6 minute read
How Illinois Wesleyan University Utilized Huddly Cameras in Unique Spaces
How Illinois Wesleyan University Utilized Huddly Cameras and Creativity to Find Success with Nontraditional Teaching Modes in Unique Spaces
By Huddly
Creating a Video Conferencing Environment That Provides Flexibility for Faculty and Students
Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) is a nationally recognized, highly selective liberal arts university that takes prides in providing a traditional in-person residential experience, small class sizes, and direct connections between the students and faculty .
However, when Covid began in early 2020, IWU quickly realized that they needed to figure out how they were going to be able to successfully teach in new hybrid and high flexibility teaching modes and unique spaces . They started the process by contacting their AV integrator Business Development Rep, Christine Street, and asked her to send them a few Meeting Owl cameras to try . Christine mentioned Huddly cameras to them as well, so they ordered a few of the Meeting Owls and Huddly IQ cameras to quickly demo and evaluate to determine which one they were going to deploy .
Once they knew that they were going to move forward with the Huddly IQs, the IT team at IWU manually created a mobile cart solution that consisted of a 65” TV display with a Huddly IQ camera on top of the display, along with a MAC mini . This innovative solution allowed them to turn a lot of nontraditional classroom spaces into classrooms . With social distance guidelines in place, they converted spaces that would
typically hold 300 people but could now only allow 25-30 people at a time . With this cart, they were able to roll the equipment around to different instructional places and be able to support more people in unique spaces .
Fall 2020 arrived and students were back on campus when IWU community members quickly noticed two things - the mobile cart innovation is an absolute success, and the Huddly IQ cameras are fantastic . IWU was not only blown away by the quality of image that the camera was portraying, but also by the microphone array that is embedded inside of the Huddly IQ camera . When they placed a Huddly IQ camera in an auditorium, they could hear somebody in the back row .
The Huddly IQs also play a unique role in IWU’s School of Nursing simulation lab on campus . The instructors leading the simulation wanted to see that the students were dispensing the right medications to the “patients” . IWU mounted a Huddly IQ camera to the ceiling and ran a cable to the
“(Huddly IQ) really added the flexibility needed to support the various teaching modes our faculty were teaching in, which allowed teaching and learning to continue through the pandemic.” Trey Short, Senior Instructional Technologist, Illinois Wesleyan University
control room . Then students requested a better video and audio solution for the observation room, so they added a second Huddly IQ to the simulation room . This second Huddly IQ camera is on top of an iMac and records the simulation, giving the students who are observing in
the observation room a “front row seat” to view the action .
Fast forward to early 2022, Covid is slowing down, and this mobile cart solution is still being used every day . This creation started as a temporary solution, but now IWU is considering how they can incorporate it even more today . They are currently trying a couple of different mounting options for the Huddly IQ, testing mounting the Huddly IQ with a tripod onto the instructor’s station versus placing the Huddly IQ on a magnetic mount with a flexible arm. These solutions are giving faculty members the flexibility
“Intech chose the Huddly L1 as the camera to list on this proposal because of the AI that is in it; they (IWU) won’t have to have somebody running the touch panel to steer a camera, the camera will take care of that for us - it just seemed like the perfect fit for that space. I think the L1 is definitely going to be a game changer.” John McCrary, Vice President, Intech Innovations
to move the camera around as needed and find the best fit in any situation. Now IWU’s Welcome Center Auditorium is finally getting the upgrade it deserves, which will include Huddly’s new intelligent camera for larger spaces - the Huddly L1 . Two Huddly L1 cameras will live in the auditorium; one in the front and one in the back . With these two cameras, they will be able to switch between the two, depending on if they want an audience view or presenter view . If everything goes well, once the Huddly L1 is installed in the auditorium, they will look at adding Huddly L1s to their other larger spaces .
Huddly: the intelligent camera choice for Education
When quality, stability and ease of deployment are a priority, many educational institutions choose Huddly as their solution. Key benefits to Huddly cameras in educational institutions consist of:
• Wide-angle lens allows you to place the camera closer to the instructor and/or can capture more students in the room.
• Lighting Correction will focus on how faces are exposed and will adjust settings to optimize people being seen.
• Time-to-Setup is reduced with power and data through a single USB 3.0 cable.
• Our whiteboard camera can turn any whiteboard into content that can be shared remotely. It also enhances pen markings and eliminates glare and shadow.
“I was amazed at the technology that’s in that little box, it (Huddly IQ) is so tiny and light, it’s no bigger than an old roll of film box, and the quality is just unbelievable. ” Michael Limacher, Classroom and Media Technology Services Specialist, Illinois Wesleyan University
“We have 16 classrooms that are considered traditional video conferencing that are using a Cisco codec, Cisco cameras, etc. they are great systems, but they are expensive. The biggest thing is that I’m getting a very similar experience with what those cameras are doing that are 3-4 times as expensive with the Huddly L1 and IQ. So, for me to be able to take and create an experience that is almost equal for a fraction of the cost is a huge benefit. It certainly makes it a lot more scalable. ” David Walker, Manager of AV Design and Zoom Admin, Georgia Southern University
“The teachers like the Huddly GOs because of their resolution and the way that they can set them up on tripods is a much better fit than any other camera that we have had. But the video quality and resolution of the GO was at the top of their list. ” Marcus Chaney, Director of Instructional Technology, Danville Public Schools
"When I recommend the technology to customers, I leverage customer success. After having multiple wins with Huddly being able to repeat success and creating happy Huddly customers, it was easy for me to recommend Huddly to Danville City Public Schools. " Greg Henderson, Regional Sales Manager, CDW
