Choosing the Right Technology for Today’s HyFlex Classroom

Reduce AV Burdens With Simplified Technology

Room AV systems in modern learning environments often require intricate installation processes, including ceiling-mounted components such as cameras, microphones and speakers. Yet, these systems are rarely designed with the technician in mind. Installers frequently navigate tight angles and awkward equipment placement, juggling multiple tools and components without a streamlined setup process. These overlooked installation challenges can slow down deployment and increase the likelihood of errors or inconsistencies across classrooms.

Beyond installation, AV systems commonly include a wide range of hardware that isn’t designed to work together out of the box. Displays, control panels, audio equipment and cameras may come from different vendors and require custom integration, calibration and ongoing support. For AV and IT teams that are already stretched thin, this patchwork approach to AV infrastructure creates long-term operational and financial strain, especially when scaled across dozens or hundreds of rooms.

By contrast, when institutions invest in HyFlex-ready solutions designed to work together seamlessly, they reduce complexity and ease the burden on support teams, making the promise of HyFlex learning more attainable, sustainable and scalable.

The answer? Solutions built for quick and easy installation, designed to work across multiple platforms and equipped with remote update and troubleshooting features. Anything we can do to reduce the number of cords, components and required steps during installation will assist AV staff. Prioritizing user-friendly design will cut down on help tickets across the lifespan of a device, and choosing features such as remote update capability can streamline maintenance. The bottom line is that simplicity and ease of deployment are not nice-to-haves. They are essential.

RELATED: Four exciting benefits of standardizing AV technology in higher education.

Select Technology That Meets Faculty Needs

Higher ed faculty members are in-demand experts on a subject, often on tight schedules and working with limited tech support. They don’t have time for technology that comes with a steep learning curve. Yet, they often find themselves navigating complex interfaces, toggling between controls and adapting their teaching styles to accommodate the limitations of the technology. Or, worse, they don’t use the tech at all, and the result is a subpar learning experience for anyone viewing remotely or asynchronously.

In many classrooms, the most immediate challenge isn’t futuristic technology; it’s the everyday complexity of managing the room itself. I’ve visited universities where instructors are faced with control panels with laminated cheat sheets next to them. These panels are often overloaded, acting as the room system as well, and not designed with simplicity or teaching flow in mind as it relates to capturing and streaming content for HyFlex teaching. It’s a frustrating experience that pulls focus away from instruction and creates unnecessary friction for faculty and support staff alike.

Looking ahead, tools such as auto-tracking cameras hold promise by automating perspective shifts and freeing instructors to move naturally. But even these innovations come with trade-offs, as unpredictable camera movements can be distracting for remote students and disrupt the flow of learning. The key isn’t just adding new technology, but thoughtfully integrating tools that genuinely support teaching and learning without adding complexity.

Faculty members need intuitive interfaces and reliable performance. When AV technology works by simply pushing a button, it fades into the background, and instructors can focus on the most important part of their job (and the one they often find most rewarding): helping students learn and grow.

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Adapt Technology to Infrastructure

One of the most underestimated barriers to HyFlex implementation is campus infrastructure. Institutions must navigate a wide range of campus facilities — from aging buildings to irregular designs and fragmented spaces — many of which do not suit modern AV requirements. These spaces may lack adequate power sources, cable pathways or internet connectivity, forcing AV teams to come up with unique configurations that increase installation time and cost.

Additionally, academic calendars leave narrow windows for installing new tech, which is typically done during summer or winter breaks. This adds to the pressure on teams while they deploy complex systems. Even during those windows, campuses are often busy, so AV teams need solutions that work — and work fast — in a lot of settings. Even something as simple as adding an outlet can become heroic labor in the wrong building.

And scaling HyFlex solutions doesn’t just mean replicating across classrooms — it also means ensuring flexibility for faculty to deliver lesson content at a desk, in a focus room, or in nontraditional AV equipped spaces that may need portable solutions, such as labs and studios.

Learning spaces should also be considered through this lens for asynchronous or synchronous engagement, including multiuse collaboration spaces such as study pods or meeting rooms. If a solution only works well in one kind of space, it can’t truly support the wide spectrum of learning environments found on modern campuses.

One of our customers recently mentioned that installing three outlets in one of his classrooms took a year and a half. This, again, points to the power of elegant design: when simple upgrades take years, institutions cannot afford to rely on AV systems that require intensive rewiring or construction. HyFlex solutions must be designed for adaptability to spaces they’re meant to serve — ranging from 100-year-old lecture halls to ad-hoc collaboration rooms.

WATCH: How a Texas university redesigned its old library spaces for modern students.

Create Value With Interoperability

Many AV and hybrid learning tools do not integrate easily with an institution’s existing technology, whether that’s a learning management system or a conferencing platform. This lack of interoperability complicates deployment and limits the system’s long-term viability. Inflexible systems force faculty and IT teams to either live with limitations or layer additional technologies on top of existing ones. The second option creates unnecessary complexity, triggering the cycle of AV and faculty challenges discussed above.

What institutions need are AV systems that integrate with ease into campuswide ecosystems and allow IT leaders to future proof their technology investments. This lowers the cost of ownership, increases ROI and allows for deployment at scale. It also creates a standardized teaching experience for faculty between classrooms, which tech leaders view as an important factor in HyFlex success.

For institutions looking to move into the future of HyFlex learning, the top priority is to find affordable, scalable technologies that fit into a functional and sustainable combined learning and institutional strategy.

Moving forward, institutions should adopt technology that reduces the number of components and streamlines installation. They should look for ways to minimize power and connectivity requirements. And they should find solutions that support a variety of users and spaces by integrating seamlessly with existing physical infrastructure and software ecosystems. When AV solutions are manageable for IT, intuitive for faculty and captivating for students, the HyFlex learning model reveals its full potential and becomes an undeniable asset to learning.