CVTC launched in 2018 a new Culinary Management associates degree program to prepare students for careers as bakers, cooks, sous chefs, restaurant managers, and food service managers.
To create a best-in-class learning environment for incoming students, CVTC renovated its facility that includes 24 cooking stations, an international cookery suite and a professional baking space.
In addition, the design includes a separate demonstration area/classroom used for interactive lectures and community education. The challenge for this hands-on, interactive space included:
- Developing an AV solution based on the ideas and vision of culinary instructors.
- Ensuring 20-plus students all receive the same educational experience — which means a full 360-degree view of instructors who are teaching from a cooking station.
- Deploying technology that can be exposed to an environment that includes hot surfaces, steam, and smoke.
- Installing an AV system that is easy to use with one-touch controls.
- Integrating the system with the campus network and enabling one-touch record capabilities so video can easily be added to the college’s Learning Management System.
The Solution
To meet educational demands, CVTC engaged with AVI Systems to deliver the right technology that enables both teaching and learning.
“One huge task for AVI was to overcome the obstructions that existed with viewing angles,” said Nate Runge, CVTC’s Network and Infrastructure Manager. “The kitchen area is four or five times larger than a commercial restaurant kitchen. When instructors are demonstrating techniques to students, they need to feel confident students can see exactly what’s happening at each cooking station.”
AVI created a solution that includes multiple pan-tilt-zoom cameras, as well as fixed cameras at each cooking surface that focus on the hands of instructors.
Every camera is carefully positioned at the various cooking stations to eliminate obstructed viewing angles when instructors are demonstrating. Instructors have the ability to route any camera to any of the 20 displays, allowing students to clearly see what’s happening.
AVI also assisted with video system programming and integration to ensure the system tied seamlessly with the college’s existing network.
In addition, AVI provided training priority warranty support so the CVTC service desk could contact AVI directly in the event the Media Services staff were unavailable.
TECHNOLOGY SERVING STUDENTS
- Crestron NVX DigitalMedia Network AV Encoder/Decoder
- 15 Vaddio pan-tilt-zoom and fixed cameras
- 20 Samsung high-definition monitors
- One-button recording system
- Four Shure wireless lav and headset mics
- 10 SoundTube ceiling mounted pendant-style speakers with multi-zoned options
- 3 Crestron Touch Screens with management to control cameras, displays, audio, and routing
The Result
AVI’s experience and product knowledge enabled CVTC to deploy a technology system perfectly suited for instructors and students of the new Culinary Management program.
“From design to implementation, AVI helped us — working with our general contractor, electricians and architects — to ensure all AV objectives were met,” said Runge. “We’re a small internal team, so the project management expertise AVI provided was critical to the success of this build out.”
The technology created for the Culinary Management program was truly the vision of the classroom instructors, who are completely comfortable operating the system while teaching.
The proof of a well-designed technology solution is in the troubleshooting his team is required to do after the installation.
Today, this classroom has more AV technology than all of CVTC’s conference and event spaces combined, yet there has been nothing noticeable to the technology team’s support capacity, according to Runge.
“We lowered the typical ‘burn-in’ phase and on day one had the operational level of technology that I would expect after a full year of production and use,” said Runge. “Exceptional technology is seamless and transparent. It provides value and empowers our instructors organically. AVI provided deep expertise that is evident in this program and in the success of students who enroll with us.”
