ViewSonic® ViewBoard® Interactive Displays Enhance Student Experience at End-of-Year Showcase

CASE STUDY

ViewSonic® ViewBoard® Interactive Displays Enhance Student Experience at End-of-Year Showcase

SCHOOL

Rider University is a small private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey made up of the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences/ Westminster Choir College, and the College of Education and Human Services. With an enrollment of just under 3,000 full-time undergraduates, the university has a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio. It is distinguished by 21 NCAA men’s and women’s Division I sports teams and ranks on U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges list and The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges list.

“The [ViewSonic ViewBoard] interactive setup allowed students and attendees to gather around the work, engaging with both the content and each other in a natural, seamless way. From our team’s perspective, this was a strong example of technology supporting experiential learning in a meaningful way.”

— Jaimie Dubuque, Learning Technology Administrator, Rider University

CHALLENGE

As graduation day approached for the inaugural class of the Bachelor of Social Work program at Rider University, students began preparing for their capstone project: a cumulative showcase of their work. Their professor reached out to Rider University Learning Technology Administrator Jaimie Dubuque to assist with technology to support the event.

“The initial request was for basic monitors to display student work,” said Dubuque. “I saw this as an opportunity to show what we could do with technology to expand the students’ capabilities and make this a more meaningful event.”

SOLUTION

Dubuque’s vision for the showcase featured enhanced student content presented on ViewSonic^® touch displays to deliver an interactive, gallery-like experience.

“I was assessing an amazing touchscreen monitor on loan from ViewSonic which I recognized would be a fantastic educational tool,” said Dubuque. “It was a perfect fit for adding interactivity and engagement to the showcase.”

Dubuque was likewise looking at a 65-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard^® interactive display for a library project. While ultimately too big for that need, it was perfect for interactive group work and presentations, she said.

Next, Dubuque suggested the idea of creating student websites, which could be navigated using ViewSonic touchscreen monitors, and could serve as living documents as students progressed through their careers.

“For these tech tools to best enhance learning it was important that they weren’t just using them as glorified monitors,” said Dubuque. “Our goal is to use these tools for collaborative learning. To achieve this, the content they presented, and how they presented, it mattered.”

The final steps in bringing the vision to life were working with ViewSonic to obtain the necessary equipment, and meeting with students over Zoom to run a crash course on building free Wix sites. 

For the final configuration, each of the 6 students in the graduating class connected laptops to a ViewSonic TD2455 24-inch touch display for easy viewing and interaction. They would deliver interactive presentations on a 65-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP6541, outfitted with a windows slot-in PC (model VPC35-W55-G1) and mounted on a ViewSonic mobile cart (model VB-STND-001).

RESULTS

The collaboration among social work program faculty, Dubuque’s IT team, and ViewSonic resulted in an unforgettable event for all involved. What was certain to be a special day for the inaugural graduating class of the new Social Work Program became even more so. Along with demonstrating the students’ accomplishments, the event further showcased the benefits of integrating technology into the education process.

To kick off the event, students delivered formal presentations that were easily seen from any vantage point thanks to the large, vivid 65-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard display. Next, participants spent time at student stations, where they smoothly navigated through their websites.

“The ViewSonic technology was very intuitive and easy to work with,” said Dubuque. “This enabled a smooth transition from formal presentation to interactive portfolio exploration.”

Set up was a breeze, said Dubuque, thanks to ViewSonic’s detailed guidance and outstanding product. The ViewSonic 24-inch touch displays provided easy USB-C connectivity along with touch support for numerous operating systems. The stand’s ergonomic, dual-hinge design with screen tilt allowed for easy viewing and interaction.

“From set up, to operation to the final breakdown, everything went quickly,” said Dubuque. “This was an important part of making the showcase a success because we had a relatively tight event timeline, which ViewSonic was able to accommodate through listening and responding to our needs.”

The team was thrilled to see their vision come to life.

“The interactive setup allowed students and attendees to gather around the work, engaging with both the content and each other in a natural, seamless way,” said Dubuque. “From our team’s perspective, this was a strong example of technology supporting experiential learning in a meaningful way."

That success was echoed by all stakeholders involved in the project.

“The interactive displays allowed students to authentically share their growth, transforming academic milestones into a compelling narrative that brings their professional journey to life,” commented Social Work Program Director Dr. Irma Sandoval-Arocho. “The interactive nature of these presentations also successfully captured the essence of social work education and its role in preparing competent generalist social workers.” Dr. Sandoval-Arocho further noted the impact of the interactive displays on the students’ experience.

“The showcase builds trust in Rider University’s B.S.W. Program as one that prepares graduates who are practice ready,” said Dr. Sandoval-Arocho, adding that, “Use of the interactive displays was intuitive for students and as a result, there was visible ease of use that contributed to their sense of confidence in presenting.”

This comment highlighted the student viewpoint: “I’m so glad this was a capstone project instead of a paper.”

Associate CIO Sari Alshiekh observed that, “It was great to see the vision come to life in such a student-centered way. Our collaboration moved us beyond simply ‘using screens’ to creating an engaging, interactive environment that supported both learning and presenting.”

The professor who oversaw the student work, said Dr. Heather Lee, summed up the positivity of the event:

“It turned out to be a beautiful day overall and it would not have been possible without Jamie and her team.” Dubuque notes that it couldn’t have happened without the outstanding support from ViewSonic, who ensured that all the details were taken care of, down to every accessory needed to make the setup a success.

“The entire collaboration process with ViewSonic, from start to finish, prioritized the student experience, and served as a clear example that ViewSonic values its partnerships and the learning community at large,” Dubuque concluded. “We look forward to an ongoing partnership and bringing more tech-enabled experiential learning to our students.” 

ViewSonic 65-inch ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP6541

ViewSonic TD2455 24-inch touch display