Kettering College Nursing Students Gain Innovative, Remote Video Learning with Hikvision Mini Dome Cameras, NVRs, and A/V by Integrator Custom Connections
A private Adventist healthcare college located in Kettering, Ohio, Kettering College has several specialties, including nursing, human biology, respiratory care, and others. Its Accelerated Nursing Program sought out Ohio-based Hikvision dealer, Custom Connections Audio Video (Custom Connections), to help them devise a scenario to share their lab-based learning with students via video and audio in classrooms and remotely, especially during COVID-19.
“Medical simulations are integral to nursing education, providing students with hands-on experience and exposure to real-life scenarios they will encounter in their professional careers. In addition, with the advent of technology, recording these simulations has become a vital tool for evaluating student performance and providing feedback for improvement,” said Phillip Smith, the Director of Simulation Technology at Kettering College's Division of Nursing.
Each of their seven labs is a bay with a bed. Professors use a mechanical mannequin as a “patient,” controlled by an iPad. Using this mannequin, nursing program professors can demonstrate a variety of conditions to provide a rich learning environment for students, such as cardiac arrest or low blood pressure, and simulate what the patient is doing and how to treat it.
The owner of Custom Connections, Mark Crumbacher, devised a way to achieve their goals using Hikvision 4 MP AcuSense Fixed Mini Dome Network Cameras (2.8mm DS-2CD2543G2-IS) and the embedded plug-and-play NVR (4 TB DS-7608NI-I2/8P). Each lab contains seven mini dome cameras to capture live video and one NVR that shares data with their central control room.
Inside the control room is an HDMI splitter for each lab that sends live views to 4k monitors. It can also take HDMI cable, deliver the live view to their PC, and share that screen and audio with a virtual classroom. The setup provides flexibility, as professors can control the NVR with a wireless mouse at each bay.
“In a past installation we did for the Kettering College IPE Simulation Center—similar to the nursing program—we took all seven exam rooms (each equipped with an 8-channel NVR and seven mini dome cameras) and connected them into an HDMI matrix that sent the signal to the control room and a classroom down the hall. This setup enables a classroom of students to watch and listen to a live simulation from any of the exam rooms,” said Crumbacher. He added that students could view this simulation using their 4K projector and hear the two-way communication with the in-ceiling audio system from the classroom.
For the Accelerated Nursing Program, the college wanted to share each lab with the control room and a classroom of students for remote learning. Since Custom Connections took the two-way communication system and split the audio to all seven cameras, students watching this remotely can watch and hear the action. In addition, all communication from the control room and all conversations in the exam rooms can be heard on the remote session.
“Our decades of experience with audio/video, paired with the quality of Hikvision’s cameras and NVRs, helped Kettering College’s Accelerated Nursing Department deliver high-quality remote learning during the pandemic and beyond. In addition, it gave staff and students the flexibility to learn in multiple environments,” said Crumbacher.
Smith notes that using the YuJa video capture tool has improved the quality of student feedback, allowing for a more objective assessment of their performance. Additionally, the recorded sessions have become a valuable resource for students to review and reflect on their performance, leading to increased self-awareness and improvement.
“Mark Crumbacher, the CEO of Custom Connections, has played a crucial role in implementing video capture at Kettering College's Division of Nursing. Custom Connections is a technology solutions provider for higher education institutions. They have worked closely with Kettering College to ensure the successful integration of the YuJa video capture tool into our Canvas learning management system (LMS),” Smith said. He added: “Integrating YuJa video capture within the Canvas LMS has revolutionized the recording of medical simulations for nursing students. With the support of companies like Hikvision and Custom Connections and the expertise of simulation technologists like Kettering’s Gerson Hortua, nursing schools can provide a more effective and efficient learning experience for their students.”