Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University Installs Microphone Array Ceiling Tiles

  • By Matt Jones
  • 12/08/21

Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Houghton, Mich., recently announced that it has outfitted two of its on-campus spaces with ClearOne BMA 360 Beamforming Microphone Array Ceiling Tiles. According to a news release, the technology offers wall-to-wall microphone coverage in large spaces, ensuring that each student in the space—and at home—can fully engage with the material or conversation at hand. The solution has been installed in a lecture hall and a multi-purpose space in the campus library.

“Digital connectivity and communications is central to virtually every discipline we teach at MTU today, and our students both expect and deserve class-leading tools that optimize efficiency and improve educational experiences,” said David Chard, MTU’s Director of Media Technology Services. “The ClearOne BMA 360 ceiling tile microphones now being used in the DOW 642 lecture hall and the library’s East Reading Room immediately transformed how each space could be used by enabling clear, crisp audio pickup of any voice in any seat through the units’ intelligent Voice Lift capabilities.”

Whether the space in question is being used for lectures, meetings or remote collaborations, the solution helps every voice in the room be heard. The units’ Voice Lift capabilities eliminate the need to pass around a microphone or for speakers to move to another part of the room before speaking. Microphone pickup is played back in real time, ensuring full audio quality for those both in and out of the room.

“We only install technologies that provide reliable experiences for users, and after years of success with various ClearOne products, we know these solutions are both easy to use and deliver industry-leading capabilities and performance,” Chard said. “During semesters impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, we implemented a host of ClearOne’s Chat 170 speakerphones in various smaller rooms, so both our students and faculty are aware of the brand’s status and usability.”

A news release states that the university community recorded and viewed more than 225,000 hours’ worth of instruction during the duration of the pandemic thus far. Reliable audio technology reduces the need for student tech associates’ assistance before and after class, as well as makes sure that remote learners aren’t missing anything going on in the classroom.

“Michigan Technological University’s installations present a true case study of what can be accomplished when institutions leverage ClearOne’s class-leading technologies and devices to support collaboration and communication in any size space,” said Zee Hakimoglu, ClearOne Chair and CEO. “It’s our hope that colleges, universities, corporations and businesses of all needs recognize the importance and value of reliable, helpful technologies that improve outcomes and support better utilization of space.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • California District Opens New Continuation High School

    The Fort Bragg Unified School District (FBUSD) in Fort Bragg, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Noyo High School, a continuation high school that provides alternative education options for students in grades 6–12, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrochi Kwok Architects for design and FRC Inc. for construction, and the project’s funding came from Local Bond Measure B.

  • DLR Group Hires Three for Higher Education Practice

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has brought three new hires on board to help shape its higher education practice in California and the northeast, according to a press release.