How Sony Professional Displays and Solutions is supporting remote and hybrid learning for Universities across Europe

10^th May 2022, Weybridge UK – Sony has today announced the momentum it has experienced in the Education sector across Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic to support universities in offering students the best learning experience. Sony has seen a growing demand for its education solutions and technology to not only support universities during remote learning, but also modernise in preparation for the future of a more blended and hybrid learning approach.

Comillas University in Spain, The University of Lausahttps://pro.sony/en_GB/education/education-insight/comillas-pontifical-university-hybrid-learning-solutionnne in Switzerland, and Institut Catholique de Lille in France have all reaped the benefits of working with Sony to react and prepare amidst this new drive for hybrid learning.

The prestigious Comillas University, with over 15,000 students in Spain, required cameras and microphones that offered the closest experience possible to physically being in class. The University therefore decided to fit out its 228 classrooms for this bimodal set-up with Sony SRG cameras and Sony MAS-A100 hands-free beamforming microphones.

Luis Francisco Blanco, CIO of Comillas University, explains: “Following the COVID-19 crisis and seeing that we would need to continue teaching our students from home, we started to plan possible future scenarios back in May 2020. We got in touch with various providers that could offer solutions to meet our needs. When we saw the possibilities afforded by Sony solutions, we didn’t think twice. We wanted to offer an experience that was as close as possible to physically being in class and, with Sony, we have achieved that. Comillas University has developed a system called simultaneous bimodality which consists of half virtual and half physical contact with the students to make sure they all receive the optimal experience from us regardless of where they are.”

The University of Lausanne in Switzerland, the leading higher teaching and research institution home to approximately 15,000 students, opted for a tailor-made solution including Sony’s Edge Analytics tool with tracking and handwriting extraction, that enables the presenter to deliver engaging and compelling video content for its students, and SRG cameras for their powerful optical zoom, full HD image quality and wide viewing angle to ensure crisp image capture from a distance. The lessons are filmed and uploaded into UbiCast Media Server, orchestrating every phase of producing and delivering pro-quality video content for students.

“The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rethink of the way we and other educators interact with our students, so we went looking for a solution that not only supported every area of our University, but crucially could also be delivered before the start of the new term. Our long-standing and trusting relationship with Sony made us very confident that they would be able to deliver a solution tailored to our requirements and for our 15,000+ students in these unprecedented times.” Comments Olivier Grosjean from the University of Lausanne.

Since implementing the solution, the University has seen some impressive statistics, including over 12,000 videos added, 9 million video views, and 5 million unique visits from its students. It has also benefited from broadcasting and recording capabilities which were not present before, and the level of interactivity between students and teachers has seen a significant increase.

Founded in 1875, the Institut Catholique de Lille [Lille Catholic University] is a multidisciplinary institution that brings together five faculties, schools, and institutes with more than 12,000 students undertaking 90 training programmes in 2021. These entities are referred to as EESPIG (Etablissements d’enseignement supérieur privé d’intérêt général – Private higher education institutions of general interest).

The Institut Catholique de Lille is also home to a hospital complex (three hospitals – 1,000 beds), three retirement homes (700 beds), an Institut Thérapeutique Educatif et Pédagogique [Therapeutic, educational and pedagogical institute] and two social innovation communities, known as ESPIC (Ensemble de santé privé d’intérêt collectif – Private health complex of collective interest).

The Institut Catholique de Lille has chosen Sony products and solutions to equip its learning spaces, including lecture theatres, classrooms, and learning labs, etc. More than 150 rooms have been equipped with Sony projectors for a number of years. The University is continuing this trend by equipping its new premises with more recent Sony technologies, such as the VPL-PHZ50 3LCD laser projector. At the same time, in the interest of co-modality, it is equipping rooms with Sony BRC-X400 and BRC-X1000 PTZ cameras to offer the teachers and users the best possible experience, whether they are present in the room or viewing remotely. The establishment is also testing MAS-A100 beamforming microphone products in its studios to record audio alongside video capture and to allow for live streaming.

“Although we were already looking to invest in technology with a view to offering a hybrid learning model combining in-person teaching and remote learning, the COVID-19 pandemic enabled us to intensify and speed up the roll-out of certain solutions and new installations, such as our recording studios. Sony guided us through this process and helped us to address the teaching challenges encountered during the pandemic. The Institut Catholique de Lille was therefore able to ensure that teaching could continue right from the first lockdown, much to the satisfaction of our 12,000 students,” states Vianney Delory, Head of Learning Environments and Multimedia at the Institut Catholique de Lille.

Alexandra Parlour, European Marcoms and Education Marketing Manager at Sony Professional Displays and Solutions, comments:

“In a changed world, hybrid learning has become central to teaching and learning strategies for students at all levels, and we recently conducted research which demonstrated the major gaps when it comes to the technology universities are providing, and what students need for success. At Sony we are proud to know that, in the face of many challenges, we are working with the most innovative institutes in Europe to better the learning experience for both teachers and students alike.”

“Technology is key in making lessons more engaging, providing support for teachers, and enabling better student outcomes. Through implementing simple but effective digital tools, these educational institutions are benefiting from a huge opportunity to stay competitive in a changing world where students need a balance of both online learning and on-campus solutions. As a company that understands how the impact of the pandemic has changed the entire higher education landscape, Sony is consistently working to develop new innovative solutions that can enhance students’ understanding of educational content to better the learning experience while considering individual needs”.

For more information on Sony’s education solutions, please visit: https://pro.sony/solutions/education