Client
Mälardalen University
Year of Completion
2020
Size of Project
Large auditoriums x 5 and classrooms, meeting rooms, computer rooms, meeting rooms, and common areas x 140
Location
Eskilstuna, Sweden
Mälardalen University is located on two sites, in Västerås and now in Eskilstuna, the location for the new “super-campus”. This innovative and ultra-modern university is poised to become a beacon of cooperative blended learning for Higher Education in Europe.
With over 17,000 students using the facilities, the university looked towards integrating leading-edge technologies to attract new students and increase retention. The AV installations were crucial to providing a future-proof solution.
The GPA team in Sweden, ITM Meeting Solutions won the public technology tender and began the ambitious project. Their job was to eliminate inefficiencies while installing standardized equipment easy for all users to adopt.
The technology setup was different in every room on the old campus. Regularly lecturers unfamiliar with the setup would need to call for support. The whole process was inefficient from a teaching and maintenance perspective.
Jonas Karlsson, IT System Administration Manager, Mälardalen University
The installation included an AV-over-IP network to manage and control the over 2000 connected endpoints with projectors and remote cameras throughout the campus. The standardized equipment was conducive to a blended learning environment with students attending in-person or via a cloud-based video conferencing service.
The lecturer manages all AV equipment via a control panel connected to the network. The IT support team can monitor the equipment via the network and quickly identify and rectify issues immediately.
With a total of 40 projectors and 7 remote cameras for live streaming installed across the facility, students and teachers can share content via HDMI or USBC using tablets, laptops, or phones. Students can also connect wirelessly throughout all classrooms and auditoriums. This way students can show lecturers their work directly from their mobile or laptop before sharing content on the big screen.
The auditoriums are equipped with remote cameras that feature integrated pan-tilt to enable recording and lecture live streaming. The university also can broadcast lectures into the other auditoriums in cases of student overflow.
With the blended learning/teaching approach, students attending class virtually must not feel negatively impacted by attending lectures remotely. As the auditoriums can hold 300 students at any time, the audio and video had to be flawless for the benefit of the students online.
To address these concerns, the team integrated a customized soundbox to keep the noise level below 30db, and the cameras were configured with pre-sets to ensure students have the best view of the lecturer at any given time.
The university will continue to attract the highest calibre of national and international students. The facility will also offer opportunities for government and public sector-sponsored ground-breaking research.
Jonas Karlsson, IT System Administration Manager, Mälardalen University
The pandemic outlined the importance and benefits of digital learning, efficiencies in meeting as well as increased productivity. Aided by the closure of education facilities over the pandemic, the complete AV network and equipment installation took only 4 months. The refresh has now been completed for the Västerås campus as well.
With the reopening of the university, the staff is familiarizing itself with the new technologies and maximizing the capabilities now available.
The new installations have set the foundation for Mälardalen University’s aspirations to become the future model for higher education in Europe. Universities that are slow to adopt these new technological solutions will no doubt be left behind.
