London Business School (LBS), located at Regent‘s Park in Central London, is consistently ranked as one of the leading business schools in the world. With around 2,200 students from 109 countries, and 166 faculty from 30 countries, it is a unique, highly successful, multicultural learning environment, where collaboration and innovation thrives. When LBS started planning a new active learning classroom, they weren‘t 100% sure which technology they wanted to install, so they decided to create a pilot space, in co-operation with integrator GV Multimedia, where a range of different technologies from different vendors could be installed and evaluated.
“We were brought in for conception in February 2018, and recommended WolfVision systems as something to explore. We then worked with the London Business School in putting together a pilot space where they could test a solution that would be suitable for the space. Through months and months of testing we established Cynap was the way to go.” Sukhjinder Basi, Account Manager, GV Multimedia.
The vSolution MATRIX system, designed and installed by GV Multimedia, comprises 2 Cynap Core units on each of the 16 student workstations, together with one main Cynap system for the lecturer, plus an additional Cynap for recording purposes. The system enables lecturers to push digital content out to all screens in the room. The screens are grouped together in either a left or right group, and this enables content to be sent either to all left-hand screens, all right-hand screens, or to both screens. When the lecturer is not pushing content out to one of the screens, the students are able to collaborate locally, using the workstations independently of the main teaching station.
Traditional column boards are installed at the front of the room, but it can be difficult for students seated at the back of the room to see what‘s being written on them, so a WolfVision Visualizer is used instead. The lecturer writes on the Visualizer dry-erase working area, and the Visualizer picks up and processes the images, which are then distributed around the screens in the room. ‘Bring your own device’ (BYOD) is encouraged at LBS, and the students use a variety of smartphones, laptops, and tablets in the active learning classroom. The Cynap Core systems support AirPlay, Miracast, and Chromecast mirroring protocols natively, ensuring quick and easy app-free, button-free wireless connection for all Apple, Android, Chromebook, and Windows devices.
When we looked at other products, their mirroring capability wasn‘t as stable as the WolfVision solution, which we found to be really solid, and that was a key component for us.”
Wayne Buttigieg Head of Infrastructure and Media Services - London Business SchoolThe room has two different configurations - Student Mode and Classroom Mode. When in Student Mode, the microphones are all disabled the students are able to book an individual table and come in and collaborate as a group. When in Classroom Mode, the microphones can be used, and the lecturer is able to run a session for the entire room, where everybody is able to hear audio from everybody else in the room. Michele Asbury, Associate Director of Learning Innovation and Design, London Business School, commenting on feedback from faculty, said, “When they come in here with the the support of the of the team that helps them to run sessions, they are overjoyed with the success of their individual sessions, and the students are buzzing with excitement when they walk into the room.”
Before faculty uses the new learning space for the first time, they are invited over to the classroom where they are given an overview of how the room operates. This ensures that faculty are comfortable with using the new technology whilst teaching. There is also a control room where administrators can monitor sessions while they are in progress, and if for any reason, a lecturer using the room for the first time needs assistance, the LBS technical support team are available to provide immediate assistance.
Michele Asbury commenting further on feedback received, said “I would say that from the students and faculty I‘ve worked with the feedback has been nothing but positive. They love what it can do for their lectures, and they are enjoying the feedback they‘re getting back from students because it is hugely positive - but also for the impact that they‘re making, and at the end of the day you know that they are world class faculty, who are getting world-class feedback from students who just love what what this room can do for them.”
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