Academy of Hearing Acoustics, Lübeck, Germany

Germany's central training campus for hearing care professionals uses Bettear CASTER Auracast™ transmitters to teach the next generation of hearing aid specialists, and to make its dining halls accessible to every student.

At a glance

• Venue: Academy of Hearing Acoustics
• Location: Lübeck, Germany
• Venue type: University and national training campus for hearing care professionals
• Students: More than 3,000 a year with its partner Federal Vocational School, about 900 on campus each day
• Bettear products: CASTER Auracast™ transmitters
• Installation: Set up by the academy's own team

The challenge

A school that trains hearing care professionals has to teach the technology its graduates will support, and stay accessible for students who have hearing loss themselves.

The academy trains hearing care professionals at every stage, from apprentices to master craftspeople. Its assistive listening lessons had relied on systems tied to individual hearing aid brands.

The teaching team wanted an open, interoperable approach that works across devices and manufacturers, and wanted students to get hands-on experience with the technology that will shape hearing assistance in the years ahead.

The solution and products

The academy added Auracast™ broadcast audio to its curriculum, alongside telecoil and manufacturer-specific systems.

• In the classroom. Auracast™ transmitters are used in hands-on lessons and in large lectures, so students learn the open standard next to the systems they already know.
• In the dining halls. Broadcasts of entertainment and information reach students' own compatible devices, with or without hearing aids, so the loudspeakers can stay quieter.
• Installed in-house. The academy set up the transmitters itself and found them easy to deploy, so the technology was quickly part of classes and demonstrations.

The results

Students now train on the open standard that hearing care is moving to, and shared spaces are accessible to everyone.

• Ready for what comes next. Graduates leave with practical experience of Auracast™ broadcast audio, ready to support their future clients' devices.
• One open standard. Lessons can show interoperability across devices and manufacturers, not just one brand's system.
• Accessible shared spaces. Students with or without hearing loss can follow broadcasts in the dining halls on their own devices.
• A quieter campus. Less loudspeaker volume makes the dining halls more comfortable for everyone.
• An easy first step. For facilities without assistive listening yet, Auracast™ is a simple way to start.

Read more in the Auracast™ location profile of the Academy of Hearing Acoustics on bluetooth.com.

In their words

"A very easy way to complement and enhance existing assistive listening technology."

Dr. Frederick Hahn, Head of Advanced Training, Academy of Hearing Acoustics, Lübeck

Bringing Auracast™ to your campus? Our team is here to help you plan coverage, choose equipment and get it running.

Photos: © Olaf Malzahn