Description
Featured Products
Additional Providers
To accommodate the changing needs of its digitally
mobile student body, Caldwell University installed
approximately 35 Sharp AQUOS BOARD interactive
display systems and more than 30 Sharp displays and
monitors across its campus. The interactive displays
have greatly enhanced collaboration among the
students and faculty.
Business Environment Challenges
Located in the picturesque town of Caldwell, NJ, Caldwell University
offers a stunning campus setting and a wide variety of undergraduate
and graduate degrees to its approximately 2,200 full-time, part-time and
graduate students. Fully qualified faculty members, small class sizes and
small student/faculty ratio contribute to its reputation as an institution
that provides close, personal attention to its students.
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the passage of a state
bond referendum made it possible for the university to not only improve
its network security and access, improve Wi-Fi access and add features
such as new charging stations all over its campus, but it also allowed the
university to make some improvements to its teaching and presentation
technologies.
At the time, the university was still using old screen projector technology,
which needed about 15 minutes of prep time whenever a presentation was
planned. Additionally, classrooms were equipped with regular blackboards
that didn’t take into account the changing needs of the digitally mobile
student body.
Business Technology Solutions
The university installed approximately 35 Sharp AQUOS BOARD
interactive display systems in strategic locations around the campus,
such as the library, athletics department, board room, conference rooms,
nursing departments and select classrooms, to increase collaboration in
the classroom and among the students and faculty. To accommodate
ad hoc and temporary use, a number of AQUOS BOARD displays are
kept mobile and wheeled to different areas on campus as needed. These
LED-LCD interactive displays provide brilliant color images, touch screen
convenience and Wi-Fi connectivity. Additionally, more than 30 Sharp
professional displays and monitors are being used as digital signage across
the campus.
Recently, the university unveiled a 4,000-square-foot nursing skills
laboratory, which includes a state-of-the-art simulation laboratory and
a digitally-enhanced classroom. The lab is outfitted with high-fidelity
educational training mannequins, a control room with tinted one-way
glass and the capability to record video simulations. The 960-squarefoot
lecture classroom includes a 60-inch (60.1” diagonal) central
AQUOS BOARD display and six satellite monitors that provide a visually
stimulating and aesthetic environment, particularly effective for the
visual, auditory and kinesthetic learner.
Innovative Results
Interactive display systems are now being used in all parts of the campus
and are quickly replacing traditional blackboards, whiteboards, projectors
and flip charts. “The AQUOS BOARD displays are dramatically improving
our educational experience and business productivity on campus,” says
Don O’Hagan, Chief Information Officer, Caldwell University. “The new
nursing lab has enhanced the university’s nursing program, and this is
evidenced by strong interest and enrollment in the program.”
O’Hagan adds, “The Sharp digital display technology has had a lot to do
with the program’s success.”
The Athletics Department uses the AQUOS BOARD displays to get an
edge on the competition. The coaches use them to show video to their
teams and to highlight key plays, using the technology to break down
video and get a closer look at the opposing teams. The department is also
using the displays to show traditional X and O-style strategy.
“We think of the displays as providing us with a competitive advantage
over our league opponents,” says Mark Corino, head men’s basketball
coach and assistant vice president and director of athletics.
The AQUOS BOARD displays have also allowed the boardroom above
the athletic facility to be used as a tailgating area during game time. A
large AQUOS BOARD display is simply wheeled into the room and the
game is streamed directly onto it.
O’Hagan says that on any given day the IT department might receive 20
to 30 requests to turn on the displays. And while many of the AQUOS
BOARD displays are dedicated to specific locations, a supplemental few
are kept on wheels so they can be rolled from place to place.
“Implementing the AQUOS BOARD displays has been an exciting project
because of their impact on everyone across campus,” says O’Hagan. “From
the President’s Board Room to the classroom, the conference room, the
athletic teams and facilities and even to the university’s distance learning
centers, there isn’t a student, faculty or staff member who doesn’t have a
fingerprint, literally, on these boards.”
Because of the touch screen and interactivity inherent in the AQUOS
BOARD display, the students have completely embraced the technology
as well.
“The boards are really helpful for group projects, group studying, anything
where a group is involved because you don’t have to crowd around one
little screen,” says Kristin Kelley, Class of 2016, Caldwell University. “One
big board allows people to interact on the touch screen, through individual
iPads and other personal devices.”
“Students using the boards visit their own websites on their own devices
and discuss and create documents accessible to all,” says Business
Division Professor Virginia Rich. “We can save and share this information.
It makes an active learning experience truly part of the lesson plan and
provides a valuable takeaway.”
To watch the Caldwell University video, visit the Sharp Education vertical
market page at http://siica.sharpusa.com/Vertical-Markets/Education.
60" AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display System
by
Sharp Electronics Corp.
Model: PN-L603B
- Discontinued
60" AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display System with Windows PC and Floor Stand
by
Sharp Electronics Corp.
Model: PN-L603BPKG2
- Discontinued
Other
Sharp Electronics Corp.
Sharp Electronics Corporation
Mahwah NJ , 07495