5 steps for making online learning sound great

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Online distance learning programs and higher ed videoconferencing can squeak by without stunning video or other flashy visuals. But poor audio is likely a dealbreaker for all involved.

It’s not that the video side isn’t pretty important, but as IT and AV experts know, many factors go into ensuring top-notch sound—everything from hardware to room design to the performance skills of instructors.

“Because sound is invisible, unlike video and lightning, people often overlook it,” says Ian Wilkinson, the director of technology support services at Texas Tech University’s College of Media & Communication.

“One of my ambitions is to bring awareness to people in online education to be mindful of the soundscape around their content,” adds Wilkinson, a long-time speaker at UB Tech.®


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Goals like that are even more important for higher ed institutions working through campus closures and the related switch to all distance learning, all the time.

Here are five key steps, starting with what you need to spend money on:

  1. You need top-notch microphones for distance learning.
  2. Instructors must realize it’s a performance.
  3. So, train those presenters!
  4. IT and AV leaders should stay in touch with instructors.
  5. Instructors must learn to multitask.
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick is the managing editor of University Business, covering higher education leadership, teaching and learning, student achievement, education technology, and federal education policy. A journalist since 1996, Zalaznick has reported on politics, law enforcement, and breaking news for newspapers and websites across the U.S. Virgin Islands, the San Francisco Bay Area, Colorado, and the New York City suburbs. He holds a B.A. in English from Tufts University.

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