The goal of higher education is to prepare students for future careers, teaching them not only desired skills, but how to effectively problem solve, communicate, and collaborate.
The last few years have seen an explosion of references to “active learning,” with research encouraging a move away from the time-honored “sage on the stage” method of traditional lecturing to flipped and blended learning classroom models. By reversing the traditional learning environment so that students listen to instructional content and lectures online – outside the classroom – flipped classrooms open up in-class time for more dynamic, interactive, and collaborative learning.
Studies have consistently shown that active learning methods are more effective than traditional (passive) learning formats, such as lectures, in terms of both student engagement and learning outcomes. Yet, estimates indicate that a relatively low percentage of classrooms are designed for active learning or incorporating truly active learning methods or technology. Why the large gap in evidence vs. implementation?
While the active learning pedagogy may be effective, its implementation has been constrained by the high cost of developing active learning classrooms.
Designed in collaboration with top educational institutions around the world, Solstice Active Learning removes much of the cost and complexity of traditional active learning projects. Solstice Active Learning is a flexible and affordable software-based video routing solution that is quick to deploy and easy to use, with no specialized hardware or custom programming required.
8 Key Advantages of Solstice Active Learning
- More affordable than traditional active learning solutions.
Traditional hardware-based solutions come with significant upfront costs for specialized hardware, consulting services, custom programming, and construction build-outs. However, Solstice Active Learning removes or significantly reduces these costs through a simple system architecture: one Solstice Pod with a current Active Learning Subscription for each display, with just one ethernet and one HDMI cable required per Pod.
- Fast and easy to deploy.
Mersive’s solution replaces the need for custom programming of active learning spaces with an intuitive drag-and-drop app that allows any administrator user to design and activate a new active learning space in minutes or hours – not weeks or months. Additionally, Solstice’s simple system architecture streamlines the physical deployment of Solstice Active Learning spaces by minimizing cabling and other construction requirements.
- Flexible to each classroom’s needs.
Solstice Active Learning provides educators with the flexibility to design and conduct an active learning session that accommodates their teaching style and needs. With a software-based approach, educators are free to move through the space as needed, controlling the session through an app on their tablet or laptop. It also gives schools the opportunity to trial active learning spaces without long-term commitments and repurpose existing spaces without having to physically reconfigure equipment.
- Promotes student collaboration.
Solstice at each team table enables students to work together and easily share content from any device, enhancing student engagement and collaboration through unlimited simultaneous content sharing, control, and mark up capabilities. Working in these peer groups allows students to acquire knowledge easier and high engagement increases the likelihood of continued re-enrollment.
- Designed for student-teacher engagement.
Beyond software-based video routing, Mersive’s solution delivers thoughtful functionality designed specifically for educators. Solstice Active Learning includes a customizable on-demand messaging system so facilitators can easily communicate to team tables and control the flow of an active learning session.
- Optimized for both onsite and remote participants.
Solstice Active Learning comes equipped with Solstice Conference to seamlessly support remote students or guest speakers joining via any major conferencing service. Easily share a remote participant’s video or presentation to the displays throughout the room, or share what’s on an in-room display to the remote participants.
- Consistent experience across every active learning space.
Many of today’s solutions require custom hardware and specialized programming, resulting in active learning rooms that vary significantly, thus creating inconsistent and poor user experiences and rooms that are difficult to manage. With Solstice Active Learning, every room delivers the same experience and all rooms are managed within a single management portal, improving usability, adoption, and efficiency for end-users and admins.
- Additional value with cloud management and analytics.
Mersive’s solution includes additional value with a centralized cloud management and analytics portal, providing admins with management flexibility and critical learning space insights to determine ROI and optimize productivity.
Solstice Active Learning revolutionizes the deployment of active learning spaces with a quick to deploy and flexible solution that dramatically reduces the high costs that have constrained broad adoption of this powerful teaching-learning model.
