Education

CASE STUDY

Students with Learning Differences Gain Motivation, Focus, Retention – and Fun – with ViewSonic ViewBoard Interactive Display

SCHOOL

Camperdown Academy educates gifted and capable students with dyslexia in a supportive and engaging learning environment, empowering them with skills and self-confidence to achieve academic success, and inspiring them to reach their full potential. Students with language-based learning differences in grades one through eight learn how to better process information, and then successfully transition back to a traditional classroom environment.

“My students are clearly more motivated and more focused. Being able to show them how to do a concept on the large ViewBoard makes a huge difference for these kids – they can see what they need to do, along with me explaining it verbally. The kinesthetic aspect of working at the board is another big advantage – they’re moving around, they’re having fun, and they’re bonding with classmates, all while learning math!”

— Mary Johnson, Camperdown Academy Math Teacher

THE CHALLENGE

Students at Camperdown Academy receive specialized support for their learning challenges in classrooms with low teacher-to-student ratios and multisensory teaching based on the Orton-Gillingham method. This structured approach was developed to help students with dyslexia and other learning differences learn reading, writing, spelling, and comprehension. Math teacher Mary Johnson, who studied the multi-sensory approach at the Orton- Gillingham Academy, was inspired to bring a more layered approach to teaching math.

“The Orton-Gillingham approach uses different activities and multisensory tools that target different senses to solidify concepts more easily for our kids,” she said. “The method is specifically targeted toward learning reading, writing, and language skills, but I bring the ideas into my math teaching as well.”

During her initial year of teaching math classes and math lab breakouts to third and fourth graders at Camperdown, Johnson’s access to edtech was limited. She couldn’t stop thinking about the ways in which she could help her students using an interactive display board.

“At the University of North Greenville, where I received my B.A. in Elementary Education, I had an ‘Introduction to Technology in the Classroom,’ class with an amazing professor,” she said. “Edtech became a passion for me and I wanted to bring the benefits of interactive technology to my students.”

Kids with dyslexia also often struggle with poor audio processing, Johnson explained. When learning concepts with words alone, many of them struggle. A large, interactive display board would enable her to provide these students with a visual accompaniment to her verbal teaching.

THE SOLUTION

Johnson was introduced to interactive displays during her college edtech class. She also had another connection to the technology – her father, a sales rep for ViewSonic, was highly versed in education solutions. Looking more closely at what the ViewSonic® ViewBoard® interactive display had to offer, she became convinced that it would be the ideal tool to bring more multisensory learning to her math students.

“The ViewBoard display’s interactivity and annotation features would enable me to expand my teaching and help my students learn,” she said. “Working at the board is so intuitive, smooth, and easy. I knew my students would love it, and that would pave the way to increased learning.”

Prior to the start of her second school year, Johnson’s wishes were granted, and she was gifted a ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display as part of the company’s community outreach program.

RESULTS

As predicted, Johnson’s students simply love the large, vibrant 75” IFP7550 ViewBoard display. Pretty much every day, she said, they ask if they’ll get to use the board. Whenever possible, she lets them choose their tools and colors, for an added boost of independence and motivation.

“They’re very eager to work at the ViewBoard display,” said Johnson. “Along with the pedagogical benefits – which are huge – having this big interactive display in the room is very motivating to them. They love coming up to board and working, especially with their classmates; it helps them bond, which is helpful for classroom management.”

That is no small thing for students who are often discouraged and demotivated by the challenges created by their learning differences.

“These kids can be really hard on themselves knowing that their dyslexia makes them different and having lived through trying to learn like other students,” said Johnson. “Often, experiences in their previous schools have caused them trauma.”

Along with increasing motivation, said Johnson, her ViewSonic ViewBoard display also does wonders for holding student attention.

“Most of my students also have ADHD, and focus is often a big struggle for them,” she said. “Having the ViewBoard in the classroom has made a noticeable difference in their ability to hold their focus on a lesson.”

Johnson puts that focus and motivation to work, using the visual and interactive features of the ViewBoard display to bring greater multi-sensory impact to her teaching.

“This technology is ideal for supporting the way we approach teaching here, by making use of as many senses as possible: auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile,” she said. “People learn differently and using different sensory modes to teach the same concept helps just about anyone do better, not just kids with dyslexia.”

Now, Johnson explained, she doesn’t just talk about lessons, she shows them and makes them visually interesting.

“When students are working on a worksheet, for example, instead of me just talking about it, I can pull up manipulatives, or draw examples on the ViewBoard while they’re working on the sheet,” she said. “Last year all I could do was share my iPad screen to the TV using a notes app for writing on it. It worked but it was limited and wasn’t good for student visibility. It was difficult for them to see it and follow along.”

Memorization is another common challenge for students with dyslexia and related learning challenges. Camperdown Academy’s math lab is designed to provide the repetition and practice of math facts needed to develop fluency and speed. Since switching up her math lab lessons to the ViewBoard, Johnson has seen increased motivation for these often-boring lessons, as well as increased confidence and retention.

“I’ve been using the ViewBoard to engage them with all sorts of math fact games. For example, I’ll divide up the board, put an equation on each side, and whoever answers it fastest gets to stay at the board for the next round. It’s fun and they’re really motivated to stay up there!”

Johnson noted that the ViewBoard has enabled her to maximize learning for kids in her class who have difficulties with low visual aspect attention, among other learning challenges.

“Using the ViewBoard for instruction has made a huge difference for my kids,” she said. “They are all pretty challenged in various ways, and their ability to engage with and attend to lessons is drastically better than it was before using the ViewBoard display.”

The ViewSonic ViewBoard has further enabled Johnson to create an interactive small group station, where students can have fun building confidence by working together on math games.

“The ViewBoard is an amazing tool for small groups, even with our small class sizes,” she said. “I can engage two or three students with it, while providing instruction in another way to my other students.”

Johnson shares her classroom with another Camperdown teacher, who has had similar successes in using the ViewSonic ViewBoard, telling Johnson that it has made a notable difference for her kids as well.

“The ViewBoard display has made a positive impact on my teaching in so many ways,” concluded Johnson. “My students are clearly more motivated and more focused. Being able to show them how to do a concept on the large ViewBoard makes a huge difference for these kids – they can see what they need to do, along with me explaining it verbally. The kinesthetic aspect of working at the board is another big advantage – they’re moving around, they’re having fun, and they’re bonding with classmates, all while learning math!”

CASE STUDY

Sacred Hearts Recoleta School Embraces ViewSonic Technology for More Engaging Learning Enviroments

SCHOOL

Founded in 1893, the Sacred Hearts Recoleta School boasts over 130 years of delivering quality education grounded in Christian values and civic responsibility. Serving both Peru and the wider world, the school offers a comprehensive curriculum spanning four levels: Beginner, Primary, Secondary, and International Baccalaureate.

Guided by the motto “God-Homeland-Family,” Sacred Hearts Recoleta views its education as a form of evangelization, entrusted by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. This mission centers on fostering well-rounded individuals who embody the spirit of Jesus through “contemplation, living, and announcing the redemptive love of God.”

Beyond academic excellence, Sacred Hearts Recoleta emphasizes character development, nurturing critical thinkers, creative problem-solvers, and compassionate leaders committed to the common good. The school strives to provide an education “from Peru and for Peru,” aiming to build a more just, humane, and fraternal world.

“Our experience with ViewSonic has been fantastic. We’re exploring ways to equip all our classrooms with ViewBoard interactive displays, bringing this powerful technology to every learning environment.”

— Milagros Díaz, Deputy Director of Secondary and PDIB

THE CHALLENGE

Sacred Hearts Recoleta has always embraced technology to enhance learning, but the pandemic accelerated the need for digital tools. The school sought a solution that would seamlessly integrate technology into the classroom without sacrificing human interaction.

THE SOLUTION

Sacred Hearts Recoleta partnered with education solution provider Edulink Perú SAC, and display technology leader ViewSonic, to upgrade its classrooms with interactive technology. After careful consideration, the school opted for 59 ViewSonic^® ViewBoard^® IFP7552 and IFP7550 interactive displays – 75-inch, 4K touchscreens equipped with user-friendly myViewBoard^® software. These screens were distributed across all grade levels, with 30 in primary school and 29 in secondary and high school, impacting over 1,580 students.

“Investing in innovative education has always been a priority for us,” said Miguel Grández, Head of IT at Sacred Hearts Recoleta. “We tried interactive displays from other brands, but none met our expectations. ViewSonic’s solution, with its intuitive myViewBoard software and excellent support, stood out. It’s like having a traditional whiteboard, but with the power of technology.”

This upgrade marks a significant step forward for Sacred Hearts Recoleta, enabling more engaging and practical learning experiences for all students.

RESULTS

Sacred Hearts Recoleta School has embraced its ViewBoard interactive displays, boosting student participation and igniting a love for learning across all grade levels. These displays have become a game-changer, fostering active learning and motivating both students and teachers to develop their skills

“Children are especially thrilled with the increased interaction,” said Iris Breña, Assistant Director of Early Childhood and Elementary Education. “To encourage even more creativity, we’re running a contest where teachers showcase their innovative uses of the ViewBoard displays and myViewBoard tools.”

The positive impact on classrooms has been undeniable. The school leadership is now considering expanding their use of ViewSonic technology to art, music, and other subject areas.

“Our experience with ViewSonic has been fantastic,” concluded Milagros Díaz, Deputy Director of Secondary and PDIB. “We’re exploring ways to equip all our classrooms with ViewBoard interactive displays, bringing this powerful technology to every learning environment.”

ViewBoard^® IFP7550 interactive displays

CASE STUDY

School District Creates Versatile PD Center with ViewSonic Direct View LED Display and ViewBoard Interactive Displays

SCHOOL

Coalinga-Huron Unified School District is a K-12 school district on the western edge of Fresno County made up of two communities, Coalinga which is located about 12 miles west of I-5, and Huron which is located about 12 miles east of I-5. Serving nearly 5,000 students across four elementary schools, two middle schools and the Coalinga High School, the district is committed to continually advancing its mission to provide the best education and career opportunities to all students.

“We needed a really big display to maximize visibility to large audiences, which the 163-inch ViewSonic Direct View LED delivers perfectly. In addition to that, when we synchronize the four ViewSonic ViewBoard displays with the content on the Direct View LED display, we can extend the viewing angle even further, with every one of these terrific displays delivering beautiful clarity and detail.”

— Martin Culberson, Chief Technology Officer

THE CHALLENGE

Rooms, like people, often have distinct phases across their lifespans. A 100- foot by 50-foot space in the Coalinga High School was once a library wrecked by an earthquake, then an athletics activity room, and now destined to become an expansive professional development (PD) center. Demolition and construction began in advance of defining the specific technology that would complete the room’s core functionality.

“The superintendent wanted something spectacular and high-end,” said Chief Technology Officer Martin Culberson. “We put in large piping for cables behind the wall and planned for something cutting edge, and while the renovations were in progress, we began reviewing the options.”

The space, said Culberson, was not only quite deep, it was visually striking, with high ceilings and tall windows. The solution would need to be proportionate to the room’s size and vibrant enough to look great even in sunny conditions.

THE SOLUTION

The year prior, Culberson had purchased over 100 ViewSonic® ViewBoard® interactive displays for classrooms. Due to the success of that deployment, ViewSonic was the first brand he looked at for this project.

“When we needed to update our classroom displays, we were very deliberate in our assessment. Among other things, we talked to a sister school district that recommended ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays and surveyed teachers to get their feedback,” said Culberson. “Everyone loved the ViewBoard displays and we continue to be very happy with them.”

In addition to ViewSonic’s ViewBoard interactive display lineup, Culberson was immediately impressed by the size, image quality, and visual impact delivered by the ViewSonic 163-inch Direct View LED display. The ease of maintenance blew him away.

“The modularity of the product is incredible. If one panel gets damaged you can slide it out and pop another one in,” he said. “I saw a demo of someone standing in front of a beautiful, big Direct View LED image take out a working panel, pop in a defective one, then show the ease of replacing it and restoring the gorgeous image. It’s a fast and seamless fix.”

Impressed as he was, Culberson wanted to be certain that Direct View LED was the best option for the project and tasked his IT director with assessing competitive options.

“As it turned out, there really wasn’t much available by way of apples-to-apples options,” said Culberson. “There were large LED displays, but we wanted something bigger, and most other Direct View LED solutions were super high- end, like those you see in airport terminals.”

Culberson presented the options to the superintendent. A single 98-inch LED display would have been less costly, but would fail to deliver the desired impact in the expansive space. A matrix of LED displays with bezels that would break up the content was out of the question. Ultimately, the team chose the ViewSonic Direct View LED display.

“The superintendent loved the ViewSonic Direct View LED because it was quite frankly spectacular in every way,” said Culberson. “Not only does it look amazing, the modularity makes it easy to maintain and because of that it will be a great value over time.”

Culberson added a total of four 98-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays – two on each of the room’s side walls – which would allow presenters to extend the primary image as well as accommodate up to four breakout groups.

RESULTS

In its third phase of life, the space that is now the Coalinga-Huron USD Professional Development Center is a clear standout, used daily for large and small group training sessions.

The control system, which allows for sending homogeneous or varied content to the five screens, is both complex and intuitive to use, said Culberson.

“So far everyone has found it easy to just walk up to the podium, plug in via HDMI or other dongles we provide, and begin presenting,” he said. “We keep a tech nearby just in case, but no one’s had to ask for help so far.”

As the room’s visual and functional focal point, the ViewSonic Direct View LED display has not disappointed.

“Feedback on the ViewSonic Direct View LED display has been nothing but amazing,” said Culberson. “The superintendent loves it, and presenters say that it’s the best display they’ve ever seen.”

The impressiveness of this massive front-of-room display is most evident when a presenter is delivering PowerPoint or Google slides, Culberson added.

“The gigantic size, seamless edge-to-edge look, and crispness of the image is outstanding,” he said. “It’s like someone just dropped giant PowerPoint slides into your room.”

And that, Culberson added, is exactly what the sizeable space and functional objectives called for.

“We needed a really big display to maximize visibility to large audiences, which the 163-inch ViewSonic Direct View LED delivers perfectly,” he said. “In addition to that, when we synchronize the four ViewSonic ViewBoard displays with the content on the Direct View LED display, we can extend the viewing angle even further, with every one of these terrific displays delivering beautiful clarity and detail.”

An added benefit of this setup is the ability to configure the space for breakout sessions or smaller meetings. Using a custom-built iPad app, Culberson’s team can easily enable each of four groups to control a ViewSonic ViewBoard display for high-impact interactive presentations and group collaboration.

Clearly, the transformation of the once library/athletic space into a state-of-the art training facility has been a huge success. As with any project, there were bumps in the road, but not one of them was related to a ViewSonic product, said Culberson.

“It’s a complex system, and we had a few issues, but no problems at all related to ViewSonic,” he said. “In fact, our project lead at ViewSonic helped us get though everything – even with issues not at all related to their products. Everything about ViewSonic has been fantastic – the products, support, and the people.”

IFP9850 - 98” ViewBoard^® 4K Ultra HD Interactive Flat Panel

LDP163-181 - 163" Display, 1920 x 1080 Resolution, 600-nit Brightness

CASE STUDY

College Smart Room Upgrade Cuts Costs and Adds Functionality with ViewSonic ViewBoard Interactive Displays

SCHOOL

Trinity Valley Community College is a public institution in Athens, Texas, with a total enrollment of 5,642 students and a student-faculty ratio of 16-to-1. The college offers a two-year associate degree and students can also earn degrees and certificates in 15 different fields. Popular programs include: Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Health Professions and Related Programs, and Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services.

“Never before have we had such a high level of display support for our conference rooms. The quality of our Zoom meetings has increased tremendously. We provide a wireless keyboard and mouse and presenters can connect to the ViewBoard PC wirelessly or use the integrated ViewSonic vCast to throw their content onto the big screen.”

— Myles Pennington, TVCC Director of Media Support Services

THE CHALLENGE

Back when DVDs were still a common media source, Trinity Valley Community College added 140 Smart Rooms to facilitate simplified digital instruction. Around 500 square feet, with rows of desks for seating 25-30 students, these spaces included a mounted projector, built-in projector screen, podium-based PC, and document camera, all connected with Extron switching equipment. Instructors could walk into any room, hook up their laptop, plug in a USB drive, or use the existing PC (with integrated DVD player), press a button at the switch box, and – voila – the projector and laptop turn on, the screen descends, and they’re ready to go.

Fast forward to 2018, when Myles Pennington, TVCC director of media support services, was looking to upgrade these rooms to support current digital standards.

“We needed to go from SD to HD and needed to upgrade the hardware to support the latest software,” he said. “But continuing with the Extron-centered projection system would cost around fifteen thousand dollars per room. We’re a fiscally conservative organization and I wasn’t surprised when that didn’t get approved.”

Pennington needed to find a way to meet instructor needs at a lower cost. For guidance, he reached out to TVCC reseller partner ProComputing.

THE SOLUTION

A big fan of ViewSonic products, their ProComputing rep suggested that Pennington look at ViewSonic® ViewBoard® interactive displays. Pennington was impressed, and set up a demo for the college’s vice president of instruction and department chairs. They were quickly blown away, said Pennington.

“The ViewSonic presenter started by saying, ‘the first thing that people usually ask me is how durable is this thing,’” said Pennington. “And he was right, I was concerned about that. In my experience LED TVs can easily break. He dispelled that concern right away by walking up to the ViewBoard and punching it with his knuckle, saying ‘you’re not going to hurt this thing.’”

The audience was wowed by the quality of the 4K images and the responsiveness of the 20 touchpoints, along with how easy it was to navigate between the browser, annotation tools, and other functions.

“I went into it with a high opinion of the ViewSonic brand,” said Pennington. “I cut my teeth in the graphics world, and ViewSonic was known for premium graphic arts products. So I was glad that everyone in the room was sold after seeing the demo.”

Of course, liking the solution wouldn’t be enough to get it approved. Cost was still a critical factor. Pennington and his ProComputing rep ran the numbers. The price tag for each full solution – an 86-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP8652 interactive display; a ViewSonic VPC25-W53-O1 slot-in PC to deliver added processing power and a Windows experience; and a ViewSonic VB-EBM-001 e-Box^® motorized height-adjust mobile cart, fully assembled and ready to roll into the rooms added up to around $6K.

“That price difference was huge,” said Pennington. “With our existing system, it was going to cost $15K per room. Considering that we planned to upgrade 140 rooms, the savings for the college would be around $1.26 million.”

For the past five years, TVCC has been purchasing the ViewSonic ViewBoard display solution in batches as funding allowed, for a current total of 91 units. As of this writing, Pennington is awaiting signoff to purchase another 10, and will continue to do so until all rooms are up to date. After that, the plan calls for lifecycle upgrades every 5-7 years.

RESULTS

From a fiscal perspective, the ViewSonic ViewBoard solution was a huge success for TVCC. From an engagement perspective, said Pennington, it has been equally successful.

“Students were used to seeing this type of technology in their K-12 classrooms, and used to using touchscreen tech. Before we upgraded to the ViewBoard displays we would hear them ask why we didn’t have the latest technology,” said Pennington. “Now we do, and they love it. It’s essentially a giant Microsoft Surface and with it the instructors are engaging students more than ever before.”

Importantly, instructors find the ViewBoard solution just as simple to use as the older system, walking into the room and easily pulling up their content. While some instructors simply use the ViewBoard to present notes and other basic content, said Pennington, power users leverage the many functions offered by the interactive displays.

“For example, they’ll access online software like MathLabs, display content from websites, show videos, or load learning apps related to their subject matter,” said Pennington. “Often, they’ll divide up the screen, with the complementary content on one side, their notes on the other. Plus, they can annotate on top of everything using the whiteboarding tools.”

The mobility of the solution allowed for easy resource sharing, and the college now uses the high-visibility 86-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard displays to facilitate more impactful meetings across several conference rooms.

“Never before have we had such a high level of display support for our conference rooms,” said Pennington. “The quality of our Zoom meetings has increased tremendously. No more washed-out images or needing to connect a separate computer, and presenters can leave the lights on. We provide a wireless keyboard and mouse and presenters can connect to the ViewBoard PC wirelessly or use the integrated ViewSonic vCast to throw their content onto the big screen.”

From his team’s perspective, Pennington couldn’t be happier with the ViewSonic ViewBoard solution. Thrilled that it cost-effectively met their users’ needs, they are likewise pleased with the solution’s limited maintenance demands compared to the projector-based system. Pennington is currently working with TVCC’s network support services team to expand the use of the centralized management provided by the integrated ViewSonic Manager™ software.

“It is really awesome management software, and it will be useful to remotely power up units for pushing out Windows updates,” said Pennington. “If we didn’t have the centralized management, we would have to have Ethernet cables on all devices, which is expensive and less flexible.”

Responding to an ask from instructors that love using the ViewBoard display, but prefer to directly face their students, Pennington is currently piloting the ViewSonic 24-inch ID2455 touch display.

“So far it’s been a huge hit. The 24-inch monitor is mounted on their podium, and everything the instructors do on it is displayed on the 86-inch ViewBoard,” said Pennington. “I suspect that many more instructors will want to implement this system.”

Beyond happy users, administrators, and support personnel, Pennington himself has been quite satisfied by the service, support, and quality provided by ViewSonic.

“Even the way they package their products demonstrates the quality and care that epitomizes the way ViewSonic does things,” said Pennington. “It may not seem like a big deal, but for me, once an order shows up, I need to be able to deploy it quickly. I can’t just charge a replacement to a credit card and order another; we have a lengthy PO process.”

In the five years that he has been ordering the ViewBoard solution, Pennington added, he’s only had to send back two – which had suffered damage from a forklift stabbing them through the carton.

He has also been impressed by the quality of the ViewSonic customer support team.

“Our group here is pretty sharp. Before we ever make a tech support call, we’ve tried everything we can possibly think of,” said Pennington. “Many customer service reps will insist on walking them through silly things like, is it plugged in? Not ViewSonic. They have intelligent conversations with my team members and resolve situations quickly.”

All things considered, Pennington has only positive things to say about the entire experience of deploying the new Smart Room system, from the products to the people involved.

“The sales staff at ProComputing and ViewSonic were amazing, as has been everyone we’ve encountered from ViewSonic,” said Pennington. “Ultimately, it was the vision of our executive team and the insight of our board members, who recognized the benefits of moving to this technology, that made it all possible.”

ViewSonic^® IFP8650 ViewBoard^® interactive flat panel displays

ViewSonic^® VPC25-W53-O1 slot-in PCs

ViewSonic^® VB-EBM-001 e-Box motorized mobile carts

ViewSonic^® 24-inch ID2455 touch displays

CASE STUDY

University Expands Esports Program with ViewSonic Gaming Monitors

SCHOOL

Founded in 1870 as Buchtel College, the University of Akron is located 40 miles south of Cleveland in metropolitan Akron, Ohio. Offering 200+ in- demand associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and law degree programs, the university serves around 19,000 students from Ohio, around the U.S., and 70 foreign countries in more than 80 buildings on 218 acres. Programs are targeted to diverse groups of learners, including full-time, part-time, and on-line students, veterans, and adults returning to the classroom.

“In addition to providing us with high-end equipment, ViewSonic demonstrated dedication to the educational aspects of our program. They are outstanding partners in every way – great support, great products, and great people to work with. This collaboration will help us keep up with the changes in technology, along with the interests of students as the esports and gaming space evolves.”

— Nathan Meeker, UA Director of Esports

THE CHALLENGE

In 2017 the University of Akron set its sights on creating a robust esports program. It quickly became a pioneering force in the development of D1 varsity-level esports.

“We had a team of professionals with complementary backgrounds and together, we created the program that many other schools model theirs after” said UA Director of Esports Nathan Meeker. “By design it was a three-tiered program that included a formal student club and low-key recreational gaming opportunities in addition to the competitive varsity team.”

To accommodate this broad vision, the university transformed 6,500 square feet in three underutilized campus spaces into esports venues: an arena with spectator viewing to facilitate varsity practices and competitions, plus two club and rec facilities that operate like gaming cafes for the esports club and casual gamers.

Outfitting these spaces with gaming stations that wouldn’t break the budget was one of the initial challenges for the growing program. An ongoing challenge would be keeping the program, as well as the gaming hardware, up-to-date and well-positioned to meet evolving student needs.

THE SOLUTION

With the space build-out underway, Meeker and the team set out to find their ideal gaming monitors (among other equipment).

“We wanted some pretty specific specs – a 24-inch monitor with 1ms or lower response rate and 144 Hz or better,” said Meeker. “There were a few decent options but ViewSonic offered the best price-to-performance ratio by a long shot. Not only was the price great, the ViewSonic performance was top notch.”

The team purchased 92 ViewSonic XG2402 24-inch gaming monitors, which were deployed across the three venues: the Zips Gaming Lounge at the Williams Honors College; the Zips Esports Center at the Student Union; and the Akron Esports Arena at Infocision Stadium.

The UA Zips esports program started off strong, with around seven hundred participants.

“By all indicators that was considered a good number at the time,” said Meeker. “What we didn’t realize was that by primarily marketing the program to students interested in competitive esports titles, we were missing quite a few others, and we want as many students as possible to reap the benefits of participating in campus organizations.”

When students are invested in activities outside of academics, Meeker elaborated, there are proven benefits, such as higher rates of graduation, higher levels of satisfaction, and even higher post-college job placement rates.

“I always tell those that are skeptical that we’re not just playing video games,” he said. “Our program provides an outlet for students who might not otherwise join a UA organization.”

To broaden the benefits of their activities, the Zips program staff began spreading the word to “generalist gamers” – students with a broad interest in video games that goes beyond the well-known competitive titles like Rocket League and Overwatch.

RESULTS

By 2019 the UA Zips varsity team had captured the Rocket League championship title for the second consecutive year, and the university was well on its way to becoming a powerhouse in the world of competitive collegiate esports.

While the varsity team was busy doing great things, Meeker realized that the program wasn’t reaching its full potential.

“Initially we thought that marketing the program primarily toward students interested in competitive esports titles would result in the best activation,” said Meeker. “Over time we learned we were missing a lot of other students. Now we connect with those students and offer a more robust program.”

The expanded marketing efforts have more than paid off. These days, around 15% of the UA student population is involved in the program in one way or another, for a total participation of around 2,400 students.

By year five of the program, another shift occurred.

“Monitor technology had progressed, and to provide our players with the best competitive advantage, we needed to upgrade to 280Hz.” said Meeker. “We were already living in a ViewSonic ecosystem and loving it, so the ViewSonic XG250 gaming monitors were perfect for us.”

With the new monitors deployed to about half of the Zips’ gaming stations so far, students report faster gameplay and better reactivity to on-screen action. “They tell me that overall, their gaming experience has been more enjoyable,” said Meeker. “Watching them, it’s easy to see the benefits of the faster refresh rate.”

Now an official ViewSonic partner, Meeker looks forward to many years of keeping up with the fast-paced world of esports and gaming with ViewSonic gaming monitors.

“In addition to providing us with high-end equipment, ViewSonic demonstrated dedication to the educational aspects of our program,” said Meeker. “They are outstanding partners in every way – great support, great products, and great people to work with. This collaboration will help us keep up with the changes in technology, along with the interests of students as the esports and gaming spaces evolve.”

Building on the program’s strong and carefully laid foundation, the ViewSonic sponsorship is one more way that esports and gaming at UA will continue to grow and thrive, said Meeker, as the university provides ongoing support for activities such as summer camps; monthly events for area high school clubs; and hosting the OHSAA-supported Ohio Esports State Tournament, among other LAN events.

“The tournament represents some 300 high schools across Ohio, and we expect around 3,000 students to participate this spring,” said Meeker. “We know we’ll give them an outstanding experience with the new ViewSonic monitors.”

ViewSonic Gaming XG2402 24-inch monitor

ViewSonic Gaming XG250 25-inch monitor

CASE STUDY

University Esports Program Supports Community and Competition with ViewSonic ViewBoard Interactive Display, Gaming Monitors, and Digital Signage

SCHOOL

Founded in 1910, the University of Southern Mississippi (aka “Southern Miss” or USM) is a public D1 sports and R1 classified research university with a total undergraduate enrollment of 10,258. The university’s main campus is in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, which is supplemented by a complex in Long Beach known as Southern Miss Gulf Coast. Southern Miss offers approximately 189 programs leading to baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctorate degrees, serving undergraduates from public schools across the southern United States and around the globe. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and its programs are accredited by 30 state and national agencies.

“The ViewBoard is an outstanding interactive resource for any type of learning because it’s so intuitive to use and it really draws students in. They absolutely love it. They’ll come in wanting to use it the moment we open the doors for the day and the competitive team is constantly scheduling time with it.”

— David Dickert, USM Esports Coordinator

THE CHALLENGE

When USM Esports Coordinator David Dickert began in Spring 2022, the fledgling program operated out of an outdated space that received periodic technology updates, where 15 students valiantly competed from non-esports ready equipment.

“It used to be a big lounge area that hadn’t seen major updates for a long time,” said Dickert. “The university was getting ready to invest in a robust competitive esports program in 2019, but COVID set fire to those plans until the global pandemic was under control. The 15 students involved were piecemealing it the best they could with very little equipment or funding.”

When Dickert came on board it was immediately clear that revamping the space was a top priority. During the summer preceding the 2023-24 school year, Dickert and the Union worked with a local painting company to tear down the wall carpet, refinish the floors, paint, and bring in new furnishings – transforming it into a modern gaming wonderland.

A parallel priority was to outfit the new gaming stations with state-of-the art equipment. When it came to monitors, Dickert wanted to make a clean break from what the team was currently using.

“The specs on the existing monitors were pretty decent, but we had a lot of quality control issues,” he said. “I was having to retire monitors because they had dead pixels, or pixels would pop in and out randomly. I have some horror stories about students being in the middle of a game and the screen dying. I absolutely needed to find a new brand for us to rely on.”

A former educator who had enjoyed using a ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display in his classroom, Dickert looked at what the company was doing in the esports space, and was impressed.

“My budget was very finite so I was looking to build long-term partnerships with companies that had a similar vision for the ways in which esports can benefit students,” said Dickert. “For me, esports is about more than winning. It’s about building connections between students and contributing to their physical and emotional well-being. It was clear that ViewSonic operated from a similar values standpoint regarding education and esports, so they were a natural fit.”

Before he had a chance to reach out, he was approached by ViewSonic representatives visiting the campus.

“I shared our vision of what we were going to do, how we planned to help students in the space,” said Dickert. “We were very aligned and from there our partnership was born.”

THE SOLUTION

The new esports and gaming facilities consist of two sections separated by a hallway. The Official Southern Miss Esports Arena hosts the University’s National Championship competition teams. The adjacent casual gaming space is open to all students interested in gaming (plus billiards, shuffleboard, and table tennis). Both feature gaming stations equipped with ViewSonic^® XG2431 24” 240Hz gaming monitors.

Distinct areas within the competitive gaming space include the main stage, equipped with five ViewSonic XG2431 gaming monitors; the practice stage, which supports scrimmages and practices with six XG2431 monitors; and a production space equipped with one ViewSonic XG2431 monitor where students learn how to broadcast events, edit video, and more. Another 12 XG2431 monitors are deployed in the casual gaming center, enabling those in the general student population to experience gaming with top-of-the- line equipment.

To further support the program’s mission to develop learning-focused, connected, and healthy individuals through competition, community, and esports experiences, Dickert added a cart-mounted ViewSonic ViewBoard^® IFP7550 75” interactive display to a conference-style setup perpendicular to the main stage.

“The ViewSonic ViewBoard I used as a high school teacher was the best thing ever,” he said. “The ability to display content, click the side of screen to bring up the pen function and draw on the board to enhance the information was incredible and, along with the ability for students to intuitively work at the board, it changed the way I taught. I knew I wanted that for the esports students.”

Finally, to promote the program, Dickert stationed a ViewSonic CDE6512 65” commercial display outside the doorway to the Arena.

RESULTS

It may come as a surprise that both the program lead and the players love the ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display almost more than the lightning-fast ViewSonic gaming monitors.

“It’s hands down my favorite place in the arena,” said Dickert, “I could gush about this ViewBoard all day.”

For students the 75” interactive display serves a dual purpose, said Dickert, supporting both their competitive and educational goals. Seated together around a conference-table setup facing the ViewBoard display, student athletes can review and mark up gameplay. Similarly, all program participants can use the display to work collaboratively on schoolwork and projects.

“The ViewBoard is an outstanding interactive resource for any type of learning because it’s so intuitive to use and it really draws students in. They absolutely love it. They’ll come in wanting to use it the moment we open the doors for the day and the competitive team is constantly scheduling time with it,” Dickert said, audibly turning to look out his doorway and adding, “Yep, they’re using it right now.”

For Dickert, the ViewBoard interactive display was a game-changer that has helped him meet his core goals as program lead.

“For me this program is about helping students make connections and gain skills that will help them throughout their lives,” he said. “The ViewBoard display absolutely fosters that type of connection, problem solving, and learning.”

Foremost among the many ViewBoard features that Dickert appreciates is the display’s ease of use, whether it’s connected to a PC, or not.

“It’s nice not having to have a PC hooked up to it, that it’s optional. It may be a bit more intuitive when used with PC functionalities, but when it’s alone it still functions incredibly well using Google Chrome and myViewBoard,” he said. “The user interface is very approachable, and everything is easy to navigate. I haven’t had to teach anyone how to use it.”

The ViewSonic XG2431 gaming monitors were equally easy to use, right out of the box – a pleasant surprise that helped get the program up and running more quickly than Dickert anticipated.

“In my experience monitors don’t have good factory settings right out of the box; usually I have to tweak them a bit,” he said. “With these ViewSonic gaming monitors it was a seamless, seamless plug-and-play experience. The images looked great, and we got them set up in a very short amount of time.”

Students of all gaming abilities have been thrilled with the fast response time and refresh rate.

“They care about the snappiness of the tech, and that’s one reason the students really like these monitors,” said Dickert. “They’re very responsive at .5ms – you almost can’t get better than that at an affordable price.”

Most of them, he added are used to playing with screens that max out at a refresh rate of 60Hz to 120Hz, and immediately comment that the gaming with the ViewSonic monitors is a much smoother experience than they’re used to. ViewSonic XG2431 gaming monitors, for example, are capable of achieving a refresh rate of 240Hz.

“ViewSonic is becoming well-known for their gaming monitors and their support for the educational aspects of esports in education,” said Dickert.

“I anticipated that these monitors would be outstanding, and they absolutely are.”

The Fall 2023 season has been the most successful to date for the Southern Miss Esports Program. Participation has grown to a total of 85 competitive players on 15 different teams. Nearly 700 total students – almost seven percent of the total undergraduate enrollment – use the casual gaming stations. All three of the program’s Fortnite teams have qualified for the Fortnite Split 1 NACE National Championship using the ViewSonic monitors. The program has seen similar success from each of its other teams.

“I’m able to get these numbers because our single sign on system tracks who uses the computers, and I’m thrilled with the growth of the program.” said Dickert. “For me, the student experience is the big component of student life at Southern Miss. I celebrate when we win and motivate and encourage harder work when we lose, but I care the most about the connections and that students feel a sense of belonging when they come into the gaming space.”

That goal has been achieved, it is clear, when Dickert notes that the arena and game room have become ‘the living room’ of campus. With no membership fees, and room for all, the program attracts students to all three tiers of the program: signed student athletes who compete in official conferences; Academy Team students who compete in official conferences as developing teams; and Gaming Club participants, a community open for all to experience fun events, conventions, and multi-club collaborations with a gaming twist. Of course, those with an even more casual interest in gaming – or hanging out with gamers – are also welcome in this inviting space.

“When it comes to clubs, we believe in student leadership,” said Dickert. “The gaming club is student-run and includes pretty much everything gaming. They visit conventions together and hold game nights – in fact they had one last night. It’s exactly the type of community activities we had hoped to encourage.”

Next on the agenda for this growing program is a Spring 2024 launch of an Intro to Esports course in partnership with the School of Business.

“It will be a survey-style course where students broadly learn the history and business aspects of esports,” said Dickert. “A core class objective will be to give students hands on experience with esports using the arena space and ViewSonic monitors.”

By then, the ViewSonic CDE6512 65-inch commercial display will be mounted above the doorway to the Arena, drawing in new participants and educating others about the program as they stroll through the USM Student Union and Thad Cochran Center.

“It’s great where it is now,” said Dickert. “But when it’s mounted above the doorway it will deliver an even bigger ‘wow factor.’”

IFP7550 Gen 5 75” 4K ViewBoard Interactive Display

XG2431 - 24" OMNI 1080p 0.5ms 240Hz IPS Gaming Monitor with FreeSync Premium, and HDR400

CDE6512 - 65" Display, 3840 x 2160 Resolution, 290 cd/m2 Brightness, 16/7

CASE STUDY

Universidad Católica del Norte Modernizes Classrooms with ViewSonic ViewBoard Interactive Displays

SCHOOL

Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) celebrated its 66th anniversary in 2022. The institution currently has more than 14,000 students in Antofagasta, Coquimbo and San Pedro de Atacama. With its wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, highly-qualified faculty and significant and prolific scientific work, UCN is one of the most advanced higher education institutions in the country.

“After seeing the ViewSonic solutions, I knew they were exactly what we needed. The ViewBoard displays came with strong, reliable mounting brackets. And we found that they were easy to set up and calibrate to our specific needs.”

— Gastón Peralta, Manager of Educational Resources

THE CHALLENGE

The UCN technical team, comprised of Víctor González Escobar, José Martínez Ramos, and Gastón Peralta Rojas, embarked on a mission to seek technological enhancements for the university. Their objective was to upgrade the hardware being used and modernize teaching methods to foster student inclusion.

One of the primary concerns with the existing products was the persistent issue of display image degradation. This problem led to dissatisfaction among both teachers and students, ultimately discouraging their use.

In the wake of the global digital transformation triggered by the pandemic, UCN seized the opportunity to upgrade its displays and incorporate ViewSonic solutions across its educational units. Collaboratively, the technical team conducted a thorough search and analysis, ultimately selecting ViewSonic^® ViewBoard^® interactive displays that were tailored to their specific needs and aligned with their expectations.

THE SOLUTION

Due to the susceptibility of the university’s existing interactive whiteboards to frequent image degradation, the UCN technical team embarked on a search for a more reliable and user-friendly solution.

“Whenever we opened a window or experienced a minor earthquake, the existing whiteboard would shift and move ever so slightly because it’s mounting system just wasn’t very stable,” said Gastón Peralta, Manager of Educational Resources. “Additionally, we had to readjust its settings every time we turned it on. This inconvenience greatly discouraged people from using it.”

Faced with this situation, UCN embarked on a quest for alternative options, thoroughly reviewing the specifications of ViewSonic displays.

“After seeing the ViewSonic solutions, I knew they were exactly what we needed,” said Peralta. “The ViewBoard displays came with strong, reliable mounting brackets. And we found that they were easy to set up and calibrate to our specific needs.”

At present, the Antofagasta campus of the university boasts 16 ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays, while the Coquimbo campus has eight installed.

UCN is pleased with the positive outcomes resulting from their decision to adopt ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays as they provide a reliable and user-friendly solution, while also facilitating a more inclusive learning environment.

RESULTS

UCN’s decision to select ViewSonic interactive displays was primarily driven by their user-friendly nature. These displays were seamlessly integrated into classrooms across various schools of study, including Humanities, Sciences, and Health. They were utilized in didactic courses, the creation of teaching materials, as well as mathematics and chemistry classes.

The technical team expressed their satisfaction with the ease of navigation within the on-screen software, which greatly encourages its use. Teachers are delighted with the touchscreen’s capabilities, including the powerful camera and the ability to connect flash drives.

The decision to acquire these displays was further validated when the university began utilizing the transcription tool found within the included ViewSonic^® myViewBoard^® software. This tool automates audio transcription of classes, which proved invaluable in promoting inclusivity for hearing- impaired students.

ViewBoard^® IFP7550 interactive displays

CASE STUDY

University in Ecuador Upgrades Its Classrooms with ViewSonic ViewBoard Interactive Displays

SCHOOL

The Pensionado Universitario Nelson León Vizcarra private school is an autonomous, coeducational, secular, bilingual, non-profit institution in Quito, Ecuador. It opened its doors in October 1957 and has been providing comprehensive education in accordance with contemporary needs since then. Its key pillar —humanistic education— is based on knowledge, respect, solidarity, responsibility, and accountability to society and the environment.

“ViewSonic has enabled us to take the leap we needed to position ourselves as a state-of-the-art private school in Quito. We can present ourselves as a modern institution that accommodates current student needs, in spite of the university being 66 years old.”

— Nicolás Arízaga, Abogado del Pensionado Universitario Nelson León Vizcarra

THE CHALLENGE

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, online education redefined how we access information and gain knowledge. The use of technology as a key teaching and learning tool allowed education continuity, while creating the need for digital skills enhancement. Because of these significant communication changes in the learning process, Pensionado Universitario Nelson León Vizcarra saw a need for newer edtech.

“From our perspective as an educational institution, we were compelled to strengthen our teaching proposal and differentiate ourselves from other institutions, so we explored interactive display options,” said Nicolás Arízaga, an attorney for Pensionado Universitario Nelson León Vizcarra.

The university then undertook a streamlining process that would help it adapt to the changing educational landscape, implement innovative technologies in the classroom, and seek sound financial strategies to ensure long-term sustainability.

THE SOLUTION

The idea to implement this new technology came from representatives of Telalca, a leading business technology company with more than 25 years of experience offering IT solutions and services for companies in Ecuador. They suggested ViewSonic as an innovative option, which met the Institution’s requirements.

“We held several meetings with board members and teachers to explain the benefits of interactive displays for education and how they encourage skills development. Finally, we agreed that this state-of-the-art technology could provide us with new tools including interactivity, collaboration and artificial intelligence. It would help us grow stronger as an institution. “ViewSonic has enabled us to take the leap we needed to position ourselves as a state-of-the-art private school in Quito. We can present ourselves as a modern institution that accommodates current student needs, in spite of being 66 years old,” said Arízaga.

RESULTS

The guidance and implementation by Telalca was excellent and, along the same lines, the advice from ViewSonic representatives in terms of technical queries and training has been impeccable.

The installation of 29 ViewBoard^® IFP6550 interactive displays has had a great impact in different areas. First, at an academic level, student engagement in the classroom has increased and attention to lectures has been enhanced. Teachers have also improved course content and methodology, making courses more dynamic and interactive.

The administrative staff has identified a 10% increase in enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year, compared to the current period. Finally, improved faculty meeting productivity has been seen in different academic areas.

“We have been able to meet our initial goals and we are currently satisfied with the response from our entire educational community,” said Arízaga.

With these results, the Institution’s directors are hopeful that the project will continue. “Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, we expect to see an increase in the number of students. As a result, we will need to buy additional displays to fi t the new classrooms. We have also seen the benefits of implementing state-of-the-art technology in the classroom. This has brought about the possibility of acquiring other ViewSonic products that will help us continue to meet our institutional goals,” Arízaga concluded.

Alex Carlos, ViewSonic Regional Sales Manager, stated it is very rewarding to see how the ViewBoard IFP6550 interactive displays and the integrated myViewboard^® software platform support and enhance the development of flagship schools in Ecuador, such as Pensionado Universitario Nelson León Vizcarra.

“The directors have a clear vision of their students’ long-term development and strengthen them by providing technology. Interactive displays are transforming teaching environments from classic to interactive classrooms where collaboration will take place. We will continue to work with this renowned institution for the development and immersion of these new technologies,” said Carlos.

ViewBoard^® IFP6550 interactive displays

CASE STUDY

School Principal Broadcasts Positivity

Robert E. Lee High School is a public secondary school in Montgomery, Alabama, serving grades nine through 12. According to U.S. News & World Report data, among the student population of 1,386, the total minority enrollment is 95 percent, and 86 percent of students are economically disadvantaged. When Doctor Antjuan Marsh became principal at Robert E. Lee High School, one of the first things he did was assess the school's education technology. The classroom displays, he discovered, were aged, underutilized, and included a difficult-to-manage mix of models that included ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays. Teachers reported that they preferred the ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays because they were easier to use and enabled them to do much more digitally than the Promethean boards.

After assessing the ViewBoard interactive displays, Marsh and the school improvement team agreed to purchase current-model 75-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays for every classroom. It was a wise investment. Teachers use the ViewBoard displays daily for instruction, Doctor Marsh said, and are well versed in using the included myViewBoard software tools to boost collaboration and engagement.

"For example, one English teacher breaks students into workstations, with one group working at the ViewBoard display," Doctor Marsh said. "Students can interact with text on the board, which allows them to annotate, highlight, and request audio readings, which is an outstanding way to improve vocabulary and comprehension."

With the instructional technology upgrade behind him, Doctor Marsh turned his attention to finding innovative ways to build a stronger school-wide community. The leader of a school where 80 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches and live in an often violent and uncertain environment.

Doctor Marsh recognized a unique opportunity presented by the ViewSonic ViewBoard displays installed in every classroom across the school. His plan was to leverage the displays to extend the power of the positive through dynamic and compelling school-wide multimedia messaging.

The ViewSonic Manager software included with ViewSonic ViewBoard displays allows for remote centralized management of all networked displays, along with the ability to distribute text-based messages across some or all ViewBoard displays. Text alone, however, was not compelling enough to meet Doctor Marsh's goals. To deliver video and other media messaging, he would need the Manager Advanced subscription-based software upgrade.

The CDC indicates that when students feel connected to their school, they're less likely to experience poor mental health, sexual health risks, substance abuse, and violence. The ViewSonic ViewBoard classroom displays provided an important means of reaching these critical goals.

Doctor Marsh uses videos on connectedness to shape school culture, positively impact social-emotional learning, provide public service announcements, and run safety drills. To capture student attention, he broadcasts these messages to every ViewBoard display in the school at random times, including in the middle of classes.

"I've broadcast many types of messages," Doctor Marsh said. "Most of them are about the great things our students are doing, but the broadcasts are also helpful for utilitarian messages. For example, yesterday we ran a PSA on where and when students can and cannot use cell phones. Teachers appreciate these PSAs because when they see students in the hallways not following the rules, they can remind them of the videos."

Creating the broadcasts is as easy as using his iPhone to record video, along with using apps on his laptop, Doctor Marsh explained, enabling him to edit and add captions. The Manager Advanced software further enables him to broadcast YouTube videos or other web-based content, another feature which he leverages for positive impact. Occasionally he will send messages to certain classes, easily identifying and selecting the ViewBoard display endpoints using the Manager Advanced interface.

As hoped for, the videos have become a happily anticipated part of the school environment. "The more videos I create, the more they want to see them," Doctor Marsh said. "If I can't make it to an event or leave something out that they think should be there, the students let me know."

The opportunities to notice, capture and broadcast connection and caring are endless. On March 14, otherwise known as Pi Day, the school held a pie-throwing event. A student unexpectedly tossed the edible kind at the principal, who accepted the gesture with extreme grace. Someone caught it all on video and it is now one of the many memorable broadcasts bolstering the community at Lee High School.

IFP105S - 105" 5K 21:9 ViewBoard interactive display with integrated microphone and USB-C

CASE STUDY

Agile Reseller Adds ViewSonic ViewBoard Interactive Displays to Successfully Meet Customers’ Evolving Needs

COMPANY

With a footprint that spans the Southeast United States, RJ Young is an industry leader providing technology solutions that power businesses. The company helps small to enterprise-level organizations transition into modern workplaces and increase productivity with comprehensive managed IT solutions, office equipment and technology, business process outsourcing, and digital communications. After more than 60 years in operation, RJ Young is a proud workplace to more than 650 team members, serving organizations in more than 30 sales and service locations across nine states. The company is known for being anchored to its core values of honoring its people, customers, and communities.

“Our partnership with ViewSonic is over the top. The product is good, if not better, than what else is available and at an outstanding price point. ViewSonic also had the support, quick turnaround, and good relationships that we wanted to allow us to quickly satisfy our customers’ needs.”

— Destin Echols, RJ Young Technology Solutions Architect

THE CHALLENGE

Founded in 1955, RJ Young was an established leader in delivering copiers and printers – along with a “We Make It RightTM” guarantee – to businesses across the southeastern United States. In 2020, the company and its customers alike found themselves suddenly inhabiting a changed business landscape.

“When Covid hit, everything shifted for us and for our customers,” said Destin Echols, RJ Young Technology Solutions Architect. “Our customers needed support to do business with a much more distributed workforce. To our leadership’s credit, they took a hard look at our customers’ business needs and how they were changing, and determined what we could do to meet those evolving needs.”

The ability to effectively connect, communicate, and interact with remote workers had become a major pain point for RJ Young’s customers. A critical part of the company’s new focus was the need to be able to provide interactive meeting and video conferencing technology to support the needs of remote workers.

“Now we had to quickly pivot to respond to the sudden changes and challenges that our customers faced,” said Echols. “Interactivity was going to be key. Everyone was already accustomed to the interactivity offered by their smartphones and iPads. We wanted to deliver that to our customers in a way that would facilitate collaborative in-person meetings, and as well as bring together remote and on-site participants.”

THE SOLUTION

Before taking on the role of Technology Solutions Architect at the RJ Young Corporate Office in Nashville, Echols had worked in technology for a decade. That experience led him and his team to question how RJ Young customers would benefit with this type of technology.

Around that time, Echols met ViewSonic Channel Account Manager, Matt Hurley, who showed him the ViewSonic line of ViewBoard® interactive flat panel (IFP) displays.

“We were very impressed with the ViewSonic ViewBoard displays, which were responsive and packed with features, while also being intuitive, easy to use, and having a great price tag,” said Echols. “As we worked with ViewSonic, we became even more impressed with the way they do business. The support they offer is outstanding. In the early days, we had a massive learning curve, and when we had questions, someone at ViewSonic always picked up the phone and had answers for us.”

RJ Young made the decision to partner with ViewSonic to fulfill its customers’ display needs, including commercial displays, digital signage, interactive displays, desktop monitors, and projectors. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Our partnership with ViewSonic is over the top,” said Echols. “The product is good, if not better, than what else is available and at an outstanding price point. ViewSonic also had the support, quick turnaround, and good relationships that we wanted to allow us to quickly satisfy our customers’ needs.”

THE RESULTS

During the work-at-home days of the Covid pandemic, adding ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays to the RJ Young lineup proved to be a wise decision.

“It was easy to show our customers how the ViewBoard displays could help them navigate the changing business landscape,” said Echols. “Not only did the displays provide interactivity and visibility for virtual meetings, they were also a logical extension to the way business had been evolving pre-pandemic.”

“I tell my customers that the ViewBoard interactive display is a common-sense extension of how they already do things, and it all revolves around interactivity,” he said. “Everyone is on a cell phone, which you can show to one or two people. The next step up from that is an iPad or a touchscreen PC, but you’re still limited to the few people that can gather around and see it. The natural extension, if you want five, 10, or more people to see and interact with content, is to throw it onto a giant TV touchscreen.”

Most of the time, his customers say, ‘Yes! That makes sense. That’s exactly what I want!’

Today, RJ Young is both a ViewSonic reseller and customer. The company has installed solutions for their customers using virtually every model in every category of ViewSonic product. They also rely on ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays to facilitate meetings in their own conference rooms.

“Every one of our 30-plus offices has at least one ViewSonic CDE display and one ViewBoard interactive display,” said Echols. “The quality and interactivity provide amazing functionality for our all-hands meetings, sales meetings, and breakout sessions. Also, we love the myViewBoard software, which makes it easy to manage our ViewSonic displays across the entire region.”

Echols can easily troubleshoot any situation using the myViewBoard ManagerTM software.

“I can turn on their conference room display – no matter where it is – add a welcome screen with the company’s logo, drop in any other content they need,” he said. “We don’t have to send our IT resources, and no one has to worry about whether there’s someone tech savvy in office. We can remotely manage the device, and it’s been fantastic for us.”

The duality of being a ViewSonic customer and reseller comes in handy.

“It’s ideal to have the products in use and available to demo,” said Echols. “If a customer comes in and asks to see the technology we’ve installed for other customers, we can simply take them to our conference room.”

The most recent installation is the 105-inch ViewBoard IFP105S interactive display with ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio. To showcase this flagship product and gain its ultra-wide benefits for themselves, RJ Young installed this 105-inch 21:9 ViewBoard in the conference room at their Nashville headquarters.

“I’m proud to say that our conference room was the first US installation of this groundbreaking product, and we have been thrilled with how much the added screen real estate has increased visibility and efficiency in our meetings,” said Echols. “The ability to cast multiple devices for collaboration and have a picture-in-picture view with different sources is extremely handy when checking jobs and designs against alternate versions. The annotation and tools are invaluable when we are marking up plans, doing systems designs, troubleshooting with customers, and when working internally on any number of tasks from HR to marketing.”

“We often work in collaboration with customers to review building plans, work out locations for their equipment, and show them how it will function in their space,” said Echols. “We use the 105-inch ViewBoard display to work with the customer to design their ideal office space and working environment, and the fact that we are using the same technology at our office speaks volumes.” Soon after their own installation, RJ Young brought the ultra-wide interactivity of the 105-inch ViewBoard display to several customers.

“For us and for our customers, the ViewSonic ViewBoard displays are an outstanding standalone meeting platform,” said Echols. “The 105-inch ultra- wide model takes it to a whole new level, with added space for more effective viewing and content organization, along with support for the Microsoft Teams Room Front Row layout, which delivers a natural and efficient digital meeting experience.”

APPENDIX

Additional ViewSonic Solutions from RJ Young

While ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays are the most popular products among his customers, Echols noted that RJ Young has provided customers with solutions using pretty much every product made by ViewSonic. These range from desktop monitors and conference room displays of all types and sizes, to digital signage, and massive Direct View LED displays, and their customers couldn’t be happier with the results.

“Feedback from customers about their ViewSonic products has been excellent,” said Echols. “I recently installed ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays and CDE commercial displays using myViewBoard Manager for a large non-profit company, and they just called saying that they wished they had done this installation sooner.”

Of course, he added, as with any supplier, there have been small and infrequent mishaps, like a product damaged in shipping, or the time a board arrived from the factory with a problem. Both were blips on the radar, with ViewSonic immediately replacing the products and making things right.

“We’ve never had a problem that resulted in an unhappy customer,” he said. “ViewSonic is always there for us, making sure our customers are satisfied.”

With ViewSonic’s many product lines to work with, Echols said that he enjoys offering customers everything from basic conference room setups to, “how creative do you want to get?” installations.

Recently, he worked on several projects that made use of the ViewSonic CDE30 commercial displays, which allow for vertical orientation. In one project, the company asked RJ Young to install three displays in a vertical array that ended up looking like windows on a cruise ship. At a local courthouse, Echols helped his customer develop a solution that would segment the content to be seen by the judge, jury, or audience, which included two ViewSonic 65-inch CDE6530 commercial displays hung from the celling to provide the judge with a private view of content. Another display was hung facing the audience, while a ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display was used to mirror court documents and facilitate zoom calls.

Another recent and “really cool” installation Echols facilitated was for Lenoir- Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina.

“The auditorium had concave walls, which made things tricky. We ended up putting a ViewSonic projector in the center with two ViewSonic 135-inch All-in- One Direct View LED displays on either side,” Echols said. “We made a custom frame to straighten out the wall behind the Direct View LED displays, which ViewSonic helped with quite a bit. Content could be programmed to flow from one side to the other, across all three sections, for example showing a wave crashing across them. It was stunning.”

Three years into the partnership, RJ Young has installed ViewSonic products across most of the industries it serves, including higher education, enterprise, and retail. Along with the certainty that ViewSonic hardware will deliver the quality, features, performance, and longevity to fully meet their customers’ needs, Echols said that ViewSonic’s myViewBoard Manager software has been a boon to customer satisfaction.

“We know from our own experience how beneficial the myViewBoard Manager is for remote management of a suite of displays,” said Echols. “We believe in it so much that we include it in every relevant quote, making it an opt-out scenario for customers.”

Ultimately, what makes the partnership with ViewSonic stand out, is the company’s unparalleled service and support, said Echols.

“In every way, before, during, and after a sale, ViewSonic fully supports us,” said Echols. “Matt Hurley is one hundred percent a full member of our team. He joins us at conferences and on customer calls. He does training with us – such as when a customer’s team isn’t sure how to use a display after an installation – and he’s available every day for us. We also get great professional development support for our education customers from ViewSonic folks specialized in that area.”

Circling back to where it all started, Echols recalls that when everything changed in 2020, the team at ViewSonic was integral to helping them quickly acclimate.

“It was all new to us, and we didn’t quite know what we were doing,” he said. “We had to figure out what parts and pieces we need to go with which types of installations. ViewSonic walked us through it all and made sure we had what we needed. They even helped us get in place our systems and people that we needed to support their product lines.”

Because of this support, Echols noted, his company has been able to extend their “Make It Right” guarantee to ViewSonic product installations.

“Part of our history with copiers was our ‘We Make It Right’ guarantee,” he said. “If someone on our team messes something up, we’re going to fix it. If there’s a problem, we’re going to fix it. Because of the support ViewSonic has extended to us on the technology side and on the back end, we’re able to offer this same guarantee for our AV hardware and software.”

IFP105S - 105" 5K 21:9 ViewBoard interactive display with integrated microphone and USB-C

CASE STUDY

ICESI University Modernizes Classrooms with ViewSonic Technology

UNIVERSITY PROFILE

Universidad ICESI is one of the best higher education institutions in Colombia and has been rated as one of the best in Latin America and the world in different rankings. It is particularly distinguished for its work in the industry, international perspective, research and teaching.

Universidad ICESI's professional education offerings include 29 undergraduate programs, 2 doctorates, 35 master's degree programs, 24 medical/surgical specialties and 17 specializations.

In addition, Universidad ICESI has 27 academic departments with a faculty of top academic quality, including 267 professors, with 153 of them having earned or currently pursuing a PhD degree.

"We reviewed projectors that would fit in our classroom spaces for several months. Obviously, we assessed price, quality, technology and support, among other variables, and chose ViewSonic, a company with which we had already worked successfully on other projects."

— Jorge Eliecer Pineda, Events and New Audiovisual Resources Manager at Universidad ICESI

THE CHALLENGE

Belonging to a select group of universities that compete to rank first imposes the responsibility to constantly strengthen its infrastructure and equipment. Because the older projectors that the university was using needed frequent lamp replacements, the technological services division set out to find a better alternative. Under this scenario, they decided to go out and look for the best options offered by the market and approach new solutions that would allow them to optimize their resources, in addition to improving the service for their students.

"We reviewed projectors that would fit in our classroom spaces for several months. Obviously, we assessed price, quality, technology and support, among other variables, and chose ViewSonic, a company with which we had already worked successfully on other projects," said Jorge Eliecer Pineda, Events and New Audiovisual Resources Manager at Universidad ICESI.

THE SOLUTION

Universidad ICESI initially purchased 50 LS600W projectors. This technology would allow upgrading to a new projection format that is especially designed for educational environments. The response was so good that 100 LS600W and LS610WH projectors were purchased in a second implementation phase.

As Jorge Eliecer Pineda pointed out, one of the great advantages is that the IT manager can supervise, set up and manage the projector remotely, which not only facilitates his job, but also that of the teachers, who find the devices easy to operate.

The LS600W and LS610WH are high brightness WXGA lamp-free projectors designed for educational environments. The sustainable choice to embrace industry-leading LED technology featuring 4,000 ANSI lumens eliminates the need to swap out environmentally toxic mercury lamps, reducing the cost and effort of frequent lamp replacement and lowering the total cost of ownership.

The lamp-free light source offers greater sustainability for a greener environment, while providing a wider color gamut for bright, vivid images in meeting rooms, classrooms or any other environment. These projectors deliver crisp, high-quality, HD resolution images for smooth and engaging presentations at all times.

THE RESULTS

According to Universidad ICESI Events and New Audiovisual Resources Manager, Universidad ICESI, the results could not be better. "Both our students and the faculty are enjoying the benefits of these new projectors. Users are satisfied and we have received positive feedback," he said.

The purchase and implementation experience was so good that the University decided to continue changing their equipment and shared this initiative with other universities, with which ViewSonic is already engaged in the process of negotiation and execution of new projects.

In the same way, Jorge Eliecer Pineda positively rated ViewSonic's full support, both in terms of installation and advice on how to use the projectors.

LS600W - 1280 x 800 Resolution, 3,500 ANSI Lumens, 1.37-1.64 Throw Ratio

LS610WH - 4000 ANSI Lumens WXGA LED Projector with H/V Keystone, 4 Corner Adjustment

CASE STUDY

School Builds Strong Foundation for Digital Learning with ViewSonic Education Solutions

SCHOOL

Foundations for the Future Charter Academy (FFCA) has had a long-standing reputation for academic leadership. Today, it operates eight campuses within the city of Calgary, including four elementary, two middle and two high schools. Technology innovation has played an integral role for FFCA in both student development and academic success.

“Our results are consistently above the provincial average,” says Jeff Cullen, Director of Technology for Foundations for the Future Charter Academy. He attributes part of that success to the school’s investments in the latest visual learning technology for its eight campuses, all of which are now equipped with the ViewSonic^® ViewBoard^® Interactive Displays and the myViewBoard® digital learning platform.

“The upgrade to ViewSonic is our most recent, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. Teacher adoption and student engagement is high, and the future looks very bright.”

— Jeff Cullen, FFCA Director of Technology

CHALLENGE

FFCA recently completed a major technology upgrade which included the replacement of outdated visual technology and equipment, including 15-year-old projector/SMART Board systems. Image brightness was difficult to achieve in various classroom settings, and maintenance costs and licensing fees were high. The systems also required a lot of manual calibration which was difficult and time consuming for the IT team to manage. “If the walls weren’t completely straight, they didn’t work,” said Cullen.

The search for replacement technology began immediately after a ceiling had collapsed at its North Calgary campus building and students had to be relocated to a remote building in the south end of the city. The decision to deploy ViewSonic^® ViewBoard^® interactive displays for the temporary building was an easy one for FFCA because of the cost savings from easier maintenance along with robust remote management features.

“We settled on ViewSonic and moved the ViewBoard displays into the new high school as quickly as we could because we had only a few days to get everything done. The set up was easy and given the success of that installation, we chose ViewSonic as the established standard for all of our campuses moving forward,” said Cullen.

SOLUTION

Changing classroom learning technologies can create resistance on the part of teachers, Cullen notes. “For teachers, their classrooms are their offices. That’s where they work and live each day.”

But that wasn’t the case with the ViewSonic^® myViewBoard^® ecosystem, he adds. “When the first ViewBoard displays were installed, the teachers dove into the software, and many have begun to transition their SMART Board Notebook files over to the new myViewBoard platform.”

In the summer of 2022, FFCA’s team completed the replacement of all its SMART systems with 170 ViewBoard interactive displays. Moving from the older SMART Boards has delivered considerable advantages for the schools – from easy maintenance, to portability, to remote management and wireless casting.

“We don’t have to worry about alignment and bulb replacement anymore, and we don’t have to pay licensing fees. We also have much more flexibility because the myViewBoard software allows for wireless casting and screen sharing,” said Cullen.

A key feature for Cullen is remote device management capabilities. “With Manager Advanced, I can centrally manage our entire network. I can see everything across the network and push out updates remotely. This has solved a lot of issues for us.”

As teachers work with myViewBoard, Cullen reports that the uptake ranges from straightforward whiteboard functions to more advanced digital learning applications.

“For example, at the elementary school level there was lot of excitement over the integrated reader and translation software and how easy it is to use in teaching phonics and literacy. Elementary teachers are usually the hardest to impress. But when we showed them these new software features, there were ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’.”

FFCA also plans to install another 40 ViewBoard displays in one of its newest campuses which is scheduled to open in North Calgary in the Spring of 2024. With this school, Cullen says they are taking technology innovation a step further. “We plan to take a very mobile approach for our computer and learning labs, and are working with the idea of using a virtual approach. For this campus, most of the ViewSonic ViewBoards will be all mounted on mobile carts.”

Over his 13 years at FFCA, Cullen says he has overseen three technology refreshes. “The upgrade to ViewSonic is our most recent, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. Teacher adoption and student engagement is high, and the future looks very bright.”

RESULTS

Since its technological evolution, Splitsville has delivered on its promise to bring a state-of-the-art bowling entertainment experience to a new generation of customers.

"ViewSonic digital signage, projection systems, and large format displays are now front and center in every area of every Splitsville facility, serving up music, sports, event reminders and acknowledgements, celebratory notices, advertising, and business presentations," said Haggerty.

“The instant gratification of digital has been a big tool for getting people out,” said Haggerty. “Also, adding more visual richness to our ads has moved people to buy more food, more quickly.”

The first location to undergo an overhaul quadrupled its earnings within two-and-a-half years, said Haggerty. “It took about eight months for it to get its sea legs, but after that, everything came together.”

The sites have become a popular draw for activities outside of bowling, from party bookings to business meetings. “People can even do PowerPoint presentations over the lanes if they like. With one push of the button they can have all screens showing the same input,” said Haggerty.

Plans are in the works to add interactive touchscreen capabilities to displays at the individual bowling lanes to enable sign up, scorekeeping, points collection, and messaging.

Now armed with a proven concept with definitive results, Haggerty has his eyes on expansion into the U.S.

ViewSonic CDE Series Commercial Displays

CASE STUDY

Third Grade Teacher Achieves Increased Engagement, Visibility and Collaboration with ViewSonic^® ViewBoard^® Interactive Displays

SCHOOL

Denver Green School Southeast serves around 570 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. A part of the Luminary Learning Network (LLN) and the Innovation School Zone established in 2008 by the Colorado General Assembly, Denver Green Schools (DGS) use relevant instruction and shared leadership to serve a diverse community and create an inclusive environment that engages all learners to flourish and live a sustainable life. Along with high academic achievement, goals for learners at DGS campuses include partnering with teachers to engage in relevant, student-directed learning; building leadership capacity by embracing a democratic decision-making model; using service learning as a way to become community stewards; creating mind-body connections as well as community connections; and using the school buildings and neighbourhoods as laboratories for the study and implementation of carbon footprint reduction and sustainable living.

“There was so much excitement from the kids around going up to the ViewBoard and working on it. Engagement increased one hundred percent. Everyone actually wanted to come up and show their work. That didn’t used to happen nearly this much. Honestly, the kids just love it.”

Sam Sheppard, Third Grade Teacher

THE CHALLENGE

Now looking forward to her fifth year at the school, third grade teacher, Sam Sheppard, began her career at the Denver Green School Southeast as a student teacher, and has never looked back. Grateful to be hired as a staff teacher at this innovative school, which empowers teachers with greater autonomy than typical public schools, Sheppard describes the learning environment as rewarding and joyful.

“I love it here. We have a farm where the kids harvest things that end up on their lunch table, and we raise chickens in the classroom,” said Sheppard. “Teachers have a voice here. We’re able to write our own plans and have ownership over how we teach.”

As a Title One school, DGS Southeast has limited funding for technology. Sheppard did her best with an old, glitchy projector.

“I’d say it only worked about half the time,” she said. “We got used to waiting for it to warm up. The kids invented ‘magic fi ngers’ that they would wiggle at the projector to help it get going.”

When it did work, Sheppard said it was often hard for the kids to see what she was projecting, due to shadows and fuzzy images. Thinking back to her own school years, she reminisced about the usefulness of Smart Boards.

“It made me sad that my kids didn’t have this advantage,” she said. “Asking myself why not, it came down to funding. Projectors were what the school could afford.”

THE SOLUTION

In her fourth year at the school, Sheppard decided to take action. She created a project page on DonorsChoose – like a GoFundMe just for teachers – asking donors to contribute to her request for a ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display.

“I had done some research and discovered the ViewSonic ViewBoard displays,” said Sheppard. “They had great reviews and I wanted a great interactive display that was clear and easy for the kids to see. I also really liked that it could be put on a cart and could move around the classroom with us.”

As a crowdfunding platform, projects on DonorsChoose are most often supported by small individual contributions. Sheppard had high hopes for her project to get fully funded (around 70% of projects do), and was working hard to drum up supporters, but recognized that progress might take a while. Little did she know that ViewSonic had caught wind of her DonorsChoose fundraiser and decided to surprise her with a 65-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP6550 4K Interactive Display.

On a typical Monday, Sheppard was going about her usual classroom routine when DGS Southeast Lead Partner, Jessica Krichbaum, showed up at her door. Two ViewSonic team members brought in a ViewSonic ViewBoard display on a rolling cart. Sheppard was astonished. Her excitement, as well as the fast and easy setup are captured in this Instagram reveal: vsfinch.es/DenverGreenSchoolIG

“I was so surprised,” said Sheppard. “It was amazing. Such an amazing surprise for which we are all so grateful.”

Her students had a similar reaction when the board rolled in, happily yelling things like, “Yay! No more projector!”

THE RESULTS

As anticipated based on her research, Sheppard’s students absolutely adored the new classroom technology. Although they only had three weeks of the school year left, Sheppard made sure to make the most of the beautiful new display. Active participation in math and learning games were two of her students’ favorite activities, she said, and collaboration and engagement went through the roof.

“There was so much excitement from the kids around going up to the ViewBoard and working on it,” she said. “Engagement increased one hundred percent. Everyone actually wanted to come up and show their work. That didn’t used to happen nearly this much. Honestly, the kids just love it.”

Another big benefi t provided by the new tech was the clear visibility for every student in the classroom, with no more “weird head shadows” blocking the view.

“Like many classrooms, we celebrate at the end of the year by watching movies,” said Sheppard. “It was so amazing to have clear views and builtin speakers. Finally, my kids could see and hear clearly, and I didn’t have to keep asking them to scootch down in their seats so their heads wouldn’t cast shadows on the screen.”

Krichbaum seconded all the above, commenting that, “It has been amazing to see the ViewBoard display up and running so quickly, and kids being so much more engaged as they manipulate things on the screen. Not to mention that everyone can actually see what is happening on it!”

Despite only having the new technology for a few weeks, Sheppard and her students were able to quickly learn how to use it.

“The ViewSonic ViewBoard display is so user-friendly for the kids, which aligns perfectly with my goal of putting more student voice into the classroom next year,” Sheppard commented. “I envision more student leadership; things like having them rotate through roles where they’re in charge of the board in one way or another.”

Sheppard looks forward to many more applications for her new ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display in the upcoming school year, including the use of Google Slides to structure the day – a growing trend among Google Classroom teachers.

“I am so excited to use it for full year next year. Along with all our teachers I’ll be moving toward using Google Slides,” said Sheppard. “Everything throughout the day will be presented on slides, and will be visible on the big display. My students and I will be able to interact with each slide using whatever type of content I’ve embedded into it.”

Happily, Sheppard won’t be the only teacher at DGS Southeast using a ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display.

“Amazingly, the ViewBoard on my DonorsChoose page was fully funded, so my teaching partner will have one next year too,” said Sheppard. “It will be great to collaborate together on ways to use them, and we hope to do some PD with ViewSonic to deepen our understanding of what’s possible when teaching with this amazing interactive display.”

65-inch ViewSonic® ViewBoard® IFP6550 4K interactive display

ViewSonic VB-STND-005 rolling cart

CASE STUDY

University Adds Esports Impact with ViewSonic ELITE™ Gaming Monitors and LAN Center Partnership

SCHOOL

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU) is a private non-profit university accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Located in Harrisburg, PA, the university serves a student body of nearly 7,000 students from over 100 countries, offering bachelor and graduate degree programs in science, technology, and math fields. Every undergraduate major requires an internship, giving students real-world experiences that are valued by employers.

“In a rapidly evolving digital world, it’s essential for academic institutions to embrace emerging technologies and provide students with opportunities to learn and explore their passions through experiential learning. This stateof-the-art equipment will bring a wide range of possibilities for growth and learning to our students.”

— Charles Palmer, Program Lead and Associate Professor of Interactive Media

THE CHALLENGE

With a STEM curriculum that prepares students for in-demand careers, it’s no surprise that HU has become an esports powerhouse. A growing billion-dollar industry, esports relies on employees with a range of creative and technical skills, and HU is distinguished as a trailblazer in developing programs that connect students to these careers. The university’s esports focus began by blazing trails in esports participation.

In 2017, the university launched its fi rst (and only) varsity sports team, the HU Storm, which went on to win the Collegiate Overwatch National Championship in its fi rst two seasons. The university invested in state-of-the-art arena space, full scholarships for team members, and hosting an annual competition, the HUE invitational, the largest esports invitational competition in North America. Continuing its pioneering ways, the HU Storm was the fi rst collegiate team to employ former professional esports players as coaches. For those interested in more casual competition, HU offers an esports club open to all students.

Shortly thereafter, the university introduced a Bachelor of Science degree designed to prepare students for careers in the burgeoning esports industry. One of only a handful of schools offering a degree in this area, HU Esports Management, Production and Performance courses develop the skills needed to become a media content creator, event manager, specialized coach, organizational/team manager, marketing manager, analyst, and more. According to HU materials, this program combines three of the university’s strengths – business administration, interactive media, and technology integration – to build an industry pipeline for the next generation of esports decision-makers in management, production entrepreneurship and innovation.

Finally, in 2019, HU President Dr. Eric Darr and Professor Charles Palmer provided strategic direction and support for the launch of the Harrisburg, PA-based Soniqs professional esports team. From this winning partnership came a shared vision for the development of a LAN Center that would be the official competitive home of the Soniqs, while also providing space to support students, the HU Storm, and the surrounding community.

“We wanted to build on our successes in a way that would support the need for a growing number of esports professionals,” said Palmer, whose roles at the university include Program Lead & Associate Professor of Interactive Media, and Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Entertainment & Learning Technologies. “Our vision was to expand the ways in which we could position our students to become those professionals, and we wanted to do it in a way that supported our community.”

THE SOLUTION

That initial conversation in January 2021 triggered the formation of a development team, which Palmer worked with to develop the concept into a workable plan. Participants included HU CEO and President Dr. Eric Darr and HU CFO Duane Maun; Soniqs CEO Darren Moore and Soniqs Director of Operations and HU Adjunct Professor Luke Goodling; and Dr. Jennifer Metz, Associate Professor and Program Lead of Esports Management.

“The facilities we envisioned would not only be the home of the Soniqs, it would be like the labs in our life science departments,” said Palmer. “A place where our students can get hands-on learning about the products, services, and management of esports.”

During this phase, the working group sought partners to help bring the plan to life. A known advocate in the esports ecosystem, ViewSonic was thrilled to join the team though its community outreach division.

“ViewSonic is committed to both community outreach as part of our Empowering Future Generations initiative and to growing within esports,” said Danny Ordway, Vertical Marketing Manager at ViewSonic. “Supporting Harrisburg University and the Soniqs was a natural partnership for us. We’re thrilled to back an organization that is so focused on investing in the success of its students.”

The LAN Center team connected with Ordway who recommended ViewSonic products to meet their needs.

“We were excited to partner with HU, which shares our holistic vision for esports in education. By providing the latest ViewSonic ELITE™ gaming monitors, as well as the latest commercial displays and other display solutions, we’re helping the Soniqs’ coaches and staff develop strategies and prepare players,” said Ordway. “We’re also supporting HU in providing learning opportunities that create a pathway to careers within the esports industry.”

Ultimately, the team selected 20 ViewSonic ELITE™ XG270 27-inch 240Hz G-Sync gaming monitors to provide smooth, ultra-responsive gameplay. Nine 65-inch ViewSonic CDE6520-W premium 4K digital displays would be mounted throughout the space to showcase competitions, support the LAN Center brand, and deliver dynamic background videos, with one ViewSonic CDE8620-W 86-inch premium 4K digital display serving as a dramatic focal point.

THE RESULTS

Along with additional sponsors, Intel and Zipchair, the team created a worldclass esports LAN center, with power-packed stations that feature Intel NUC PCs with 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900 CPUs, 16GB of RAM, and RTX 3060 Tis; ViewSonic ELITE™ 27-inch 1080p 240Hz IPS gaming monitors; and Zipchair Glide Gaming Chairs with numerous ergonomic settings. With gratitude to their partners, Palmer notes that leading tech is about so much more than feeds, speeds, and specs.

“In a rapidly evolving digital world, it’s essential for academic institutions to embrace emerging technologies and provide students with opportunities to learn and explore their passions through experiential learning,” said Palmer. “This state-of-the-art equipment will bring a wide range of possibilities for growth and learning to our students.”

The 2,000-square-foot LAN Center opened its doors on March 27, 2023, with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by everyone in the local esports community. Moore delivered a brief speech and, with HU President Eric Darr beside him, cut the ribbon that symbolized the center’s o cial opening for private events. Press and other visitors got a taste of the action ahead, as HU esports club members tested out the top-of-the-line gaming stations.

The main gaming room features a central row of tables with 10 gaming stations on each side. It is both dim and dynamic, with enough ambient light to help reduce eye strain, plus LED accent lights in Soniq-blue and purple for added aesthetic impact. Standing room behind the players, along with adjacent seating facing a large 86-inch ViewSonic digital display, will allow spectators an up-close and in-person view of esports events. Additional 65-inch ViewSonic digital displays throughout the space allow for extended viewing along with the display of stakeholder brands and mood-enhancing multimedia content.

Centrally located in downtown Harrisburg, the LAN Center is a leisurely twominute walk from Harrisburg’s Whittaker Center for Science and the Arts, the offcial home stadium for HU’s esports arena, practice space and digital locker room, as well as the hub for esports scrimmages, competitions, tournaments, conferences and meet-and-greets.

“The location meets all of our initial objectives,” said Palmer. “We can engage the community, opening the Center for people to enjoy esports as entertainment, while we provide convenient and state-of-the art facilities for our esports management students to grow their professional skills.” An additional advantage of the location, added Palmer, is its proximity to two Harrisburg high schools.

“We envision our esports management students developing and running events for the high school students,” he said. “This will be a great experiential learning opportunity for them, while adding another link in the pipeline, engaging younger students and introducing them to the broader opportunities offered by esports.”

Community members of all ages will be able to participate in educational workshops taught by esports pros, use the Center’s gaming stations during public hours, and watch games as spectators, both in person and online. The space will also be available to rent for community and private events.

“We are deeply grateful to our sponsors for helping bring our vision to life. The LAN Center not only enhances the educational experience of HU students, it also creates opportunities for networking, mentorship, and career development in the competitive esports industry,” said Palmer. “Students will be able to conceive, design, plan, produce and refl ect on their own events, and they’ll do so while increasing the understanding of esports in our community. It’s a win for everyone involved.”

ViewSonic® 135” All-in-one Direct View LED display LD135-151

ViewSonic 75-inch ViewBoard® IFP7552-1C-E1

CASE STUDY

ViewSonic myViewBoard Software Brings Streamlined Collaborative Learning to Fourth Grade Classroom

SCHOOL

Granite School District, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, serves around 67,000 students enrolled in programs ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Granite is the third largest district in Utah, with nine high schools, 15 junior high schools, 62 elementary schools, as well as several specialty schools. Jim Bridger Elementary serves approximately 478 students in grades PK-6.

“Most teachers are using it much more than they did the basic smart boards. They like being able to have more than one student at a time write, draw, or interact with the ViewBoard displays. And everyone likes the ability to get away from their desk, to be able to work directly at the ViewBoard or move around the room with their laptops.”

— Wendy Jones, Granite Technology Coach

THE CHALLENGE

Like many districts, the classroom displays at Granite School District were an assortment of aging projectors and projection-based smart boards. Then came the pandemic, and with it the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds from the Department of Education, which the district used in part to upgrade classroom displays for enhanced digital learning. The first challenge the team faced was selecting display models to deploy.

“The Granite way is to provide building principals with options, so we narrowed the field to ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays and a board from another manufacturer,” said Granite EdTech Team Lead Heidi Meenen. “The other option was a holdover from an initial elementary school deployment several years prior. Once we were introduced to ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays, it became the more appealing choice due to the robust whiteboarding software.”

Along with the deployment of the ViewSonic® ViewBoard® 86-inch IFP8650 interactive displays came the typical challenges of getting teachers acquainted with new tech. As is also often the case, one teacher was particularly enthusiastic about scaling the learning curve. At Jim Bridger Elementary School, enterprising fourth grade teacher Heidi Ritchie and her tech-savvy students challenged the ViewSonic® myViewBoard® software to deliver collaborative group learning.

THE SOLUTION

The ViewSonic ViewBoard displays were deployed at Jim Bridger Elementary over winter break. By mid-January, Ritchie had reached out to Granite Technology Coach Wendy Jones.

“Everyone was in the very early stages of learning what they could do with the displays, but Heidi was already thinking about how to use the panel in more expansive ways,” said Jones. “She wanted to do more than just display content or write on the screen.”

ViewSonic myViewBoard software is included with every ViewBoard display. So Jones downloaded the app and she and Ritchie began exploring, guided by the mantra, “Let’s see what we can do!”

Their esports led them to the Classroom component of the myViewBoard ecosystem, which provides students with their own canvas that can be shared with classmates to form team “huddles.”

Available as a browser-based app for Windows, Android, and iOS, Classroom can be used on any teacher or student device with a web browser.

One of Ritchie’s aspirations was to use the app to facilitate small group projects. The myViewBoard Classroom software provided the (almost) perfect solution.

Imagine a typical elementary classroom. The teacher has just shown an informational video or slides about a topic. Now students arranged in small groups, each working on one part of a lesson, such as identifying components of the water cycle. Some work together to agree on what they want to say; some are less involved. Invariably, one student takes control and begins to fill in the paper diagram provided by the teacher. When the groups are finished, the teacher may simply collect the sheets or capture each one with a document camera and project them onto the classroom screen.

Now consider a classroom such as Ritchie’s, equipped with a ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display and myViewBoard software. Using the Classroom component of the software, the teacher can start in lecture mode, which shares her canvas – such as the informational videos or slides – onto the ViewBoard screen, and/or to each student’s Chromebook. Next, she can switch seamlessly to huddle mode, which enables her to arrange students into groups that each receive segments of the work. The student Chromebooks replace the paper documents and students use tools like text, pen, and sticky notes to add content to the digital worksheet.

The teacher can track each groups’ work on her laptop and provide feedback digitally or verbally to each student and/or huddle group. When everyone is finished, students share their group canvasses to the big screen with a click. Everything is quick and seamless – and can accommodate hybrid learning for students that are unable to be in the classroom.

These huddle capabilities were exactly what Ritchie was looking for. Working with Jones to master setting up huddles, Ritchie developed lesson plans that leveraged this collaborative functionality.

Ritchie’s first huddles involved creating images and diagrams then assigning students to add labels.

“My students and I learned how to use it together, and it was an amazing journey,” said Ritchie. “To start, I created pictures of a plant, or an animal, then put them in groups to label the various parts. They were so enthusiastic about doing lessons this way.”

Then one day, the students were midway through a huddle-based lesson when class time ended and Ritchie realized that the only way to save the huddle was by using the snippet tool to grab a screen shot. This captured the students’ progress, but would not allow them to manipulate the content. When students returned the next day to complete the project, they had to start from scratch.

Jones and Meenen reached out to their ViewSonic rep Max Green, who worked with the company’s development team on a fix.

“We contacted Max on a Wednesday,” said Jones. “By Monday, the problem was fixed and huddle content was automatically saved to Google Classroom; the students didn’t have to do a thing. It was a game changer for us.”

THE RESULT

On any given day, Heidi Ritchie’s fourth grade students can be seen gathering in groups to huddle over a science, social studies, or language arts assignment. Students view teacher-created canvases on their Chromebook web browser, individually or as a group. Ritchie can pre-select huddle teams or allow students to choose and create their own group of huddle-mates.

Ritchie can customize lessons to fi t learning objectives, providing students with a pre-built chart, graphic organizer, or diagram, or giving them a blank canvas with instructions on what she’s looking for. Either way, students view the canvas on their individual Chromebooks, sitting together with their huddle companions. To encourage collaboration each student has a role in completing the assignment.

“Every student in each huddle sees the full canvas, but they each are responsible for completing one particular part,” said Meenen. “Each of them can add content, attach a sticky note, create a drawing, or pull in an image, but Heidi sets it up so that they can only create and edit in their own content area. This helps encourage everyone to participate.”

To reinforce concepts covered in a literacy unit, for example, Ritchie created a graphic organizer for the key components of a story.

“Students logged onto myViewBoard and clicked the URL that Ritchie sent them, which linked them to their huddle groups,” said Meehen. “Each student was assigned an area, such as setting, plot, or character development, which they could complete using their choice of tools.”

Along with the collaborative, paper-free learning that her ViewBoard display and myViewBoard Classroom bring to her students, Ritchie also loves the ease with which she can create and deliver lessons.

“I can build a lesson on my laptop, save it to Google Drive, then pull it up on the ViewBoard display without needing to attach my computer,” she said. “It’s fast and convenient; everything is seamless with Google.”

The ViewSonic solution has also streamlined the process of prepping for days off - often a great source of stress for teachers.

“I created a PowerPoint with an entire day laid out to guide substitute teachers, which I save to a USB drive,” said Ritchie. “The subjust plugs the USB into the ViewBoard and opens it on the large screen. Having this template makes creating a sub plan so much easier. I just love it.”

Another important benefi t of this method, added Jones, is that it eliminates the need for subs to get content from teachers’ personal Google Drives. Plus, she said, the substitutes that have been the benefi ciaries of this system so far have been big fans.

“They don’t need to worry about compatibility or connecting their laptop,” said Jones. “They just open the file on the ViewBoard and all the lessons are right there, step by step, with instructions for the students. So far, the subs who have used it told us that it was one of the easiest days they’ve had as a substitute teacher.”

Similarly, said Meehen, instructors at district high schools, like those who teach upper-level math, use the Record feature to save lessons for use by substitutes.

“When a sub comes in, they don’t need to actually know calculus,” said Meehen. “They can plug in the USB drive and show the recorded lesson on the ViewBoard. It’s a huge win for everyone.”

Word of Ritchie’s successes using the ViewSonic solutions are spreading through the school, as instructors at various points along the learning curve find ways to integrate the new tech into their teaching.

“Most teachers are using it much more than they did the basic smart boards. They like being able to have more than one student at a time write, draw, or interact with the ViewBoard displays,” said Jones. “And everyone likes the ability to get away from their desk, to be able to work directly at the ViewBoard or move around the room with their laptops.”

Jones has been holding PD sessions on advanced features like pop quizzes and the huddles, and anticipates that teachers across the district will begin using them throughout the remainder of the school year, and beyond.

As for students, just about all of them appreciate the integrated learning games embedded in the myViewBoard software, said Jones. When it comes to huddles, said Ritchie, virtually all her students like working together in this way.

“My kids love using it, and they absolutely love the save feature,” said Ritchie. “They know they won’t lose their work, that they can pick up where they were the next day and keep working on their huddle project. We all very much appreciate the way ViewSonic jumped in and figured out a fix for this so quickly. They’ve been just great to work with.”

ViewSonic Manager Advanced™ subscription

ViewBoard® IFP7550 interactive displays

CASE STUDY

High School Principal Broadcasts Positivity with ViewSonic Manager Advanced and ViewBoard Interactive Displays

SCHOOL

Robert E. Lee High School is a public secondary school in Montgomery, Alabama, serving grades 9 - 12. Operating since September, 1955, the school is one of 10 high schools in the Montgomery Public Schools system. According to U.S. News & World Report data, among the student population of 1,386 the total minority enrollment is 95%, and 86% of students are economically disadvantaged.

“Students can interact with text on the board, which allows them to annotate, highlight, and request audio readings, which is an outstanding way to improve vocabulary and comprehension.”

— Dr. Antjuan Marsh, Principle at Robert E. Lee High School

THE CHALLENGE

When Dr. Antjuan Marsh became principal at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama, one of the first things he did was assess the school’s education technology. The classroom displays, he discovered, were aged, underutilized, and included a difficult-to-manage mix of models that included ViewSonic^® ViewBoard^® interactive displays. Teachers reported that they preferred the ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays because they were easier to use and enabled them to do much more digitally than the Promethean boards.

After assessing the ViewBoard interactive displays, Marsh and the school improvement team agreed to purchase current-model 75-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive displays for every classroom. It was a wise investment. Teachers use the ViewBoard displays daily for instruction, Dr. Marsh said, and are well-versed in using the included myViewBoard^® software tools to boost collaboration and engagement.

“For example, one English teacher breaks students into workstations, with one group working at the ViewBoard display,” said Dr. Marsh. “Students can interact with text on the board, which allows them to annotate, highlight, and request audio readings, which is an outstanding way to improve vocabulary and comprehension.”

With the instructional technology upgrade behind him, Dr. Marsh turned his attention to finding innovative ways to build a stronger school-wide community. The leader of a school where 80% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches and live in an often violent and uncertain environment, Dr. Marsh recognized a unique opportunity presented by the ViewSonic ViewBoard displays installed in every classroom across the school. His plan was to leverage the displays to extend the power of the positive through dynamic and compelling school-wide multimedia messaging.

THE SOLUTION

The ViewSonic Manager™ software included with ViewSonic ViewBoard displays allows for remote centralized management of all networked displays, along with the ability to distribute text-based messages across some or all ViewBoard displays. Text alone, however, was not compelling enough to meet Dr. Marsh’s goals. To deliver video and other media messaging, he would need the Manager Advanced™ subscription-based software upgrade.

After a 90-day free trial, Dr. Marsh was ready to go all-in with the subscription at the start of the next school year. Guided by the school improvement theme Connectedness, Dr. Marsh began creating videos that highlighted the good stuff: students winning awards, following the rules, having fun, attending school events, and supporting one another. Most were fun, but decidedly not frivolous.

“The CDC defines ‘school connectedness’ as when students know that adults in their building care about them academically and also as a person,” said Dr. Marsh. “By broadcasting videos showing the positive things they’re doing we are showing them that we see them and recognize them as valuable.

”When students feel connected to their school, the CDC further notes, they’re less likely to experience poor mental health, sexual health risks, substance abuse, and violence. The ViewSonic ViewBoard classroom displays provided an important means of reaching these critical goals.

Dr. Marsh uses the Connectedness videos to shape school culture, positively impact social-emotional learning, provide public service announcements, and run safety drills. To capture student attention, he broadcasts these messages to every ViewBoard display in the school at random times – including in the middle of classes.

“I’ve broadcast many types of messages,” said Dr. Marsh. “Most of them are about the great things our students are doing, but the broadcasts are also helpful for utilitarian messages. For example, yesterday we ran a PSA on where and when students can and cannot use cell phones. Teachers appreciate these PSAs because when they see students in the hallways not following the rules, they can remind them of the videos.”

Other examples noted by Dr. Mash were a looping broadcast highlighting award-winning students, including one who won a national competition based on her work with tornado victims; clips from sporting and fine arts events; and a collage of students from the required career preparedness class looking sharp in their interview attire.

Creating the broadcasts is as easy as using his iPhone to record video, along with using apps on his laptop, Dr. Marsh says, which enable him to edit and add captions. The Manager Advanced software further enables him to broadcast YouTube videos or other web-based content, another feature that he leverages for positive impact. Occasionally he will send messages to certain classes, easily identifying and selecting the ViewBoard display endpoints using the Manager Advanced interface. Next on his agenda is learning how to use the Manager Advanced software to broadcast Google Slides presentations.

As hoped for, the videos have become a happily anticipated part of the school environment.

“The more videos I create, the more they want to see them,” said Dr. Marsh. “If I can’t make it to an event or leave something out that they think should be there, the students let me know.”

The opportunities to notice, capture and broadcast connection and caring are endless. On March 14th, otherwise known as “Pi Day,” the school held a pie-throwing event. A student unexpectedly tossed the edible kind at the principal, who accepted the gesture with extreme grace. The student exclaimed that she was now wanted for “pie-ing” the principal. Someone caught it all on video and it became a hit among the many memorable broadcasts bolstering the community at Lee High School.

ViewSonic Manager Advanced™ subscription

ViewBoard® IFP7550 interactive displays

CASE STUDY

Conference Room Makeover Brings State-of-the-Art ViewSonic Direct View LED and ViewBoard Interactive Displays to School

SCHOOL

Located in Ellisville, MS, the Ellisville State School is a state-operated regional program providing comprehensive services to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ellisville State School offers services to people in a residential setting and provides an array of programs and services in the community through the Community Services System. Ellisville State School serves approximately 240 people on the main campus and additional persons in the community. It is the goal of Ellisville State School to provide each person with the appropriate services so that each will develop to the maximum of his or her potential.

“They were able to use the ViewBoard interactive display while looking at the audience, and everything they did was mirrored on the big Direct View LED display, which made it highly visible to everyone in the room no matter where they were seated. The two displays are a great pairing.”

— Dean Yelverton, Network Administrator

THE CHALLENGE

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when Ellisville State School (ESS) closed its doors to protect residents and staff, Director Rinsey McSwain found herself conducting daily video calls in the conference room. She quickly became frustrated by the limited capabilities of the aging projector and conference phone. This frustration was the springboard for change, as McSwain envisioned the development of a fully-interactive environment powered by the most current technology.

“She wanted top-notch video conferencing equipment that could be used in multiple, flexible ways,” said IT Director Bobby Sterling. “The room was already equipped with a divider, and she wanted to be able to leverage it for simultaneous smaller meetings as well as ones that used the full space.”

Along with Network Administrator Dean Yelverton, Sterling reached out to reseller partner RJ Young for assistance. Together they looked at potential solutions from various manufacturers, and settled on the Direct View LED display as their technology of choice for the room’s main display. This would be supplemented with an interactive flat panel display on the other side of the room.

THE SOLUTION

Next, Sterling and Yelverton visited the reseller’s installer, who favored ViewSonic among the suppliers under consideration.

“He showed us photos of ViewSonic Direct View LED display installations he had done,” said Yelverton. “Seeing those, along with the great bang-for-the-buck offered by ViewSonic, took us quickly in that direction. We knew that our director would be pleased with the seamless display.”

It didn’t hurt that both Yelverton and Sterling had previous positive experience with ViewSonic products. “I’ve used ViewSonic displays going back a long time,” said Yelverton. “They’ve always been very good quality at a fair price. And for what you get with the huge Direct View LED display, it’s really rather affordable.”

The team took their proposal to McSwain, who was impressed by the display’s size and features. The final signoff came from business services, and with these approvals, the IT team obtained the required quotes. RJ Young presented the best pricing, and received the purchase order for a ViewSonic® 135” All-in- One LD135-151 Direct View LED display and a ViewSonic® 75-inch ViewBoard® IFP7552-1C-E1 display with VPC25-W53-01-1B slot-in PC, along with Logitech control panel, webcams, a controller and Sure speakers to round out the solution. The IT department further ordered a ViewSonic® LD-MK-001 vacuum maintenance tool, which would enable them to easily remove and replace LED panels without having to bring in third party support.

The final challenge would be installing the new equipment in time for the annual Department of Mental Health Board of Directors meeting that the school would be hosting just three weeks after placing the purchase order. Fortunately, one of the key features of the ViewSonic Direct View LED display system is streamlined installation that makes it faster and easier to deploy than a traditional LED wall.

THE RESULTS

Thanks to the support and hustle from RJ Young and ViewSonic, the equipment arrived about two weeks after the order was placed. This left under a week to get everything installed and working.

“The Department of Mental Health is our school’s oversight organization, and this meeting is very important,” said Sterling. “Our director wanted everything perfect to showcase videos on the new Direct View LED display and to accommodate interactive presentations on the ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display. We were under a tremendous time crunch.”

Thanks to the efforts of all involved – and the ease of installation because of ViewSonic Direct View LED technology – everything went smoothly, said Yelverton. They even had a couple days to conduct training. The meeting went off without a hitch.

What was once a standard-issue conference room with basic and outdated equipment has become a state-of-the art facility that provides flexibility and ease of use.

“We didn’t realize how much we were going to be able to take advantage of by going from what we had to the fully interactive setup we have now,” said Sterling.

For groups like the board of directors meeting, the full room supports a range of needs, from a larger-than-life video display and immersive video calls on the Direct View LED display, to interactive presentations using the arm-mounted ViewSonic ViewBoard interactive display, which can be height-adjusted and angled to meet user needs as well as a variety of seating arrangements.

“During the board meeting we had several attendees present who were accustomed to using whiteboards,” said Yelverton. “They were able to use the ViewBoard interactive display while looking at the audience, and everything they did was mirrored on the big Direct View LED display, which made it highly visible to everyone in the room no matter where they were seated. The two displays are a great pairing.”

When the full room isn’t needed, the school can book dual meetings in the divided space. The collaborative capabilities of the ViewBoard display have been particularly useful for conducting remote and hybrid training, commented Yelverton, and the room has become an in-demand hub for trainings as much as for meetings.

Sterling and Yelverton emphasized that both RJ Young and ViewSonic went above and beyond, throughout the process.

“I have to give a shout out to ViewSonic’s tech support,” said Yelverton. “We had issues with a couple of the LED panels, which they anticipated by including some spares with the kit. Then after that the tech support team sent us a couple more spares to keep on hand.” The Ellisville State School director who requested the conference room makeover has been more than pleased with the results, the IT duo said. “She still gets a big smile every time she sees the beautiful Direct View LED display,” said Sterling. “When visitors come from our central office it’s the first thing that she shows them.”

ViewSonic® 135” All-in-one Direct View LED display LD135-151

ViewSonic 75-inch ViewBoard® IFP7552-1C-E1

CASE STUDY

Peruvian School Boosts Hybrid Learning and English Language Instruction with ViewSonic ViewBoard Interactive Displays

SCHOOL

Founded in 1954, Centro Cultural Peruano Norteamericano (CCPNA) is a distinguished educational institution dedicated to English language instruction in southern Peru. Headquartered in the city of Arequipa, it not only serves as a center for language learning but also plays a vital role in fostering cultural exchange and promoting American culture through a diverse range of events such as plays, musicals, art galleries, film screenings, round tables, conferences, and more.

Apart from its main office in Arequipa, CCPNA has branches in the cities of Puno, Juliaca, Ilo, Moquegua, and Tacna. With a comprehensive array of 20 English learning programs tailored to different age groups, academic intensity, and frequency, the institution accommodates a total of 7,000 students. These programs offer immersive National Geographic Learning experiences, ensuring a dynamic and engaging learning environment.

“ViewSonic was the most suitable solution to meet our needs. The fact that other companies off ered similar teaching support tools that were only compatible with Android helped us make our decision.”

— Álvaro Salinas, CCPNA General Director

THE CHALLENGE

CCPNA needed an easy way of implementing hybrid teaching across all of its campuses. Initially, they experimented with non-native touchscreen solutions and television sets. However, these options proved unsatisfactory due to subpar resolution and limited functionality. As a result, CCPNA embarked on a quest to find alternative teaching methods that could eff ectively support their new educational approach.

Álvaro Salinas, General Director of CCPNA, explains, “To achieve this, we required a cutting-edge interactive display as the cornerstone of our implementation. While we were already utilizing AI cameras and microphones in our classrooms, we lacked an interactive display solution with a robust platform to complement this transition.”

Consequently, the institution’s authorities directed their efforts towards finding a display that off ered user-friendly teaching tools and functionalities, such as those provided by the ViewSonic^® myViewBoard^® platform for content creation and casting. They sought an easily manageable application that could enhance both physical and online learning experiences.

The implementation process was a race against time as it needed to be completed by the beginning of 2023. To accomplish this, they relied on a slot-in OPS mini PC to power the display, making it the central component of the interactive learning experience. This setup enabled the utilization of myViewBoard software and provided teachers and students with an extensive range of resources.

THE SOLUTION

After careful evaluation of various market proposals, CCPNA made the decision to procure a total of 120 ViewSonic^® ViewBoard^® interactive displays for their campuses. This included 109 ViewBoard IFP6532 65-inch interactive displays, and 11 ViewBoard IFP8632 86-inch interactive displays. To complement these displays, 120 VPC25-W53-O1 slot-in PC units were also included in the order. These technology resources were installed not only at CCPNA branches in southern Peru but also at their sister institution, the Instituto de Diseño Thomas Jefferson.

To facilitate efficient management and control of the interactive display network, ViewSonic^® Manager Advanced™ software was seamlessly integrated into the solution. This software offers centralized control for executing tasks, performing updates, and sending messages or alarms directly to the displays, eliminating the need for physical presence in the classroom. Undoubtedly, this feature is a significant time and resource-saving advantage. Thanks to this implementation, 100% of the classrooms at the CCPNA Arequipa headquarters are now equipped with interactive displays. In the other cities, coverage reaches an impressive 90%, with the remaining margin representing areas where this implementation is not currently necessary.

RESULTS

The ViewSonic solution has significantly improved the hybrid teaching experience within the CCPNA educational community.

One notable aspect of the ViewSonic solution is its compatibility with both Android-supported tools and Windows-based applications for delivering classes, as well as integration with the Google Workspace platform. Additionally, the inclusion of myViewBoard software for content creation further enhances the teaching experience.

“ViewSonic was the most suitable solution to meet our needs,” said Salinas. “The fact that other companies offered similar teaching support tools that were only compatible with Android helped us make our decision.”

Salinas further adds that the teacher training process progressed smoothly, as the use of the new equipment proved intuitive, and many teachers already possessed a clear understanding of how to handle technology. This familiarity with the capabilities of the interactive displays made it easier for them to leverage all the features.

The delivery of technology resources began in the fi nal months of the previous year, and the implementation proceeded swiftly, concluding in March 2023. According to Alex Carlos, Regional Sales Manager of ViewSonic in Peru, CCPNA has now become “the best-equipped English educational center in the country, surpassing institutions in both the south and even those operating in Lima or the north of Peru. Moreover, it has emerged as a leading educational institution in terms of technological facilities in the Andean region.”

The CCPNA representative concludes, “For us, it was essential that this experience be extended to all students, not limited to certain classrooms, such as schools or universities. We aimed to create hybrid classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology, ensuring that all our students can enjoy a high-quality hybrid learning experience.”

ViewSonic Manager Advanced™ subscription

ViewBoard^® IFP6532 interactive displays

ViewBoard^® IFP8632 interactive displays