INTRODUCTION

The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM) excels in teaching, research, and service to the community while fueling the Wisconsin economy. With 193 academic programs, 300 student organizations, and 15 NCAA Division 1 sports teams, UWM offers its 25,000 students an all-encompassing campus experience.

Crestron technology isn’t new to the UWM campus; the university has been utilizing Crestron AV platforms for over 10 years. They standardized on Crestron because they needed solutions that were simple, straightforward, and easily deployed. 

THE CHALLENGE

Responsible for managing all technology on the main campus, UWM Classroom Support Team, led by Kevin Jahnke, Manager Classroom Services, and Eric Dietenberger, Senior Information Processing Consultant were tasked with creating a new standardized, simplified AV solution for classrooms on the main campus and satellite community campuses throughout southeastern Wisconsin, as well as for conference rooms and select large spaces.

THE TECHNOLOGY

The Classroom Support Team deployed DM® technology in educational spaces on campus, including the Lubar School of Business. General Assignment Classrooms on campus feature Crestron as the standard and recent installations include a Digital Media Presentation System (DMPS) for complete 4K AV presentation control and signal routing as well as Crestron AirMedia technology for wireless presentation from laptops and tablets. Faculty and staff can enter any room and easily control AV and other functions via a Crestron TSW touch screen or media presentation button panel. There’s no wasted time trying to get the technology in the rooms to work.

Intrigued by the possibilities offered by Crestron DM NVX™ network AV technology, the team deployed it inside the newly renovated David O. Nicholas Applied Finance Lab. DM NVX encoders/decoders securely distribute content over the network between 12 dual-monitor PCs, three projectors, and two LCD monitors, with no latency. "The ease of installation and ability to leverage the school's existing 1 Gb network infrastructure made the choice of DM NVX a no-brainer," says Dietenberger. It would also improve the quality and expediency of support provided to faculty.

“Crestron does a great job to ensure that their technology is scalable and secure for their customers. With DM NVX, there’s no concern about not having enough inputs and outputs when we need to install additional workstations or displays in a space,” says Jahnke. “With DM NVX, problems that would have previously required physically changing systems can now be easily done on the network,” adds Dietenberger.

RESULTS

Universities constantly look ahead to find ways to provide the best learning experience possible and attract top students. Therefore, the learning technology needs to be up to the high standards required of a competitive educational environment. By standardizing on Crestron solutions, UWM is providing its students and faculty with the most consistent and cutting-edge teaching and learning experience possible. DM NVX, in particular, offers UWM the flexibility and scalability to adapt active learning spaces to meet constantly changing needs. Dietenberger and team are so impressed with DM NVX, they’re already looking to deploy it in more spaces in the future.