University Faculty and IT Team Gain Efficiency and Efficacy with ViewSonic® Digital Podiums

Mar 25, 2026

CASE STUDY

University Faculty and IT Team Gain Efficiency and Efficacy with ViewSonic^® Digital Podiums

SCHOOL

Coker University is a student-focused, private liberal arts college located in Hartsville, South Carolina. Founded in 1908, Coker is a bachelor’s and master’s degree-granting institution and competes in 24 NCAA Division II sports. Redefining undergraduate research, Coker students participate in local and regional conferences and competitions. Coker combines round table, discussion-based learning with hands-on experiences to promote active participation in and out of the classroom.

“I’m just starting to touch on what it can do, and so far, I can’t imagine a better outcome than [the myPodium ID2456-4K]. I’d rate the upgrade a 10/10 and I’m not always that generous.”

— Joseph Flaherty, PhD, Research Director and Professor of Biology at Coker

CHALLENGE

When Information Technology Director Charlie Poag joined the Coker University team, edtech across the campus was ripe for an upgrade. Classrooms contained an array of disparate technology from a range of manufacturers, which led to inefficiencies and challenges for both IT and faculty.

“We can’t be experts in every technology out there and maintaining such a broad mix efficiently was more than our small team could do,” said Poag. “Faculty was frustrated and we were receiving a lot of help desk tickets.”

The edtech landscape had changed dramatically since the aging Coker classroom technology had been installed. Poag’s objective was to standardize around a common solution. But first his team would need to identify which solution would best meet their faculty’s needs.

“We began our due diligence and discovered that each manufacturer had many models of each product category – from projectors to interactive displays.” said Poag. “Edtech has become a complex landscape, with a huge array of options.”

As his team began the process of researching the latest edtech, Poag was introduced to Tyler Davis, a regional rep from Howard Technology Solutions. During their initial conversation, Poag recognized the value of partnering with an AV pro like Howard.

“The folks at Howard know the edtech landscape through and through, and it was clear that they could be a big help with our upgrades,” said Poag. “As a starting point, Tyler offered to give us his favorite new edtech product to evaluate – the ViewSonic 4K Digital Podium.”

SOLUTION

The Coker IT Team put the Digital Podium (ViewSonic myPodium™ ID2456-4K) in a well-used classroom and invited feedback from faculty.

“The response was very positive,” said Poag. “The faculty loved it. Based on this, we purchased five more, putting one in each academic building.”

After allowing time to get to know the product, the IT team conducted a survey to gain insight into the upcoming upgrades.

“We gave them options based on technology they had been using for some time, such as Promethean and SMART boards, and we asked what technology they would like to use going forward,” said Poag. “Overwhelmingly the faculty wanted to use the ViewSonic podiums.”

At that point, Poag had the direction he needed to begin unifying the technology across all Coker classrooms.

Top of the list were the athletic building classrooms, where users had been increasingly frustrated with the aging technology. While Poag and his team worked with Howard to create an upgrade plan, a grant came in to refurbish the entire science building. In the end, more than two thirds of the Coker classrooms were unified around ViewSonic products, including ViewSonic Commercial Displays (CDE8630 and CDE9830), ViewSonic Laser Projectors
(LS92OWU) and the ViewSonic myPodium ID2456-4K.

“Wherever possible, we upgraded to the ViewSonic Commercial Displays for front-of the-room viewing,” said Poag. “Where we had pre-existing cabling to the ceiling we upgraded to ViewSonic’s 6000-lumens Laser Projector.”

RESULTS

From an IT perspective, the results could hardly have been better: faculty were happier and so was the IT team. What’s more, the upgrade made smart use of the university’s limited resources and would continue to reduce costs over time. “These podiums are a terrific solution for so many reasons,” said Poag. “For one thing, they are so much more affordable than putting a large touchscreen in every classroom. And, in my opinion, they’re a better fit for the job because instructors don’t have to turn their back on the students to annotate content.” Unifying around ViewSonic products, said Poag, has enabled his team to operate with greater efficiency and expertise.

“We can really get to know this product, how to best train instructors, and how to effectively maintain and troubleshoot,” said Poag. “Now faculty can move seamlessly from classroom to classroom, and the IT team is fielding far fewer tech support calls.”

And, with modern laser projectors, the IT team purchases fewer bulbs and spends less time on maintenance.

“Another benefit of the digital podiums,” added Poag, “is the ability for faculty to connect their devices with USB-C, while maintaining the connection to the PC we provide in the room. They have the choice of which to use, and this eliminates any confusion around which device is connected. We used to get a lot of calls about disconnections and faculty having to reboot the PC.” From an instructional perspective, the new technology is enabling more streamlined and interactive instruction, along with more visible content.

“The large screens in the front of the classroom are magnificent,” said Joseph Flaherty, PhD, Research Director and Professor of Biology at Coker.

“The panels are highly visible from everywhere in the room and they’re perfect screens for visualizing detailed content. It’s a big improvement
over the old projectors.”

Because of past encounters with digital whiteboards that were clunky, slow and challenging to use, Flaherty prefers the smooth, responsive touch panel on the ViewSonic myPodium ID2456-4K.

“The screen is such high quality, it’s like using your phone, and I love not having to turn my back on students.” said Flaherty. “The fast, responsive screen makes it a breeze to interact with content. I particularly appreciate being able to pinch and zoom in to highlight material – that alone makes teaching easier. I look forward to learning more about the functionality and how it can further help me add impact to instruction.”

Although he knows he’s just scratched the surface of what he’ll be able to accomplish with the digital podium, Flaherty is already thankful that the IT team partnered with ViewSonic.

“I’m just starting to touch on what it can do, and so far, I can’t imagine a better outcome than this product,” he concluded. “I’d rate the upgrade a 10/10 and I’m not always that generous.”

The IT team is likewise thankful for the growing relationship with both Howard and ViewSonic.

“We love having Howard as our AV partner; they’re very responsive and listen well and make sure understand the need before they start recommending products,” said Poag. “They’ve connected us with our ViewSonic rep Randy, who has also been very helpful.”