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Effective May 13, 2024: hardware-based lecture capture solutions will no longer be available in general assignment classrooms that are not Connected Classrooms.

Effective December 18, 2024: hardware-based lecture capture solutions will no longer be available in Connected Classrooms (Zoom Rooms).

Reason:

The hardware-based lecture capture solutions currently in population have reached end-of-life and are beginning to fall into disrepair.  In reviewing the recording metrics over the past several semesters, we have seen a steady decline in hardware-based recordings and an increase in self-service recordings.  Due to this data, we are opting to drop the support of hardware-based recording solutions in the spaces we support. 

Alternatives:

Since 2020, the higher education audiovisual industry has experienced a dramatic shift toward hybrid environments with both synchronous and asynchronous capabilities in support of reaching students in the classroom or at remote locations. As a result, Classroom AV Services created a solution within the general assignment classrooms, including the Connected Classrooms, where the room microphone(s) and camera(s) are made available to the end user via an USB cable located in the lectern’s cable cubby.  

We call this the enhanced “BYOD” (Bring Your Own Device) solution and by plugging in the USB cable to their laptop, the end user gains access to those devices for use with any web conferencing or lecture capture software they prefer on their personal device. The most popular software solutions at Virginia Tech are Kaltura (for lecture capture) and Zoom (for web conferencing and lecture capture), but the faculty can use any software they prefer.  It’s important to note that there are no drivers that need to be installed for the enhanced BYOD functionality to work, but there is some setup required specific to the software being used in regard to selecting the room microphone and camera.  The enhanced BYOD solution is available in all general assignment rooms that have a capacity greater than 50 persons, any new facilities brought online since 2020, and select other classrooms in Blacksburg and at the Northern Virginia Center. 

Resources: 

To see which classrooms have this functionality available, visit our Classroom Catalog page and search for “USB Camera and Microphone Connections”:

Classroom Catalog

To learn more about utilizing this solution in the general assignment classrooms, check out our tutorial videos on PageUp LMS: 

Overall AV Systems Tutorial

Enhanced BYOD Tutorial – Zoom Focused

Teaching Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) have some helpful documentation concerning the usage of Kaltura and Zoom. 

Kaltura Information

Zoom Information

Classroom AV Services has traditionally kept a small quantity of products that could be loaned out to departments, faculty, and staff for use with University related events.  Due to product age, reliability, availability, and other University options for equipment loans (University Library), we will stop supporting this service beginning January 1, 2024.

Physical media devices such as VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray players have been provided in all supported classrooms for many years now. Unfortunately, manufacturers have stopped producing these devices and we can no longer maintain an appropriate inventory or repair broken units.  As new facilities come online and we upgrade existing spaces, we will be dropping these sources as options.  Also, as currently installed units fail, we will not be repairing or replacing those units.

VGA (seen here) has been a dominant and reliable laptop connection in the classrooms at Virginia Tech for a long time now, but we at Classroom AV Services will be phasing out this option moving forward.  We have already been forced to drop this connection in newer installations, such as Data and Decision Sciences

This is due to VGA being removed from products that are utilized in our audiovisual signal path as manufacturers move toward digital connections, like HDMI. VGA will continue to be an option in classrooms where it currently exists until the room is upgraded.  Please refer to our Classroom Catalog to locate current availability. 

HDMI is available in ALL our supported classrooms, so please work with your department's IT person to transition to HDMI adapters if you predominantly use VGA currently.  

Please refer to the Classroom Catalog for the latest availability.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our online training modules through the PageUp LMS system. These modules were created to guide instructors through the use of a standard general assignment classroom audiovisual system, as well as streaming and recording lectures and meetings with Zoom.

Please let us know if you have any questions or would prefer to schedule in-person training in your classroom prior to the semester.

Pan/tilt/zoom cameras and ceiling microphones have been installed in many general assignment classrooms. These cameras can be used with software such as Zoom or Kaltura to stream and/or record your lectures. A list of these rooms is available.