Hybrid Update #10: What to expect next week

I’ll try and get to the point quickly today 😉.

An enormous effort is underway in the background to meet our target of upgrading 22 Dual-Mode rooms ready for next week, with the remaining 28 coming online the end of January. In today’s post, I want to give you a quick progress update, let you know what to do if you are booked into a Hybrid Teaching Space in the next few weeks and link to our new room tracking page so you can keep track of our progress.

Key Facts:

  • 50 Hybrid teaching rooms are currently being upgraded from Capture & Stream, to Dual-Mode (full hybrid).
  • You can see which rooms are being upgraded and track progress here.
  • We are aiming to have 22 of the 50 rooms upgraded by Monday and will continue to upgrade rooms without disruption to ongoing teaching in the following two weeks.
  • If a room hasn’t been upgraded to Dual-Mode yet, it will still be available in the Capture & Stream
  • As teaching begins, we are planning upgrades to happen around booked teaching sessions and will make every effort to avoid disruption.
  • If, due to unplanned delays, there is any clash between an upgrade and a scheduled lesson, we will pro-actively contact the affected class and take measures to ensure the class can continue as planned.
  • Rooms outside of the project remain as they were pre-pandemic. You will need to utilise the school controlled mobile C&S kits if you require hybrid in these rooms.

Don’t forget to bookmark the Hybrid Teaching Spaces area in our knowledgebase for information, guides and more.

Progress update

I can’t over-state how much work and consequent progress has been made in spite of innumerable and ongoing bumps in the road. Our goal last year was to have all 50 rooms upgraded for the start of Semester 2 and as announced in Hybrid Update #9, we’ve had to revise that target, but even if a room has not yet been upgraded from Capture & Stream, to Dual-Mode, doesn’t mean that nothing has been done – farm from it. Our target remains 22 rooms by next week, followed by the remaining throughout the following week and work will being going on over this weekend to ensure we meet that target. Our instal partners have also pulled additional teams from other projects to ensure we catch up on the work and meet our targets.

I’ll put out another progress update ready for first thing on Monday.

I’m a lecturer, what do i need to know?

Progress updates, revised targets and delivery promises are one thing, but most of you will simply want to know what expect when you go into a teaching room, and what you need to know to use it.

Will this work affect me?

Remember that the Hybrid Teaching Spaces project is focused on a core 50 rooms. All other teaching rooms are still equipped and supported as before.

Will my rooms be Capture & Stream or Dual-Mode?

Since we’ve been pushed into upgrading during the semester, we’ve decided to offer a more granular way of tracking the status of each room. This tracker lets you see if a room is still on Capture & Stream, In-progress (the upgrade is in the final stages) or if the room has been fully commissioned as Dual-Mode:

What do i do if my room is still on Capture & Stream?

If a room is still on Capture & Stream then you can use it just as in Semester 1. Follow the instructions given here:

What if my teaching room has been upgraded to Dual Mode?

Firstly, Dual-Mode is much more intuitive than you might imagine (click to enlarge):

Hands-on sessions continue to be available and you can book a 30-minute slot at a convenient time:

You can also use this printable guide:

Will there be disruption?

As we move into Semester 2, things become trickier for upgrading rooms. The process that has been created in partnership with our contractors maximises the amount of work that can be done without disrupting the room at all. For example, most rooms already have the cameras and microphones mounted on the ceilings, the new desks have already been built complete with the new hardware and ready to be swapped with the existing old desks. We are also working closely with timetabling to ensure any work happens around bookings.

Saying that, delays and hitches happen, so although we are doing everything we can, i cannot guarantee that there will be zero disruption. So here is our plan to minimise any problems as they occur:

  • First of all, the room upgrade schedule will be planned around the teaching timetable, including evening and weekend work. If all goes according to schedule there will be no disruption.
  • Every day, will re-check the planned and ongoing work against the timetable to identify, in-advance, any clashes due to delay. The room tracking page will be updated accordingly.
  • If we identify a clash, we will immediately contact those affected and either arrange for the work to stop (if possible) or organise an alternative room immediately.

Support

We now have two f/t dedicated Hybrid support staff, Joshua and Indrani (you may have met them in the Hands-on session. If you encounter any technical problems while running a hybrid session, whether Capture & Stream or Dual-Mode, dial *1 and you will be directed to the right support. There will also be troubleshooting guides in the rooms.

Until next time

Things are very fluid right now so please check back on this block for further announcement and reach out with any questions or concerns.

Expressing today’s project mood through music:

Comments

    1. Fixed – thanks David. This is one of those odd memory quirks where i made the mistake once and now keep getting this wrong every time i write it 🙁

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