There's a new focus for higher education institutions...

Universities have an inherent requirement to be attractive to students and remain competitive in their field. It’s always been the case. What’s new, however, is that many of today’s biggest challenges in staying ahead of the competition are focused on technology.

Technology is the key to delivering the richest learning experience possible. So, with much of the responsibility falling onto the shoulders of the IT department, what can be done to relieve some of the pressure they’re under? What approach should they take? And where should investments be made? In this article, we aim to explore the answers.

Why is technology the new focus?

Over 160 institutions in the UK are fighting to stay on top. Most recognise they need to move with the times to resonate with students who are accustomed to interactive and visual experiences – and technology is key to achieving this.

For example, while the consensus is that live lectures still have an important part to play, it’s widely acknowledged that using recordings to support, rather than replace, lectures is a valuable way to evolve the experience. Incorporating this into a wider digital learning strategy drives the need to purchase new technologies – specifically projectors.

Cutting edge projector solutions increase student and lecturer engagement by delivering compelling, immersive experiences – helping to attract students, and consequently compete against other universities.

However, IT leaders face a number of challenges today, making it easy to lose focus on what’s important...

Today's challenges

While IT and AV managers are constantly trying to deliver the best learning experience possible, their departments are feeling the strain.

Student demands for visual experiences are higher than ever. Technology is constantly changing. IT budgets are being stretched. Decision makers need more for their money – with total cost of ownership being a key consideration in the buying stage.

For many, a traditional lamp-based projector would only exacerbate the issues, with IT managers citing problems around resolution, reliability, replacement of lamps, and the time spent on maintaining them. Current projectors aren’t associated with a rich learning experience either, and IT leaders have problems with integrating them into a modern, digital infrastructure.

However, projectors have evolved – and Casio’s lamp-free range offers the answer to many of the problems faced.

Overcoming the challenges

It takes a lot of time and effort for IT managers to keep everything running – time that could be spent elsewhere, on improving the learning experience for existing students, and attracting new ones. The answer is to make innovation in education the only focus.

Casio’s NEW Ultra HD 4K projector is the best example of this. Forget everything you know about traditional projectors, because Casio’s innovative solutions reduce the requirement for ongoing maintenance or IT intervention, and deliver the detail needed to create engaging education experiences.

What’s more, with 4K identified as the future of display technology – offering more immersive visual experiences and collaboration through connectivity – it’s vital that this kind of technology is implemented by universities to compete with other institutions. It means a Casio projector is a very wise investment that’s well worth doing your homework on.

For a full outline of the biggest IT challenges today - and how to overcome them - download our new Insight Report now