Consistent communication and collaboration are at the heart of any successful educational institution. Data and information must stream seamlessly between faculty members, stakeholders, training providers, and students daily.
Increasingly, this information is beginning to move through various channels, from phone and email to collaboration platforms and video conferencing services like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. As a result, many educational leaders are beginning to invest in “Unified Communication” tools to help align data, processes, and people in the quest for phenomenal learning.
Unified Communication (UC) strategies can address many complex problems in the educational landscape. They help team members to manage data securely and safely while ensuring staff can collaborate on more effective lesson plans. However, to take advantage of the benefits UC solutions offer companies first need a clear strategy.
Using UC to Optimise The Educational Landscape
The demand for Unified Communications in Education has increased significantly in recent years following the rapid adoption of new online and hybrid learning practices. Technology is now a core component of a successful educational facility, as it helps to bridge the gap between distributed faculty members, administrators, and students.
“The smart capabilities of AVer’s AV solutions for education help professionals elevate the hybrid/mobile teaching experience.” said Rene Buhay, SVP Sales & Marketing for Aver Europe.
UC technologies empower schools and training providers to offer distance learning and online educational options and open the door to more immersive experiences. The right tools can transform any space into a classroom with video conferencing, file sharing, and useful analytics. The question is, how do leaders optimise UC for the educational space?
Step 1: Set Goals for UC in Education
The first step in developing any new strategy in the educational industry is setting the right goals for new investment. Companies need to take the time to define what they want to offer both students and faculty in terms of functionality and performance.
For instance, a traditional college or university could use a UC solution to offer remote and online learning opportunities to students who can’t attend classes in person. This would require teams to set up video conferencing and recording tools within a standard lecture hall, so students can join a lesson in real-time and view content on demand.
The same solution would require brands to implement tools which allow students to interact with the learning experience. Messaging tools, video conferencing solutions, and file-sharing applications can allow students to participate more actively in the learning process, even when joining classes from home. At the same time, companies can also leverage UC in education to achieve other goals, such as:
- Improving collaboration and creativity between different specialists and teachers.
- Managing data and collecting insights into both students and faculty.
- Empowering crucial conversations between parents, teachers, students, and other educational staff members.
Step 2: Choose the Right UC Platform
Following an assessment of the use cases and goals available for the educational institution investing in UC, the next step is selecting a software platform for communications. There are countless options available on the market today, complete with integrated tools for telephony, chat, and video conferencing, as well as file sharing and digital whiteboarding.
Some solutions, like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, have built-in capabilities specifically intended to help learning groups set up online lessons and webinars. Others come with integrations and apps which allow brands to connect their communication system to their Learning Management tools, CRM, and other essential services.
