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Alfatron Electronics brings enhanced learning capabilities to Eastern Washington University

Alfatron Electronics brings enhanced learning capabilities to Eastern Washington University

Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public polytechnic university that shares a location in Spokane, Washington, with Washington State University and has partnerships with various community colleges within the state of Washington. As part of its Hybrid Learning Project, EWU recently deployed a large amount of electronic equipment across 17 buildings and 85 classrooms, with the bulk of the equipment being drawn from the catalog of Raleigh, NC-based Alfatron Electronics.

 

Carl Combs, Classrooms and Labs Team Supervisor, Dave Stewart, Senior IT Audiovisual Design & Engineering Specialist, and Adam Klinger, IT/AV Specialist of the Classrooms and Labs Team, are the three key people at EWU who designed and oversaw the deployment of the new Alfatron equipment. Over a three-year period, the team began testing various hybrid learning solutions, after which they started implementing the various setups. The Alfatron products were gradually placed into service and after fine-tuning the system configurations, the equipment was deployed campuswide.

 

“We did not have a standard for in-room video conferencing prior to Alfatron”, says Carl Combs. “Before Alfatron, we would temporarily set up webcams, Logitech Group systems, and/or Logitech Meetups in the various classrooms, conference rooms, and meeting spaces. Installing Alfatron technology was a great solution from an engineering perspective - only two ethernet cable runs were needed for each camera, providing power, video, and IP control. We did not need to involve our Electrical Shop and/or external electrical contractors. The combined Alfatron-Extron classroom control system integration proved successful.”

 

“The Alfatron equipment is used for hybrid distance learning classes, Zoom meetings, live and recorded sessions of professors’ lectures, student presentations, VIP meetings, guest presenters, in-house staff employee training, and more”, adds Dave Stewart. “We implemented 5x, 10x, 20x, and 30x zoom cameras for rooms of various sizes (classrooms, conference rooms, meeting rooms). FOV (Field Of View) was important to factor in during the engineering phase. The 5x cameras were implemented where a wider FOV was needed (primarily front of room cameras). The 10x, 20x, and 30x cameras were implemented where additional magnification was needed.”

 

Adam Klinger shares his perspective on the Alfatron switchers that were installed: “The ALF-SCK41TS has enabled professors and presenters to share different cameras and camera views. We utilized the IP control of the ALF-SCK41TS to integrate into Extron systems. From the Extron touch panel, we can select to view either the front or back camera or combine the cameras into different views like PIP (Picture in Picture) and Side by Side view - using both front and back cameras. The cameras have location presets which have been helpful for quickly changing views to show different locations in the room, like whiteboards and teaching materials.”

 

Stewart also discusses how the ALF-TPBK70R HDBaseT receivers were integrated into the systems: “These receivers, along with the HDBaseT cameras, enabled us to eliminate a transmitter and dedicated power at each camera location, all while extending the HDMI video signal longer distances. Our initial testing with USB extenders and cameras was not as successful for long distance runs.”

 

“We started looking into different hybrid learning camera solutions and had to find something that was easy, facilitated longer cable/HDMI signal runs, and did not require electricians”, concludes Klinger. “One Diversified, a systems integrator EWU frequently uses for projects of all sizes, recommended looking into Alfatron Electronics. Kevin Gelman at Alfatron has been invaluable to our process for knowledgeable support and troubleshooting.”

 

Pictured (left to right): Adam Klinger, Carl Combs, and Dave Stewart. (Photo: Alfatron Electronics/Eastern Washington University)

 

www.alfatronelectronics.com

 

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