Interactive Learning Tools in Commercial AV 

From kindergarten through 12th grade and onto higher education, interactive learning tools have advanced by leaps and bounds since the pandemic-related nationwide school shutdowns. What was introduced out of necessity, including distance learning tools and improved network connectivity, has now advanced to make the educational experience more immersive and engaging, whether students are remote or in the classroom.   

“I think we got pushed into a lot, and learned a lot, because of the COVID shutdowns. We’ve come to see a huge uptick in interactive learning and video conferencing,” says Jason Harbst, technical sales support for ADI. “Then [educational facilities] started learning that there is still even better technology.”   

Rob Ogulnick, CTS, account manager for Solutionz Inc., a leading AV integrator with offices nationwide, notes that educators today look for easy-to-use technology that includes audio, video, easy-to-use controls and recording, all to encourage interactive collaboration within active learning classrooms.   

Ogulnick points to Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university with three campuses in Southern California, as one example of a school embracing the latest solutions to engage students through collaborative learning, group activities and recordings for later review. Likewise, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing relied on Solutionz Inc. to deploy sophisticated healthcare-simulation systems, showcasing dramatic advances in learning technology.  

Harbst and Ogulnick have identified some of the trends that integrators should be looking to recommend, specify and deploy in today’s education facilities. Read on to learn more about these interactive teaching tools. 

All-in-one interactive whiteboards for classrooms

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools relied on a one-to-many distance learning approach, often using a teacher’s personal laptop connected to their home network. While this setup allowed education to continue remotely, it lacked the collaborative and centralized experience that in-person learning provides. As students transitioned back into physical classrooms, the demand for a centralized, dynamic and interactive teaching tool quickly re-emerged.  

Interactive whiteboards have since undergone significant advancements to meet this need. Today’s interactive whiteboards for classrooms are not only smarter but also more accessible and cost-effective. A major breakthrough has been the integration of silicon-on-chip (SoC) technology, allowing processing power to reside directly within the smart interactive white board itself. "Processing is now on board the devices through silicon-on-chip technology,” explains Harbst. “This significantly drops the overall cost, especially if you’re deploying the technology to multiple classrooms.”  

Thanks to these innovations, schools can now equip their learning spaces with interactive digital whiteboards that deliver a seamless and engaging educational experience. These interactive classroom whiteboards, often designed as touch screen whiteboards, empower teachers to interact with digital content intuitively, promote real-time collaboration and create a more immersive learning environment for students.

All-in-one conferencing systems  

Likewise, for distance learning, all-in-one conferencing systems have made their way to the classroom and corporate training facilities alike, Harbst says. “We’ve seen a big uptick in smaller systems with videoconferencing bars where everything is built into one. The camera, beamforming microphones and speakers, all in one essentially looks like a soundbar. Hook up a display and a PC and you’re ready to go,” he explains. “I think simplicity and cost-effectiveness are the two key trends we’re seeing, especially for schools right now.”   

Zoom and Google Meet as interactive learning tools for classrooms

At the K–12 level, Google Classroom continues to serve as the dominant learning platform, largely due to its seamless integration with Chromebooks—devices commonly issued to students across school districts. In contrast, at the university level, Zoom has emerged as the preferred solution for virtual instruction. “Zoom is probably 90% of the higher education market,” notes Ogulnick, emphasizing its widespread adoption for online lectures and digital collaboration.  

Regardless of whether institutions choose Zoom, Google Meet or another platform, the supporting technology infrastructure has become increasingly simplified across all education levels. Just as K–12 environments have evolved, higher education institutions are also minimizing hardware complexity. “A lot of times they don’t need a full rack of equipment,” Ogulnick explains. “They’re streamlining systems based on actual usage needs, often mounting essential components directly onto the back of a flat panel display.”  

Tools offering ease of use for educators 

As AV components become more affordable and streamlined, they’re also becoming significantly easier to operate. Systems from manufacturers like AMX, Crestron, and Extron now offer built-in access to Zoom or Microsoft Teams directly through the touchpanel interface, allowing for simple, one-touch meeting control.  

Despite the growing sophistication of these technologies, ease of use remains a top priority. “The end user still wants ease of use,” Ogulnick emphasizes. “They don’t want to need a technician in the classroom just to help the instructor operate the AV system.” 

Harbst echoes this sentiment, especially in K–12 environments, adding that, “It doesn’t take a huge learning curve for teachers to run the systems effectively.” This user-friendly design ensures that instructors can focus on teaching rather than troubleshooting technology.  

The growth of bring-your-own-device capabilities

Ease of use goes hand-in-hand with the growing demand for seamless wireless connectivity. Educators and presenters increasingly expect the ability to connect any device—at any time—to any screen within a classroom or lecture hall. Solutions like Crestron AirMedia and Barco ClickShare are designed to support Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environments, making wireless content sharing quick and hassle-free.  

“If anybody walks in with a phone, an iPad, or a laptop, they don’t need any wires to connect,” Ogulnick explains. “These systems make it easy for anyone to present instantly, regardless of the device they’re using.”  

Network connective requirements for interactive classroom installations

Due to wireless technology and advanced networking requirements, today’s interactive classroom installations require collaboration with the school’s information technology team to meet bandwidth and cybersecurity standards.   

At University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, Solutionz Inc. worked with the school’s IT teams to manage the new IP-based learning systems, which included 27 student observation bays, high-definition observation rooms and a homecare suite on the school’s existing Juniper network, according to a case study. The team took extra time to document the new switches on the network, enabling the IT team to complete security patches, preventative maintenance and software upgrades seamlessly.   

  “We have to communicate to the IT team what we need from them, as far as activating network ports and making sure there are no bandwidth issues,” Ogulnick says. “We have a whole design / engineering process we go through before the system is installed. We make site visits to make sure the infrastructure is in place. When we do the testing, we make sure the IT people are there, in case we have issues with the network.”   

For the most part, Solutionz Inc. uses network switches that conform to guidelines from the control system manufacturer and even meet manufacturer certification requirements. He mentions that the major network switch companies have partnered with companies like Crestron to get their devices certified for compatibility in these applications.  

Learning pods improve engagement

The ability to send any source to any screen wirelessly over a network drives active learning initiatives in colleges and universities. Ogulnick describes applications where Solutionz Inc. has installed a projector and screen for the front of the room and then break-out stations, called student pods, with four to six people.  

“They’ll have a 40- to 50-inch display mounted either on a pole or on the wall, and the system has the ability to send any source to any screen,” Ogulnick explains. “You can take information from the student within a pod and send it to the front displays or vice versa.”  

Solutionz Inc. completed an installation at Loyola Marymount University with this configuration, which encourages peer teaching, problem-solving and collaborative learning, according to a Solutionz case study on the integrator’s website.   

AI-powered interactive learning environments 

Just as active learning setups help capture students’ attention, taking their focus off their phones and putting it on their classroom peers or the instructor, artificial intelligence technology that captures the correct audio and video at the right time helps create an engaging learning environment in larger rooms. 

“If you take a lecture hall with 100 seats, and it’s tiered seating, you’ve got the professor going back and forth in the pit with a wireless mic system,” Ogulnick explains. “Then you’ve got hanging microphones in the ceiling for the student audience area. The cameras can be programmed, along with the audio, to switch back and forth between the front and the rear depending on who’s talking.”   

The cameras can zone in on the presenter and provide image magnification within a large lecture hall or a more up-close experience for remote learners. “The camera works with just one Cat5 cable. It’s very small and unassuming, so you hardly see it in the room, but it’s very powerful,” Ogulnick explains.   

The systems are tied together through a digital signal processor, “It’s a full integration package,” Ogulnick says. These streamlined systems help integrators keep costs down for customers and save time for the integration team, which helps keep profit margins up.  

Ogulnick says that he’s been seeing demand for AI-powered systems since the pandemic and that the technology continues to advance to become more streamlined and more powerful.   

Pointing back to the all-in-one systems referenced earlier, Ogulnick adds that many affordable all-in-one systems also have built-in artificial intelligence, so they can frame and capture presenters in the room automatically for a more engaging experience.   

Technology in education: A growing and lucrative market

How to make the jump from security to AV 

For integrators who want to tap into this growing market and can showcase other areas of expertise, such as corporate boardroom technology, auditoriums, intercoms or security systems, Harbst recommends getting a foot in the door by showcasing these projects.  

“Schools are obviously extremely concerned with security,” Harbst says. “And a lot of times, it leads from one project to the next — lockdown systems, intercoms and then an auditorium or classrooms. The more an integrator does, the more the decision-makers in a school district trust them,” Harbst says. “So, really, it’s about getting that foot in the door one way or another.”    

Earning a contract with a single public school building can often lead to retrofitting other schools in the same district.  

AV integrators can help colleges compete  

On the higher-education side, Ogulnick agrees that active learning classroom projects can be incredibly lucrative for integration businesses. “Once we find something that works for one customer, we can almost replicate it for the next one in a similar kind of room,” he explains.  

Top-tier colleges, including Ivy League schools, strive to stand out. Integrators can take advantage of this mindset to deliver best-in-class systems that carry a similar prestige-tier price tag. “[Universities] need to keep up with their competition when they’re charging $80,000 a year for tuition. They are absolutely looking for the best in leading-edge technology. It’s on us and our manufacturers to help them with that,” Ogulnick concludes.