Education

Strengthens information services for students and staff

About Windesheim University
At Windesheim in Zwolle and Almere over 25,000 students study and over 2,800 employees work. Windesheim is a broad university of applied sciences, operating in two regions, with more than 200 programs, shorter and longer courses of a high level. This high quality also applies to research. In the region, Windesheim is a valued partner of companies and institutions.

From advice to installation
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences has been working with PTH Group as the in-house supplier for all audiovisual resources through their tenders for many years. From that role, PTH Group advised on the best interpretation of narrowcasting and, together with Spark Narrowcasting, presented the platform as a perfectly suited solution. PTH Group provided an offer that met the college's requirements, wishes and their own sustainability goals after which the delivery and installation in Zwolle and Almere quickly followed. PTH Group led the rollout of the narrowcasting project at Windesheim, including project management, planning and coordination with the internal team. Together with Spark, they took care of the full on-site implementation.

Spark took care of setting up the digital signage environment, including setting up the software, accounts and necessary links, so that everything was ready for use immediately after delivery. This way the rollout was tightly organized and without unnecessary impact on daily operations.

For this project, we deliberately chose a smart mix of new and existing hardware. PTH Group installed new Sony screens in several places. Existing LG and Samsung displays were reused by equipping them with the Spark Narrowcasting software or by controlling them via HP players. PTH Group advised on the appropriate hardware per location and realized a fully working delivery.

This approach provides Windesheim with a sustainable and budget-friendly solution, modern screens where necessary, reuse where possible and a solution that can be managed centrally. So the right message is always visible on campus, at the right time and in the right place.

In addition to the standard narrowcasting screens, Windesheim University also uses several LED Walls at central locations within the campus. These screens stand out well and are ideal for showing important information to students, employees and visitors. On the LED Walls, standard screen layouts are used to display, for example, the agenda, current activities and eye-catching highlights. This keeps everyone on campus informed of what's going on in a quick and convenient way.

Content and templates
The screens at Windesheim display a mix of informative, practical and inspiring content every day. Think of schedule changes, exam information, agenda items and promotion of events, so that students and employees are always aware of what is going on on campus. There is also room for motivational quotes, success stories, fun facts and tips on study, welfare and career. Current information such as weather, traffic and emergency notifications are also displayed.

To present this content visually strong and recognizable, various templates have been developed in Windesheim's house style. These templates match the colors of the new campaign and can be used flexibly. Think of variants with only the logo, templates for large images or especially for moving images (videos or gifs). There are also specific templates for calamities, calendars and content on portrait (portrait) screens. The templates provide a professional look and leave room for short, clear messages that can be read in 10 seconds.

Thanks to the use of QR codes and a link to the intranet, the screens easily direct viewers to additional information. By scanning the QR code or visiting the intranet on their own device, students and staff can quickly read more about the topic shown on the screen. Thus, Spark Narrowcasting offers a powerful and versatile solution for communication within Windesheim.

Software & connections

• The Spark Narrowcasting environment of Windesheim has been extended with various links:
  SharePoint link: This makes dynamic content automatically available on the screens from the existing SharePoint environment.
• SURFconext: For Windesheim we have realized the link with SURFconext. Read more about SurfConext.

Privacy and security
In the preliminary phase, extensive attention was paid to privacy and security aspects. The solution described in this project description complies with the established guidelines from Windesheim.

Fast and smooth rollout
The rollout in Zwolle was successfully completed in one day, with minimal impact on daily operations. The Almere location followed a week later, also with a flawless implementation. Thanks to the good cooperation between PTH Group, Windesheim's internal IT team and our specialists, the project was completed smoothly and on schedule.

Result
Windesheim now has a future-proof and manageable narrowcasting solution that meets their internal communication needs. Whether it's information screens in corridors, canteens or educational environments, with Spark the right message is always visible at the right time.

Findings Windesheim
Charles Rossingh - Audiovisual coordinator Hogeschool Windesheim
"The combination of reused and new hardware, central manageability and smart links with our existing systems ensures that our students and staff always see relevant information at the right time, without any additional burden on our organization. The cooperation with PTH Group and Spark was characterized by tight planning, clear coordination and a rollout with minimal impact on daily operations."

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