Distance learning today and in the future - NC State University Case Study posted: 26/09/2020
by Tony Pearson, senior associate director, Video Communication Services from the DELTA team at NC State
About Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA)
DELTA's role within the Office of the Provost is to foster the integration and support of learning technologies in NC State's academic programs, both on the campus and at a distance. We coordinate the funding and production of all distance-based credit programs and courses for the university. We promote high-quality education by extending the reach of the faculty and collaboratively applying expertise in technology and pedagogy in an efficient, effective and service-oriented environment.
Video Communication Services
Video Communication Services was started prior to DELTA in the 1980s. Courses were captured/recorded using physical media, tapes, then CDs, then DVDs that were shipped directly to students. During this time courses and special programs were also broadcast through many of the following methods, LPTV, Microwave, Satellite, ISDN, MPEG2, and H.323. Prior to H.323, Satellite and Microwave were primarily used for synchronous learning: remote students were watching course lectures at the same time as those who were actually present on campus. They could respond to the professor via two-way video (H.323) and or phone bridges, giving a real sense of interaction with the class. Once the internet became a reliable source to deliver high quality material, we began to move our courses online. The benefits were obvious: not just lower cost to distribute, but immediacy, interactivity, and the improved ability to use the courses synchronously or asynchronously, thanks to enhanced collaboration applications, and video on demand access. What set NC State apart, was the demand for maintaining a professional, high quality broadcast standard approach to their production for distance education courses. The workflow was created with a Realtime production process. This included live transmissions and or synchronous connections for designated courses every semester. All this was achieved in the beginning by creating what was originally called a Studio Classroom now referred to as a media-enhanced classroom. Although these classrooms were used by traditional students on campus as well as those at a distance, they were not your standard classroom. All classrooms were full production studios with specialized lighting, production switcher, character generators, desktop or ceiling microphones, and up to six cameras where required.
Operational efficiency
As our Distance Education programs grew more classrooms were added and the need to increase classroom capacity was in high demand. During this period of growth, we started to see annual enrollment increases of 15 to 20%. This growth dictated the need for improved and efficient workflows. As a result of this growth, all designated control rooms supporting media-enhanced classrooms were reduced to equipment closets to provide additional seating capacity inside the classroom. This required a swift transition from a control room modal with dedicated technicians or video directors.
Tony Pearson, CTS, Sr. Associate Director, Video Communication Services, NC State University
Once a space was identified for a centralized control room now referred to as the CCR. Phase one was implemented with two consoles to support, control, and monitor three media-enhanced classrooms remotely. One challenge was how to repurpose existing fiber no longer needed for microwave transmissions: With the CCR located in the heart of main campus, all existing fiber runs had to be rerouted and additional runs added for a home run back to Ricks Hall Annex. The AV infrastructure design required the use of single mode fiber to transmit one SDI video source per fiber strand for a total of four sources per classroom. This placed serious limitations on the number of signals we could transmit back to the CCR. Including cameras and computer sources, a media-enhanced classroom might have anywhere from 12 to 16 video sources to be managed. The current fiber infrastructure only gave us four video channels per classroom. The AV design solution was to put a multiviewer in each classroom and send quad-split screen feeds over the fiber to the CCR.
Media Enhanced Classroom
That meant the technicians could see a limited number of sources and by using routing controls they could switch and manage various signals. Because the multiviewer to multiviewer design provided bundled feeds of all sources transmitted from each classroom. A handicap was created, these feeds could not be unraveled to provide true confidence feeds of other remote sources. Technicians had to be really creative with routing in order to see, monitor and control everything.
Control room Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA), NC State University 2
Migration to IP
Moving forward it was determined that we needed an open architecture solution to provide flexibility and scalability for the next generation of remote monitoring and control in our CCR. We also needed it to be standards-based, which would secure the future without becoming bound to a proprietary solution which would limit future developments. The process for selecting a solution took almost four years. We looked at a broad range of products that were presently on or entering the market. Due to our aging routers and multiviewer our focus was on open architecture solutions using industry-standard interfaces from signal acquisition, to signal delivery and, monitoring. As we looked to move away from dedicated SDI-connected routers towards an all IP processing platform it became obvious that an SDI to all IP solution would provide all the flexibility and scalability we re
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
Distance learning today and in the future - NC State University Case Study posted: 26/09/2020 
