April 25, 2024
Modernizing historic spaces at the University of Lincoln
Welcome to the University of Lincoln, where attending classes in old newspaper mills or train station repair yards is just part of daily life. Embracing the future of education, Lincoln uses Huddly cameras to transform spaces, both old and new, into dynamic hubs for hybrid learning.
Updating old spaces with new tech
The University of Lincoln is all about making education accessible for its 14,000 students. With flexible learning options, they can study from anywhere and fit education into their days, no matter what stage of life they’re at.
Driving this transformation is the university's small but mighty AV team of four. Led by Senior AV Designer Jason Ramsden, the team designs solutions for Lincoln’s' over 400 spaces and makes sure that everything runs smoothly. "It's all about making things foolproof," says Rachel Lee, Senior AV Specialist. "Our goal is to support students and academics by making everything as easy as possible for them."
The team faces a unique challenge with the campus' mix of modern and historic buildings not designed for teaching, such as the mill and train repair yard. The move to remote learning early on in the pandemic highlighted difficulties such as poor acoustics, irregular room shapes, and obstructive beams, making it hard to teach and learn effectively on video.
A review of the AV equipment showed that not only were many rooms missing essential tools, but the existing equipment fell short. Jason explains: "At that time, teaching and meeting on video often felt unsettling. Blurry video made it difficult for students to follow the class or connect with their classmates remotely. We knew we had to update the technology."
After evaluating their choices, the team landed on Huddly’s cameras. These flexible cameras provide premium video and smart framing for a variety of spaces. They're also Microsoft Teams certified, making them easy to integrate with Lincoln's existing technology.
Hybrid learning in any space
Fast forward to today, Lincoln has fitted dozens of spaces with Huddly cameras, with many more rolling out this year. The Huddly L1 camera, known for its powerful lens and smart framing, is a top choice for boardrooms and large seminar rooms. Compared to traditional PTZ cameras, Rachel points out that it "lets teachers teach, not worry about technology."
For small classrooms and collaboration areas, Lincoln uses Huddly IQ and S1 for their wide-angle lens and intelligent Group Framing. They often pair them with Huddly Canvas for whiteboards. Jason explains, "Our students like traditional whiteboards more than digital ones. With Huddly Canvas, there's no more need to take photos of the content and send them via email."
When setting up the cameras in some of the more unusual or historical spaces on campus, he first thinks about how the user interacts with them. He recommends: "Consider the experience as soon as they enter the room. How do they start the system, adjust the camera, start teaching? Don't let AV be a barrier – use it to enhance the pedagogy of the space."
Technology that works
For Lincoln’s AV team, Huddly cameras have been a game-changer. Rachel says, "With only four of us managing over 400 spaces, we need technology that's easy to use and set up. It's important that stuff just works. We get that with Huddly!"
Jason also highlights ease of use: "Our principle is simple: focus on content, not setup. Anyone should be able to walk into any space on our campus, even for the first time, and be able to deliver what they came to deliver without ever having to read a manual. Huddly makes this happen – a single cable is all you need to start teaching."
""Sharing, connecting, and collaborating should be as easy as swiping through TikTok or Instagram.”"
– Jason Ramsden, Senior AV Designer
Meaningful connections
Lincoln is set to expand Huddly's roll-out to over 135 spaces by the end of the summer, including trial runs of AI-directed multi-camera system Huddly Crew in large lecture theaters and the school's video podcast studio.
Jason is excited about where things are going: "AV is shifting from traditional lectures to more engaging, flexible learning. Our team's mission in this is to build community among students, ensuring everyone feels part of the group no matter where they’re joining from."
He adds: "What's really impressed us about Huddly is how their cameras focus on the human element, going beyond basic video to make classes feel engaging and inclusive. It's been incredibly rewarding to see people form meaningful connections without ever meeting face-to-face."
