Hybrid Learning at Social Security Scotland

Challenge:

As part of a major recruitment drive, the projects team within Social Security Scotland were tasked with the challenge of modernising the organisations learning and development facilities within their Glasgow and Dundee locations.

Project objectives included the design and implementation of technology to support the creation of hybrid learning spaces, giving attendees the ability to take part in training sessions either in person or virtually. In addition, the design had to be flexible enough to allow each space to operate in several configurations, where retractable partitions would create larger or smaller spaces, depending on the business requirement.

Solution:

Working closely with the projects team at Social Security Scotland, NuVideo developed a highly flexible solution to meet the clients’ requirements. Implementing the same design across all locations would be key to the success of the project, providing a consistent user experience, regardless of venue.

A ‘hybrid’ solution was proposed for the various training rooms, taking into consideration the pre-requisite of being able to reconfigure the rooms as required;

Key elements of the solution include:

• Large format 4K LED displays, allowing attendees to view content and virtual participants on separate displays;
• Selectable HD PTZ cameras ensure that the meeting facilitator can be viewed clearly at various teaching points within the space, with a further fixed-frame wide angle camera focussing on the audience;
• Ceiling mounted microphone arrays for audience participation, with additional microphones for the meeting facilitator;
• BYOD wireless connectivity;
• Touch panel with Intuitive user interface for control of in room audio-visual equipment.

Outcome:

Social Security Scotland now has the capacity to deliver hybrid learning sessions from 13 training rooms across the two office locations.

This flexible approach to the delivery of training provides significant benefits to the client and its workforce, as well as being more attractive to prospective new employees. Staff working from home can now readily participate and interact with training sessions as part of the organisations learning and development program, with the added benefit of greatly improving training delivery timescales.

The quality of training that can be provided has been significantly improved using this new technology, with participants benefiting greatly from the state-of-the-art presentation facilities now available across the organisation.

For this project, NuVideo focussed on the core elements of the clients’ requirements and opted for a flexible, robust and user-friendly solution, which could be replicated across all sites.

Technology selections were based on experience with projects of similar size and scope, using best-in-class products from leading manufacturers;

• QSC Q-SYS processor, providing the core audio, video and control platform
• Q-SYS PTZ cameras for the training room facilitator and Q-SYS Fixed Frame cameras for the in-room audience.
• Q-SYS 7” Touch panels for in-room audio-visual controls
• QSC AcousticDesign Series ceiling loudspeakers
• Shure MXA Ceiling Microphone Arrays
• Sennheiser Headworn and Shure Handheld Radio Microphones for facilitators
• Sony 4K LED Displays
• Barco Clickshare CX-50 wireless collaboration solution