Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Universite de Saint-Boniface

  • 03/01/18

Project Snapshot

PROJECT: Classroom Retrofits
INSTITUTION: Université de Saint-Boniface
LOCATION: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
COMPANY NAME: Connectrac
WEBSITE: www.connectrac.com

Universite de Saint-Boniface

The Université de Saint-Boniface is recognized for its integrated approach that prepares students for higher learning and the workforce. Access to and use of technology is vital to the university’s mission. The flexibility of Connectrac’s wireway installation has contributed to successfully providing the access students need.

THE CHALLENGE

Each school year, the Université de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, retrofits a few classrooms to create a more active learning environment. This summer, the university renovated their IT classrooms to provide power and data capabilities to student desks as well as the instructor lectern. For IT classes, technology access was a must.

“We needed LAN and power connectivity for student computers, USB outlets for their laptops, as well as an effective wire management solution for the instructor’s desk,” says Robert Simard, director of Facilities and Security at the university. “Quite a bit of wiring goes into the professor’s area. We were looking for a clean solution.”

THE SOLUTION

Universite de Saint-BonifaceAfter seeing the Connectrac In-Carpet option in an issue of CFM&D magazine, Simard and the project team ordered and installed the product into their classrooms. The wireways went under the student desks to provide power, LAN, and USB capabilities for each table which was then distributed to the students station via a under table wire management system. Subsequently, the instructor lecterns in each classroom received power and data access, ensuring the connections they needed.

IMPACT ON LEARNING

For the university, the greatest benefit of using Connectrac is the wireway’s flexibility to be moved or reconfigured if and when future changes come along to the classroom. Given today’s rapidly changing learning environment, “We wanted to be able to move things around if we need to,” Simard says. “With Connectrac, we know we can make different configurations if we need to. The ability to transform the classroom quickly and efficiently is something we’re really seeking.”

The classrooms have been put into service, the school year has started off smoothly so far at the Université de Saint-Boniface, and future Connectrac installations are in store for future renovations.

Editor’s Review

Research into the benefits of technology in academic settings has shown technology—when implemented properly—can produce significant gains in student achievement and boost engagement. Technology supports student collaboration and allows instructors to design how material is presented in the classroom. This project benefits students, instructors, and the university itself by allowing for streamlined, configurable access to power and data.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management March 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.