Two new training labs with 38 networked simulation stations
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is listed in Forbes' “America's Top Colleges” ranking – with over 22,000 students and more than 200,000 alumni. In July 2022, the College of Dental Medicine opened two new training labs. A total of 38 simulation units from Dentsply Sirona are networked with the alphadidact® Digital multimedia system from EBS. A surgical room is connected to the training lab for presenting live treatments.
The instructor sends a signal to all 38 students.
Challenge
The system had to work regardless of the hardware and software in use and be exceptionally easy to operate. The lecturer needed to be able to send signals from a camera, microscope or tablet to individual screens, groups of screens or all screens. In addition, it had to be possible to share one student's work with everyone – and live treatments from the surgical room should be transmitted in real time.
Solution
All functions are controlled via a room-specific user interface on a 10-inch touchscreen. At the touch of a button, the lecturer sends signals to the students. Pressing a student's number (e.g. S1) shares that student's work with everyone – the lecturer can comment live. A 70 m fibre optic link connects the training lab and the treatment room; live treatments can be activated either from the touchscreen in the simulation lab or directly from the surgical room.
Signal from S1 is transmitted to the instructor and to stations S13–S18.
The live treatment signal is transmitted from the surgical room to all 38 screens in the simulation lab.
Results
Students are trained in a practice-oriented and professional way. Any workstation can act as a signal source; participants in the back rows follow the training content in optimum quality.