Hybrid Teaching at Mendel University in Brno Enhanced by 68 Panasonic Cameras

Not all classrooms received new cameras. In rooms where older Panasonic models were already installed, the university opted to keep them. These cameras, some of which have been in use for five or six years, are expected to have a lifespan of around ten years much longer than cheaper alternatives. Radek Sobola from the integrator company Evenix, responsible for the installation, confirmed universities' preference for higher-quality cameras. "When they are about to invest considerable funds, they think about ensuring that the cameras do not break immediately after the warranty. That is why they are looking for higher quality brands that they expect to have a lifespan of around 10 years. We also had competing products on offer that were 10 to 15 percent cheaper, but they didn't work within three years."

Mendel University does not record most of its lectures or allow them to be watched retrospectively. According to Puna, some students used to replay lectures at double speed right before exams, which negatively impacted their performance. As a result, the university prefers live streaming, where students must sign up for the lecture in real-time. The school uses Microsoft Teams as its communication platform. "Theoretically, students can record the lecture themselves, it cannot be prevented, but it is more difficult for them, because they have to go at the same moment when the lecture starts and start recording," says Michal Puna.

Panasonic cameras are maintenance-free, and even if a teacher forgets to turn one off, it remains in standby mode until the next day. "The only thing we sometimes have to change is the source, which is a consumer item that is expected," says integrator Radek Sobola. The installation of 68 cameras took the partner company Evenix four months and extended into the academic year compared to the original plan. "It was more complicated in the old building, which is still awaiting renovation. There we had to look for penetrations, we pulled out the old wiring and somewhere we also had to trim. In contrast, modern classrooms have folded ceilings and double floors," explains Radek Sobola.

In cases where cameras were mounted directly above lecture halls, extendable arms were used to position the cameras, allowing cables to be routed internally. According to Radek Sobola, setting up and putting the cameras into operation was simple: "We set the cameras to on by default, the software guides the image and saves the preset. Teachers can choose, for example, number one, when the camera captures them at the department, number two the entire audience, etc. Such a setup within one classroom only took five or ten minutes."

Mendel University plans to continue outfitting additional classrooms and lecture halls with Panasonic PTZ cameras as part of ongoing renovations. "It has become such a standard that every new classroom will have at least one, but rather two cameras," concludes Michal Puna from the Audiovisual Center of Mendel University.