I am quickly discovering all the different branches of audio/visual and the nuances that each present. In the church environment each gear purchase and room set up is usually done with the consideration of a volunteer running the gear. I never thought I would say this, but that actually has some advantages over the educational environment. In the church world, gear has to be relatively easy to learn, but I always knew the techs who ran the gear would have SOME training and usually they would be under the direction of an experienced tech the first couple times with the gear as a failsafe. My team at the church could keep control over who used the gear in each room, we could usually trouble shoot problems over the phone because we knew how each room was set up and the state it was left in after each use.
At the University, I’ve got 18 rooms with computers, projectors & sound systems that have to work solid for 8 different faculty members each day, most of whom have no experience outside of an on-switch. Those that do, are good at troubleshooting basic problems on their own, but they rarely leave the room in a usable state for the next class. Our classrooms have about 10-12 A/V configurations so I never know what the starting base is for any room when I get a call, making it almost impossible to troubleshoot anything over the phone. This has presented a whole world of new thinking for me as I figure out the best ways to keep these rooms functioning, up to the high tech standards the students demand yet simple for the instructors who are easily intimidated by technology.
The previous team that ran A/V did not have a lot of professional A/V experience and the gear I have to work with is evidence of this. They did a lot of quirky band-aid fixes that are now failing and it’s sometimes difficult to trace wire through the rooms. Oh yeah, did I mention the campus is an old 1950’s Seminary that still has the original electrical capacity and wiring? Yep, my office is an old priest’s dorm room, complete with a sink and built in dresser and armoire for storage. The classrooms we are using were not built for 2011 technology and I’m quickly maxing out the spatial and electrical constraints of the rooms.
So with all these challenges, here are some of my big 2011 goals.
1) Phase out the last 6 old NEC projectors and get them updated to Epson classroom projectors (to match the rest of our stock).
2) Get network cards for our large rooms projectors.
3) Start testing out tablet options to replace overhead projectors.
4) Work with faculty to get VHS tapes transferred to DVD so we can phase out VCR’s.
5) Work on training procedures and materials for faculty.
6) Purchase a camera to shoot short lectures for online classes.
7) Get dead control panels out of classroom racks and re-wire audio through mixers.
8) Test out super short throw projectors in a couple of our small rooms.
I think that is all the big stuff I can think of for now, most of the actual work will happen in the summer when I can get clear classrooms for a few weeks and the gear can be purchased with the new budget year. Keep an eye out for update posts as I start to work on some of these tasks.
What challenges do you have as a technician in your space? What are some of the ways you have creatively solved those challenges?
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