Google Adaptive Audio for Hybrid Classrooms: A Step Toward Seamless Learning
I have long felt that hybrid meetings are the worst. Trying to navigate the waters of meeting with several people in person, some remote, some wanting to display from their own laptop, etc., all becomes very complicated very quickly. Typically, when I set up a meeting, if more than one person needs to join remotely, I suggest that we go fully remote. This is the smoothest way, in my experience, to run a meeting. I think if we are being honest, in higher education, we need to admit that the same is true for the hybrid classroom experience. Yet, providing the hybrid experience is very important, even to schools that don’t necessarily support remote learning. There will be illnesses, sporting events and many other reasons that take people away from campus. I am always on the lookout for the devices that are going to improve this process and experience, and at ISE, Google displayed its adaptive audio for Google Meet. This takes us a step forward.
To first understand the problems Google adaptive audio solves, let’s look at the current hybrid environment. The most obvious problem is access to equipment. Every student in every classroom needs a device. The specific type of device depends on whether we’re talking about K-12 or higher education. As the student advances to each next grade, the more critical a devices becomes. Many higher education institutions have found ways to provide students with laptops or offer loaner programs when needed. In my view, this is an absolute necessity. Fortunately, affordable solutions like lightweight laptops paired with web-based applications, such as Chromebooks, continue to be available.
Now that we have devices in the hands of students, we need to solve the problems associated with all those devices. Thirty students in one room, with an additional 10 students joining a class remotely provides a poor experience for the remote participants. It is difficult for them to see the classroom and hear what is happening. Yes, we have made a major push by adding microphones and cameras in classrooms, but this is expensive to install and expensive to maintain. Few schools will have a robust system in every classroom (or even in most of them). Displaying 10 faces on a single video conference interface isn’t practical, making it difficult for in-person students to see when remote attendees have a question or comment. This creates an environment where the overall classroom experience is negatively impacted for most participants.
Google’s adaptive audio takes a step forward in solving this issue. This new technology enables computers to detect nearby devices in the same meeting and form a “mesh” of microphones and speakers, eliminating the audio feedback issues that typically occur when multiple computers are in the same space. It allows every student to connect directly to the meeting, providing a clear view of all participants and ensuring they see shared content with the same clarity as everyone else in the room. It allows for a more interactive discussion as well, because meeting participants are not worried about when to mute/un-mute, and the hassle of everyone trying to figure out why there is the screeching feedback. Additionally, because everyone in the classroom is in a Google meeting, they are able to use the closed captioning features.
This may seem like a pretty minor upgrade. But it is these little advances in technology that start to make a big difference in how our classrooms work. While Google is used widely in K-12 classrooms, it is not as popular in higher ed. I expect that Zoom, much more popular in higher ed, will build on these features and continue to provide ways to allow for a truly integrated experience.
