Sound tiles and cameras following the instructor: the future of education is international

24/05/2021

Imagine a hybrid classroom where both recorded and streamed lessons take place, equipped with an auto-tracking camera that follows the instructor, a second camera above the treatment table, a ceiling microphone, speakers, and a touch panel for seamless control... And above all: "You must be of the slow kind if it takes you more than two minutes to get started."

The requirements of higher education

Grégoire Lason, the director of the impressively futuristic IAO (The International Academy of Osteopathy) in Zwijnaarde, certainly isn't of the slow kind. The academy operates in eight countries and offers courses in four languages. "We've had a digital campus for nine years, and to meet the modern requirements of higher education, we needed a state-of-the-art audiovisual setup," he says. Whitemilk outfitted two meeting rooms and four hybrid classrooms with top-notch equipment. In these spaces, instructors record shorter sessions, which they immediately post on the e-campus. 

They also livestream complete modules consisting of three days, with five teaching blocks per day. During these sessions, they interact with students in the classroom and remotely, and the recordings remain available on the e-campus for an additional month.

For instructors new to the hypermodern system, Grégoire personally provides guidance, and he has ensured that each classroom has a manual.

But honestly, it's not difficult. Touch screen, Epiphan, plug into the computer, select presets, hit 'start,' and the stream is underway.

Grégoire Lason, director IAO

For IAO, this has proven to be an exceptionally successful solution. "Friends and acquaintances sometimes curiously ask if they can come over for coffee, and they are all very impressed," Grégoire smiles. Meanwhile, he continues to look ahead. "Additional presets have been added so that the right camera angle can be activated with a single press of a button. Just last week, I was with Jo from Whitemilk at our mini campus in Antwerp to figure out the best approach there. No one knows what the future holds, but I believe we are prepared. We now have the right experience."