Rosemont College Transforms Campus with Hybrid Learning Technology
Business Environment Challenges
Rosemont College (Rosemont), a private liberal arts college in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, includes the Undergraduate College and the Schools of Graduate and Professional Studies. The Undergraduate College offers 27 majors and 27 minors, ranging from arts, business and humanities to natural sciences and mathematics. The school hosts 14 NCAA athletic teams.
The college was facing challenges due to outdated technology and needed to upgrade classrooms to accommodate online learning. Also, professors weren’t utilizing the current smart software because of training hurdles, systems weren’t easily integrating and many classrooms had old projectors that were difficult to maintain. Rosemont College reached out to Philadelphia-area integrator Haverford Systems, a Sharp authorized dealer, for a complete makeover of their classrooms and libraries.
Technology Solutions
Rosemont worked with Haverford on a turnkey hybrid learning package that included key technology integrations. The college upgraded eight of their older classrooms and library spaces with hybrid teaching technology bundles that included Sharp AQUOS BOARD® interactive displays, PTZOptics cameras, soundbars and shuttle PCs. About a year later, Rosemont also opened a newly constructed Community Center on campus that included five more learning spaces to accommodate lecture collaboration and remote learning, all using this technology package.
The Center also includes a boardroom with a larger-than-life 90" Class (90-1/16" diagonal) professional display for highdefinition video and audio-conferencing capabilities. Dan Mason, Director of Information Technology stated, “After the first installation, I really took a liking to the AQUOS BOARD displays, so when it came time to build a new community center, I lobbied that this was the direction to go.” Dan explained that they were perfect for his busy IT department because, “Once the AQUOS BOARDs were installed, that was really the last time I had anything to do with them! They are so easy to use, they basically run themselves.”
Proven Results
Rosemont was happy to clear the chalk dust and remove the permanent marker-filled whiteboards to make way for the AQUOS BOARD interactive displays. Christine Hagedorn, Assistant Professor and Discipline Coordinator for the Rosemont College Business Department uses the new technology setup for her hybrid business classes. She explains, “I went from a pull-down screen with a little projector on a cart to beginning an exciting journey of discovery with this upgraded technology. It’s now part of the experience and I could never go back to teaching without it!”
When we asked about the learning curve involved in switching to this new technology setup, Christine smiled. She said, “It’s really like using your computer – but on the wall. The hardest part is turning it on! It’s so simple to use.” Speaking of use, Christine often presents slides or videos on the AQUOS BOARD display, and said “I love the whiteboard feature, I can toggle between what I’m showing and the notepad so that when students start making comments, I can capture the notes by grabbing the pen and tapping the whiteboard feature without skipping a beat.”
In addition, when the Pennsylvania governor mandated stayat-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools had to quickly adopt technologies for teaching remotely and eventually for teaching to hybrid classrooms. Rosemont College was ahead of the curve and able to accommodate students with these previously implemented audiovisual technologies. Of the shift to hybrid, Christine said, “I’d have maybe 10 students in the classroom and 5+ students on video, and the AQUOS BOARD allowed the classroom to feel more cohesive – there’s nothing like having a full class that can learn from each other.”
Rosemont College is filled with professors and staff that want the best for their students, and now they have the technology to back it up. “It’s nice to be where it feels like we should be in terms of classroom technology,” says Dan, “I’m looking forward to identifying other spaces to upgrade.”