Elevated Online Learning with the University of Miami’s New Teaching Studio
The quality of educational content should match the caliber of the institution providing it. When the University of Miami’s UOnline department set out to revitalize its content creation capabilities, it needed a facility capable of meeting the rigorous demands of a premier online learning system.
Midtown Video recently collaborated with the UOnline team to design and integrate a comprehensive production hub, featuring a sophisticated control room, two versatile studios, and an audio podcast room. We were honored to join the UOnline team for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, celebrating a space that is already serving as a vital resource for the University.
Take a look at the project below.
SEE ALSO: The University of Miami Art Gallery at The Chapel
It Quickly Became a Multidisciplinary Resource
While the facility’s primary mission is to produce high-end content for UOnline’s curriculum, the space’s impact has already expanded across the University. The studios are designed for flexibility, making them a valuable rental resource for other departments.
The Miller School of Medicine has already secured multiple production dates for the coming months, and representatives from the College of Engineering were present at the launch to discuss future collaborations. Cross-departmental utility is a testament to the facility’s professional-grade specifications and Midtown’s abilities to design, install, and support leading-edge technology solutions in higher education.
Solving for Space and Standards
Every project presents unique architectural challenges. For the UOnline facility, the primary hurdle was the narrow footprint of the control room. Our engineering team had to balance a high-density equipment load with strict ADA compliance requirements.
To solve this, Midtown designed a custom control console with a shallower profile than is typical for broadcast environments. Despite the physical constraints, the workstation remains ergonomically sound and fully functional. Producers can manage complex multi-camera shoots without compromising comfort or accessibility.
Specialized Tools for Pedagogy
The studios are equipped with specialized tools designed to make digital instruction more engaging and intuitive. Maintaining this critical human connection during technical lessons is imperative for online learning and student success.
One of the standout features is a translucent lightboard that lets professors face the camera and write on a glass surface with special markers during recordings. The text is later mirrored in post-production so students can see the instructor’s face and their notes simultaneously.
The facility also includes:
- A Full Green Screen Cyclorama: For immersive virtual environments and high-quality compositing.
- Professional Studio Lighting: Tuned for skin tones and set depth across both studio spaces.
- Broadcast-Grade Control: A centralized switching and audio mixing station for real-time production and streaming.
We Provide End-User Training and Partnership
While the hardware is impressive, a system is only as effective as the team operating it. A significant focus of this project was the transition from installation to operation. Midtown’s own Hernan Polo led the comprehensive training sessions for the UOnline team. The client’s feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The Multimedia Production team for UOnline noted that the training process was essential to their success. Midtown ensures teams have the confidence and technical proficiency to use our creative installations to their full potential.
Morgyn Joubert, the Director of Multimedia Production at the University of Miami UOnline, had this to say: “Working with Midtown Video on the UOnline production suite has been an outstanding experience from start to finish. Their team not only delivered a highly functional and professional-grade multimedia environment but also took the time to understand how faculty and production teams actually work within higher education. The attention to detail, custom solutions, and hands-on training have helped position the University of Miami’s UOnline studios as a scalable, future-focused resource for online learning and cross-campus collaboration.”
This is What Totally Awesome Systems Look Like
The UOnline production suite represents the intersection of technical craftsmanship and educational vision. By focusing on intentional signal flow, custom furniture solutions, and dedicated user training, Midtown Video has helped create a learning environment that enables the University of Miami to produce world-class digital content for years to come.
Midtown Video is a leading AV integrator for large-scale institutional and corporate projects, specializing in high-density multi-studio builds and enterprise-wide rollouts. Whether we are building a broadcast studio for a university or a collaboration hub for a global firm, our goal remains the same: to create systems that support communication without distraction.