At the University of Lincoln, a question that might seem obvious turned out to be genuinely transformative: what do the people actually using these rooms need?
Located in the heart of a historic cathedral city in the East Midlands, the University of Lincoln has built a reputation as one of the UK’s most dynamic modern universities, combining a city-centre campus at Brayford Pool with a strong focus on industry collaboration and student experience. With more than 15,000 students and continued investment in teaching and research facilities, the university has consistently evolved its learning environments to meet the needs of contemporary education.
In a major campus-wide AV upgrade spanning lecture theatres, seminar rooms and collaborative spaces, that user-first mindset became the foundation for a complete rethink of how audio supports teaching. Rather than starting with specifications, the project began with a much more practical question about workflow, usability and experience.
“We try to design from a user perspective rather than a full tech perspective. This meant asking ourselves questions like, what does that user journey in that room look like, and what does that workflow feel like?” explains Jason Ramsden, AV design lead and deputy AV manager at the University of Lincoln. That philosophy shaped every aspect of the deployment, from microphone selection to room behaviour, resulting in an environment where technology becomes part of the infrastructure rather than another layer for staff to manage.
Putting teaching first
The project emerged from a challenge that accelerated sharply during the pandemic: the growing imbalance between the experience of students in the room and those participating remotely. Hybrid teaching had become a necessity, but the tools in place were not built for it. Handheld and lapel microphones captured the lecturer but missed the room. Student contributions, questions and discussion were simply lost to remote participants. At the same time, portable microphones introduced a range of practical issues, from being left uncharged or misplaced to being used incorrectly.
“We were trying to remove elements of technology from the workflows of academics. They are experts in their subject, not in AV systems. All we want them to do is turn the system on and log in. Everything else should just work,” says Ramsden. For a relatively small AV team supporting a large and varied estate across three campuses, reducing those friction points was critical.
Building a Sennheiser ecosystem
The answer, following extensive evaluation, was Sennheiser’s TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC 2). Since designing the solution in 2023 and rolling it out through 2024, the university has deployed 172 TCC 2 microphones across 80 seminar rooms, 12 lecture theatres and a range of boardrooms and professional services environments. A further ten meeting rooms have been equipped with TeamConnect Ceiling Medium (TCC M), extending the same ceiling-based approach to more compact spaces.
Installation was carried out primarily by Pure AV, the university’s long-standing integration partner, with more recent phases delivered by Snelling Business Systems following a new tender. Together with Sennheiser, these partners formed a delivery team that the university could rely on throughout the project.
“We’ve had really strong support from both our integration partners and the manufacturers. Having a team that understands what you’re trying to achieve makes a huge difference when you’re rolling something out at this scale,” says Caleb Connors, digital audio visual technology manager at the University of Lincoln.
The TeamConnect Ceiling Solutions were not the only systems evaluated. The AV team assessed a range of competing ceiling microphone technologies but found that Sennheiser’s adaptive beamforming delivered the most consistent results in real-world conditions.
That decision was also shaped by experience. The university had already been using Sennheiser’s SpeechLine Digital Wireless (SL DW) systems extensively across campus. “We’d been using SpeechLine for a long time, so we already trusted the performance. That familiarity gave us confidence when we started looking at ceiling-based solutions,” Ramsden explains.
The right solution for each space
SL DW continues to play an important role, particularly in larger lecture theatres and mixed-use environments. In these spaces, handheld and bodypack microphones remain essential for events and presentations, while also providing a reliable fallback when needed. “If the academic is losing control of the room in a healthy debate, they can refocus by speaking into the SpeechLine mic. It becomes a safety net from a voice input perspective,” says Ramsden.
In seminar rooms and standard teaching spaces, however, the shift to ceiling microphones has enabled a fundamentally different model. Audio capture is no longer dependent on user interaction, removing a common source of disruption.
Academics can walk into a room and choose how they want to teach. Full-room coverage supports hybrid sessions, while more focused zones allow for traditional lecture delivery. Open configurations enable collaborative discussion, ensuring every voice is captured clearly. That flexibility is enabled by the adaptive beamforming capabilities of TCC 2 and TCC M, alongside features such as TruVoicelift and Advanced Exclusion Zones.
“No rooms we would say are acoustically perfect,” Ramsden notes. “They’re all full of unique challenges, and being able to shape how the system behaves through things like exclusion zones has been vital.”
For Connors, the ability to adapt systems to real-world teaching scenarios has been one of the most important outcomes. “We’ve had to be flexible with how we deploy and use the technology. It’s not about forcing a solution into a space, it’s about shaping it so it works for how people actually teach and interact,” he says.
Camera tracking adds another layer of automation. In smaller seminar rooms, TCC 2 microphones are paired with Huddly cameras, whose onboard AI manages framing automatically. In larger lecture theatres, EVA camera systems use data from the microphones to track speakers and questioners, giving remote participants a more natural and engaging experience. Room control is handled via Extron.
Accessibility and inclusion
The university has also deployed Sennheiser MobileConnect in four spaces as part of a broader focus on accessibility. The system allows students to connect using their own devices and headphones, creating a more personalised listening experience.
Its impact has been particularly notable for neurodivergent students and those who may find busy or noisy environments challenging. Students can step out of the room while remaining connected to the session, maintaining focus without losing engagement. “It’s not just about assisted listening. It gives students more control over how they engage with the session, which can make a real difference,” says Ramsden.
Managing at scale
Monitoring and managing the system across campus is handled through Sennheiser Control Cockpit, providing centralised visibility and control. “It’s essential at this scale. Being able to see what’s happening across all devices and respond quickly has made the system much more manageable,” Ramsden explains.
The shift to ceiling microphones and centralised management has reduced support interventions and improved consistency across the estate. “It’s taken a lot of pressure off the team. We’re not constantly reacting to issues, we can focus on improving the spaces instead,” adds Connors.
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