The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is one of Canada’s top research-intensive institutions and the largest university in the province.
Located in Saskatoon on Treaty 6 Territory, the university serves approximately 25,000 students across 13 colleges. Renowned for its contributions to agriculture, engineering, and health sciences, USask plays a vital role in the region's innovation ecosystem.
When it came time to modernize the university's conferencing capabilities, USask sought a solution that could support its "distributed teaching" model, where lectures are delivered seamlessly across different classrooms and campuses.
The Challenge
The University of Saskatchewan (USask) faced a significant infrastructure hurdle as their existing wired conferencing systems in high-traffic spaces like Health Sciences 1130 and the Edwards School of Business Room 46 began to fail. To maintain their high standards of education, the university required a replacement that offered:
- Legacy Replacement: A robust solution to replace their previous aging systems that had become a support burden for the technical team.
- Distributed Teaching: A high-quality audio platform capable of supporting the university's complex "distributed teaching" model across multiple classrooms.
- Simplicity and Scale: A budget-friendly, intuitive system that faculty could operate easily and that could be standardized across various campuses.
The Solution: Why USask Chose Televic
After seeing the system at the DataVisual on Display (DVOD) roadshow, the University of Saskatchewan selected the Televic D-Cerno as their new standard for distributed teaching classrooms. The decision was driven by five key factors:
- Ease of Use: The D-Cerno's simplicity ensures students and faculty can operate the technology without extensive training.
- Cost-Effective: By focusing on essential discussion features rather than unneeded functions like voting, it provided a budget-friendly, high-quality investment.
- Better Architectural Fit: The hardware offers a more modern and logical replacement for the university's aging legacy systems.
- Simplified Installation: Despite the complex infrastructure, the system integrated smoothly with existing control systems.
- Cleaner Appearance: Sharing one microphone between two students reduced clutter, creating a more professional classroom aesthetic.
The Results
The implementation was a success, leading to an immediate improvement in the user experience for both students and faculty.
The implementation of the Televic D-Cerno system has provided an immediate improvement for both students and faculty. User feedback is overwhelmingly positive, specifically regarding the system’s intuitive interface and the ease with which technical staff can implement requested changes. Despite the complex infrastructure required for distributed teaching, the system maintains a smooth, reliable interface with the university's existing control systems.
Following the success of the initial installations, USask has officially standardized on the Televic D-Cerno platform for similar classrooms across their various campuses. With additional systems already installed and a roadmap in place for three large-scale renewals and new builds over the next 24 months, the university has successfully transitioned to a scalable, future-proof conferencing standard.
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"We have had excellent service from DataVisual, including a consistent/responsive local rep and access to specialists within their national structure. Industry-specific local AV trade shows like DVOD provide great value to our entire team; it enables us to have exposure to new technologies. Although the installation and infrastructure are complex, the interface with our control system was smooth."— Dion Sullivan, Senior AV Designer, University of Saskatchewan
About Televic:
Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Belgium, Televic is a global leader in high-end communication systems with over 900 employees worldwide. The company specializes in designing and manufacturing advanced audio-visual and networking solutions for four primary markets: Conference, Education, Healthcare, and Rail transport.
About DataVisual Marketing:
DataVisual is a leading distributor of professional audio-visual solutions for Canada. They provide their partners with access to top-tier brands, dedicated support, and a commitment to education and industry excellence.