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Middle Tennessee State University Creates Self-Help Interface for Faculty AV Support

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 12/08/22

With a campus of 55 buildings containing over 420 AV-equipped and over 1,000 university-owned PCs, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) found it difficult for technology support staff to respond in person to numerous requests for help, many of which were simple problems. So MTSU's AV control system programmers developed an AV user interface for their Extron TouchLink Pro touch panels to take care of routine AV system operation and minor troubleshooting.

MTSU AV panel

The interface, developed by campus staff using Extron's Global Configurator Professional and GUI Designer software, walks users through how to fix problems themselves. The control software recognizes the AV system configuration of each room and customizes guidance to it, so the interface can take the user through routine AV system operations from startup to shutdown in real time with interactive GUIs displayed on TouchLink Pro touch panels.

MTSU technical support staff developed a large library of troubleshooting macros. "Once point-of-signal loss is pinpointed, the macro either sends a command to correct the problem or displays a message to the user suggesting how to proceed. The macros emulate the troubleshooting steps and decision branching that a tech support person would perform," said Extron in the MTSU case study. "If a problem cannot be resolved by the applicable troubleshooting macro, a telephone number and QR code appear on the touch panel GUI, advising the user to contact tech support at the Help Desk. Tech support can coach the user through manual troubleshooting using the touch panel … [or] take control remotely via GlobalViewer Enterprise."

Visit this page to read the MTSU self-help interface case study and watch the associated demo videos.

For more information on how Extron AV, signal processing, distribution, and control solutions are being used in education, visit the education tech videos page.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

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