that allows classrooms to prepare for and move into the future more easily.