The University of Queensland is the first university in Australia to implement Auracast streaming technology that will improve accessibility for students in all its lecture theatres.
Audeara Auracast transmitters have been installed in 65 lecture theatres and seminar rooms across UQ’s three main campuses – St Lucia, Gatton and Herston – with further rollout to occur in 2026.
UQ said, in a media release on 5 March 2026, that the Bluetooth technology enabled a single transmitter, such as a microphone, to broadcast to an unlimited number of receivers, including hearing aids and headphones.
Students connect to the stream via Bluetooth, and they can hear their lecturer no matter where they are sitting in the room, UQ said.
Dr Barbra Timmer, senior lecturer in audiology at UQ’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said the system ensured lecture content was accessible to all students.
“Hearing loss can have significant consequences on one’s ability to learn, as well as overall quality of life,” Dr Timmer said.
“First year students at UQ are used to small class sizes from secondary school and here they may sit in a lecture room filled with hundreds of students.
“Some may discover in that environment that they have difficulties hearing the content, which could be due to hearing loss, auditory processing issues or listening fatigue.”
She said that in the past, students with hearing loss were encouraged to have an assistive listening device – for example a wireless microphone that the lecturer wears which sends their voice straight into the student’s hearing aids.
“However, this can cause some anxieties for the student: they have to sit towards the front of the room and approach the lecturer to ask them to wear the additional microphone,” Dr Timmer said.
“The streaming technology means a signal can be picked up regardless of whether the lecturer is using a lapel, handheld or lectern microphone.”
Second year Master of Audiology student, Mr Hardy Chau, has seen the benefits of Auracast for his fellow students and patients.
“I led a communication workshop last year and was teaching people with hearing aids how to stream with Auracast, and the common feedback I received was that the technology is extremely intuitive,” he said.
“I could clearly communicate with my patients with just the click of a button.
“I’ve also had friends who have found their ability to concentrate during lectures has improved because they are able to completely focus on what the lecturer is saying without the ambient sound.”
Improved accessibility for all
Each lecture theatre with the technology displays a QR code, providing information about how the streaming works, how students can connect their devices, and where they can borrow compatible headphones if needed.
Dr Timmer said the technology also benefitted international students who speak English as their second or third language.
“At least a quarter our audiology cohort are international students, and they are finding they need to strain less to hear well, requiring fewer cognitive resources to take in the content,” she said.
“We’ve also heard that some of our students who don’t have hearing difficulties have purchased Auracast-enabled headphones because they found it required less listening effort.”
Audeara, a hearing technology company founded by UQ alum Dr James Fielding, has provided technological support during the rollout by installing the transmitters and compatible personal listening devices.
Dr Fielding said Auracast streaming removed many barriers that traditionally come with assisted listening and normalises the experience.
“Everyone can access the same audio stream, and everyone can optimise it for themselves. That combination of accessibility, independence and dignity is a significant step forward,” Dr Fielding said.
“We’re helping students by offering Auracast receivers as standalone devices and in personalised ear buds, so all needs are catered for, including recording, transcribing and real time translating.
“Once people experience direct streaming in a learning environment, the value becomes obvious – not just for those with hearing difficulties, but for anyone who wants to focus, capture information more accurately, or learn in a way that suits them best.”
Dr Fielding said he found it incredibly meaningful that his alma mater was using devices developed by the company he founded.
“Universities are where students form habits around how they learn, collaborate and engage with ideas, so seeing UQ adopt technology that improves the listening experience feels like a full-circle moment,” he said.
“What excites me most is that it helps students recognise how central listening is to learning.
“Once people experience the benefits of personalised, direct audio, expectations change – and that shift in awareness is exactly what Audeara set out to create when we started the company.”
Audeara said it was also working closely with the Queensland Department of Education on Auracast and other new listening solutions.
“As a Brisbane-based business, we welcome the recent announcement from the Queensland Department of Education outlining meaningful steps to strengthen hearing accessibility in school infrastructure including incorporating Auracast broadcast audio into future learning environments,” Audeara said.
“We were particularly proud to see Audeara included within the infrastructure standards as an example of a recommended device compliant with the National Construction Code Hearing Augmentation requirements for secondary school listening solutions.”
