- Established in 1845, Baylor University is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of Texas. The picturesque 735-acre campus located in Waco on the banks of the Brazos River draws nearly 14,000 students annually, making Baylor the largest Baptist university in the world.
"Some faculty enjoy using the Moderos so much, they request to teach only in rooms equipped with them. That says a lot about the value of the AMX equipment, and it is rewarding to know that these systems better equip faculty to do their work."
- In June 2004, the school completed its largest building project to date – a stunning 508,000 square foot Sciences Building designed to encourage interactive collaboration in research and teaching. As Anthony Lapes, Baylor's Technology Project Manager explains, "A critical component of the vision for the building was to provide flexible teaching and learning environments incorporating a wide range of technologies that can be easily operated via a single point of control."
Seamless Classroom Management
- To achieve this goal, Lapes enlisted the help of Waco-based Padgitt's Communications, which has installed Baylor's audio/visual equipment for approximately 15 years. When selecting classroom control systems for the Sciences Building, Lapes and Padgitt's Project Manager John Copeland considered equipment from several manufacturers. They chose AMX® for several reasons, namely the technology's ease of use and reliability, and the company's customer support. The capabilities of the MeetingManager™ software were also a significant factor, especially for Lapes.
- "A variety of AMX systems were already installed in more than 50 of our classrooms, and the feedback we had received from students, faculty and staff using the technology had been overwhelmingly positive," said Lapes. "I also recognized the significant impact MeetingManager would have if it was implemented across our campus. The software was a huge selling point for me."
- "The AMX technology we've installed in Baylor's classrooms has held up extremely well," said Copeland. "Overall, AMX has just been a great company to work with – from staying on the leading edge of technology, to the support the company provides us. Whenever we call for help, we always find a smile on the other end of the phone. To be able to access answers immediately and get problems resolved quickly means a whole lot to a technician or installer out in the field."
- The Sciences Building, which opened its doors for the Fall 2004 semester, contains 32 classrooms and lecture halls, a 300-seat auditorium, two video conference rooms and 153 teaching and research laboratories. All of the classrooms are networked via MeetingManager, and 21 include a NetLinx® control system and Modero® Touch Panel.
MeetingManager Impact
- Across Baylor's campus today, approximately 95 classrooms, including its award winning Southwest Securities Financial Markets Center, incorporate an AMX system, with MeetingManager managing and monitoring the technology in about 45 of these rooms. In the next three to four years, Lapes plans to expand the number of classrooms connected to the MeetingManager server to more than 150.
- Baylor's IT staff currently uses the software to perform system updates over the network, which maximizes its limited personnel resources, and to track device usage. With reports generated on equipment usage, the university knows which devices are in demand, enabling it to allocate funds for technologies offering the highest return on investment. In the future, the university also plans to implement MeetingManager's security features to reduce device theft, as well as its room scheduling capabilities.
- "As I expected, MeetingManager has had a significant impact on Baylor. Not only has it enabled us to maximize our limited IT personnel resources, but we can also make more educated purchasing decisions, which should save the university money and time."
Focus on Teaching
- Baylor originally became interested in using control systems in its educational buildings because faculty wanted classrooms that were easy to use. They found that juggling multiple device remotes had become cumbersome and was taking the focus away from teaching and learning.
- Having a simple way to use multiple devices from a single point of control was important to our faculty, and therefore a priority for us. AMX has really allowed us to meet their needs in a virtually transparent way," commented Lapes. "In fact, some faculty enjoy using the Moderos so much, they request to teach only in rooms equipped with them. That says a lot about the value of the AMX equipment, and it is rewarding to know that these systems better equip faculty to do their work."
