Classes are in-person. Classes are online again. Back to in-person. Online again. This is a cycle playing out at schools across the country, and there does not seem to be an end to the cycle in the short-term. Some schools used the spring and summer closures in 2020 to prepare classrooms for either virtual or hybrid learning opportunities, while others fully expected to be back in the classrooms in a normal routine by now. Many schools that did not invest in technology upgrades are beginning to consider these projects, hoping to have them in place for next semester.
Schools that hadn’t prepared their online learning capabilities before now have a significant incentive to invest: grants and legislation that allocate funding for technology and professional development investments that support distance learning.
Current events are causing shifts in how we think about everything, and education is no exception. With K-12 and higher education classrooms closed across the nation, many educational institutions are moving up the timelines for construction and renovation projects, often with an updated scope to account for changes that will need to be in place when students return to classrooms.
Given current events, commencement ceremonies may look a lot different this year than they have in the past. IMS has been a trusted partner for college and university commencements for decades, and we are combining that experience with our deep capabilities and expertise in streaming live events (including commencements) to help clients create a plan for virtual commencement ceremonies
Higher education classrooms have experienced many changes during the last few years. Institutions have begun offering cyber classes or distant learning models to increase enrollment, which is imperative for many schools.
Salesianum School is a private college preparatory school for boys in Wilmington, DE. They have a fundraising event which is known as the “For The Boys” event each year to assist underprivileged students with tuition cost to attend the school. In the past this event was held in the school gymnasium but in 2014 the administrators decided to convene the event offsite for the first time. They decided to hold their event at the Delaware Art Museum in March of 2014 and made preparations for attendance of 350 people.
Souderton Areas School District has previously invested in interactive whiteboards and other audio visual equipment in years past so it was important to retrofit these assets to maximize efficiency while improving image and sound quality. In addition, faculty often does not stay in one classroom year over year, so standardizing on a design a design was critical. Ease-of-use and reliability ranked as most important priorities for faculty, while cost-of-ownership was an important focal point for SASD’s administration.