Higher Education Hybrid Classroom Gets Transformative Upgrade with ViewSonic Direct View LED Displays and More

SOLUTION BRIEF

Higher Education Hybrid Classroom Gets Transformative Upgrade with ViewSonic Direct View LED Displays and More

BACKGROUND

For one school district located in western Canada representing a large and diverse network of K-12 public schools, raising the bar of excellence for digital learning was achieved with ViewSonic’s ViewBoard solution.

Not only is the upgraded classroom now a cutting-edge digital learning environment, it is also a model for future classroom refreshes. The integrated technology seamlessly blends in-person and remote experiences, delivering a host of benefits to faculty, students, and the IT team.

— Miles Brandon, Owner, Capistrano VW

CHALLENGE

A recognized leader in STEM higher education, this large state university is dedicated to being on the forefront of classroom technology. To facilitate efficient use of technology resources, the university offers instructors a variety of classroom configurations to meet their edtech needs. At the pinnacle of these options are classrooms equipped to simultaneously deliver instruction to in-person and remote students. Live-monitored by university IT staff to prevent tech-related disruption, these rooms serve an important role in extending the reach of instruction.

One such classroom was due for a major technology update. The existing setup relied on two ceiling-mounted projectors, which cast content onto dual wall screens. It was time to upgrade to technology that would support the range of modern learning options and instructional modalities: a state-of-the-art video wall that would deliver bright, consistently sharp visuals for every student. More importantly, the solution needed to seamlessly deliver content to in-person and distance learners, while creating an environment that connected those audiences and provided intuitive control for the instructor.

Several types of displays would be needed to support these goals, including large, vibrant front-of-room displays for on-site learners; displays to bring Zoom participants into the room; confidence displays for the instructor at the back of the room; and an interactive display at the instructor podium. All of which would be maintained and monitored in real time by university IT staff.

SOLUTION

To accomplish these goals, the IT group worked with longtime reseller partner ClarkPowell, which recommended ViewSonic for the display component of the installation. The IT team reviewed the recommendations and agreed that this would be an ideal solution for their needs, commenting in particular on the durability of the ViewSonic^® Direct View LED (dvLED) display with Glue-on- Board (GOB) technology and the ability to swap individual panels with included spares, which would streamline maintenance.

The final front-of-room solution included two 136-inch ViewSonic All-in-One dvLED video walls (Model LDM136-151) to present class content. These would be mounted on either side of a ViewSonic 98-inch 4K commercial display (model CDE9830). Two ViewSonic 65-inch commercial displays (model CDE6530) would be mounted to the back wall for instructor visibility: one to mirror the instructional content; one to display Zoom participants.

Finally, the instructor podium would be equipped with a ViewSonic 24-inch digital podium touch display (model ID2456-4K) that would enable faculty to intuitively deliver content and connect with students using integrated ViewSonic^® ViewDirector™ software. To ensure seamless operation, the ClarkPowell team would integrate the ViewSonic displays into the classroom’s existing Crestron matrix switcher.

RESULTS

The integrated technology seamlessly blends in-person and remote experiences, delivering a host of benefits to faculty, students, and the IT team.

Instructors appreciate no longer having to contend with projector lights shining in their eyes, as well as being able to maintain focus on students. The confidence monitors in the back of the room allow presenters to easily confirm that their content is looking as it should on the front screens, while also providing an interface with students joining on Zoom.

The brightness and clarity of the ViewSonic dvLED displays provides classroom and remote students with a clearer view of content in all lighting conditions, while also delivering outstanding recorded images – a critical component of serving the needs of asynchronous distance learners. Along with this consistency in lighting, the IT team benefits from the lower, and easier, maintenance offered by the dvLED displays. All of which provides more streamlined instruction with greater efficiency and reduced costs. /span>

What’s more, a visiting IT specialist mentioned that one of their university’s classrooms had an outdated dvLED display that lacked GOB surface treatment, which resulted in damage, and added repair costs, when students bumped into it.

The university’s stated objective for its top-tier tech classrooms is to empower faculty to deliver modern, high-impact instruction to a range of students, without the burden of technical barriers. In these spaces, the edtech allows faculty to focus on teaching, not troubleshooting. This classroom upgrade has achieved just that, with bright and durable ViewSonic dvLED video walls, commercial displays, and a digital podium touch display shining as the foundational visual technology.

LDM136-151 136” All-in-One Direct View LED Display

CDE9830 98” 4K Commercial Display

CDE6530 65” 4K Commercial Display

ID2456-4K 24” 4K Podium Touch Display