Kramer AV upgrade boosts flexible learning at John Abbott College
Kramer has delivered new audio-visual systems to enhance teaching and learning at John Abbott College in Quebec, supporting the institution's response to the increased number of students and demands on campus space.
Addressing growth challenges
John Abbott College, a public English-language college covering 1,600 acres in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, has experienced a rapidly growing student population. With limited physical space and the need to avoid major construction projects, the college adopted a modular expansion approach. This resulted in the creation of Maple Hall, a complex comprising 32 prefabricated units that house 13 classrooms.
The design and implementation of the project were managed by Canadian integration partner AVI-SPL, in collaboration with Kramer, which supplied a range of AV over IP solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of educators and students. The classroom upgrade was completed in four months.
Networked classrooms
Following a detailed selection process, Kramer AV over IP technology was chosen to replace traditional point-to-point cabling. This networked arrangement enables any source to be routed to any display, whether within a classroom or across the entire campus, thereby increasing flexibility for diverse teaching and learning scenarios.
"Technology should enhance the lesson, not interrupt it," said Ryan Forster, Coordinator of End User Experience at John Abbott College. "That's what Kramer helped us achieve. Instructors walk in and everything just works. They can focus on teaching, not on technology."
Each Maple Hall classroom is equipped with an 8-inch Kramer KT-208 touch panel, featuring a preview monitor for simplified control. Additionally, it includes an 86-inch SMART interactive display, two 86-inch LG displays, Kramer PA-120Z audio amplifiers, GALIL 6-C ceiling speakers, and Kramer KDS-DEC7 video decoders for low-latency performance. Wireless 4K streaming is available through Kramer VIA GO devices.
All AV equipment is consolidated in podium racks, and AV traffic is routed over a network backbone utilising Cisco Meraki and Ubiquiti switches. Energy efficiency is further improved with the use of motion sensors and integrated lighting and shade controls.
Flexible teaching styles
The installed system supports new teaching methods by allowing instructors to split displays for group work, broadcast presentations to multiple rooms, annotate content from any device, and adjust classroom layouts as needed.
"We're no longer locked into single-purpose rooms," added Forster. "With this infrastructure, we can scale, adapt, and grow on demand. Instructors don't need to think about inputs or buttons."
With the new system, teachers can highlight student presentations, share content between rooms, and annotate on interactive displays or laptops, with instant updates displayed on every screen. These improvements are designed to support real-time, dynamic teaching approaches across different subjects and group arrangements.
"It's about flexibility," Forster said. "We now have the infrastructure to support teaching that adapts in real time - whether it's small group breakout sessions or sharing a single presentation with multiple classrooms."
Future plans
Following the initial deployment at Maple Hall, John Abbott College intends to expand the Kramer AV over IP infrastructure to other campus locations, aiming to offer consistent teaching and learning environments institution-wide.
"This is more than an AV upgrade," Forster added. "It's a long-term investment in how we teach and learn. We're no longer locked into single-purpose rooms. If a classroom needs to serve a different course tomorrow or scale up for a guest speaker, we can do that without new infrastructure."
Jesse Gadon, Kramer VP of Sales, North America, said:
"We are delighted to have supported John Abbott College with this project. At its heart, Kramer technology is about improving and enhancing people's lives, and it's fantastic to see students enjoying the benefit of smart simplicity and seamless integration. The benefits for both students and educators is evident. They now have the flexibility to operate with seamless, clear collaboration at a single touch, be it inside the classroom or beyond, with the additional peace of mind of improved energy efficiency. We look forward to seeing students thrive as we continue to work closely with Ryan and his team."