First WolfVision vSolution MATRIX installation in Ireland at Dublin City University

Dublin City University (DCU)  is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. The university supports around 17,400 students and 1,700 staff across its Glasnevin, St Patrick’s, and All Hallows campuses. The School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health (SNPCH), located on the Glasnevin campus has gained worldwide recognition for the quality of its programmes of study in nursing, health & society, psychotherapy and sexuality studies, at Bachelor, Masters, Doctorate and PhD levels.

The Clinical Education Centre (CEC) at DCU is designed to enable students to learn the clinical skills of nursing in a safe, supportive and realistic environment. The clinical skills lab comprises a large ward area plus five adjacent interconnected rooms where students learn the clinical, technical, and interpersonal skills of nursing. Simulation-based learning is used to provide a safe and effective way to prepare students for the challenges of nursing. Learning space audio-visual systems play a crucial role here, distributing onscreen images and video between the various rooms. Previously installed systems had limited functionality, and were complex to use, and DCU were looking for a new system that would transform advanced skills teaching and learning. 

The plan for digital transformation of the CEC would align with the strategic focus of DCU’s SATLE ( Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement) by promoting active engagement with digital learning. Teachers would be able to conduct classes from any part of the room and not be restricted to the front of the classroom, promoting high levels of interaction between teachers and students, fostering a robust technology-supported atmosphere of collaborative learning. This project was significant to the University as it could be used as an exemplar for other programs and Schools who are seeking to transform skills education and teaching.

To meet their exacting requirements, DCU has installed a five workstation WolfVision vSolution MATRIX active learning classroom collaboration system – the first installation of its kind anywhere in Ireland. Already used in many of the world’s leading universities, the new system utilises WolfVision’s Cynap Pro device as a master system in the main teaching area, and with AVoIP technology, streams audio and video over network infrastructure to a Cynap Core Pro device installed in each of the five additional rooms.

Simple drag-and-drop controls enable content to be shared onscreen between any or all of the rooms. Connected IP cameras in each room can video demonstrations and practical work which is then used for discussion, interaction and assessment. Full HD video content can be recorded and/or streamed between any of the rooms. When streaming, DCU found the video streams to be virtually free of latency, avoiding any synchronisation issues that might occur when performing intricate procedures such as suturing. The in-room Panasonic and Samsung 65-inch screens display up to 4 different content sources at the same time, providing students and teachers alike with outstanding flexibility when collaborating together.

The Room View displayed on a Dell 24” touchscreen monitor in the main teaching space has been customised to accurately represent the actual layout of the CEC. It is extremely intuitive to operate, and onscreen content is simply dragged and dropped between the various rooms as required. Teachers always know how the session is progressing as all onscreen activity in any of the rooms can be viewed on the preview monitor located in the main room. Wireless connectivity is also available, which allows content from any laptop, smartphone or tablet PC to be easily shared onscreen. Support for AirPlay, Miracast and Chromecast mirroring protocols means that no pre-installation of apps or additional software, or usage of dongles is required. 

No matter whether Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or Chrome OS devices are brought to the class, all are able to share content to the display screens in the room when required. The ability to display and share up to 4 different content sources onscreen, gives students great flexibility, and enables them to access and engage with content in the format that works best for them. 

Cynap‘s interactive features and the possibility for integration with educational apps, allows learners to engage with content in ways that are useful and relevant to them. This helps to maintain motivation and interest, which is particularly important for learners with special needs. Onscreen video can be frozen and notes and annotations added to add value to the onscreen content, and a digital whiteboard can also be opened for making additional notes. Cynap allows learners to demonstrate their understanding of content in a variety of ways, including drawing, writing, and voice recording, and this accommodates students who find written expression difficult, as well as those who prefer alternative forms of communication. 

The main teaching area also uses WolfVision vSolution COMPOSER dual screen content management feature for Cynap Pro, which enables content to be prepared and previewed on a connected touchscreen display attached to the third HDMI out port on the Cynap Pro. Easy drag-and-drop gestures enable the content to be shown on either of the in-room displays as and when required – and also distributed to any of the adjacent rooms when required. 

Installation of the new system was straightforward, and could be accomplished in a matter of hours without any requirement for additional third-party programming. 

With six Cynap units in use, the system is also easy to administer using WolfVision’s vSolution Link Pro remote management software. vSolution MATRIX is a flexible system which can be configured to suit rooms of any size. Easy scalability means that up to 40 Cynap Core Pros could theoretically be deployed if required, and this would still only require a single Cynap Pro to operate as the master station. Currently recordings are only made using the Cynap Pro in the main teaching space, but the five Cynap Core Pro units can be configured to offer local recording capability by way of a feature pack upgrade, and this could be the next step for DCU to provide recording functionality in all rooms. 

Cynap is designed to be both flexible, and customizable and this allows teachers to adapt classroom sessions to the needs of individual learners. For example, if separate breakout rooms are needed, the extra five rooms can operate independently when required. If student numbers increase, DCU has the ability to stream to additional rooms. 

The WolfVision system is easy to use, but the AV Department are conducting monthly training sessions for the first year to ensure all users are trained in how best to use the room, and leverage the additional flexibility that is now available to both students and teachers.