Success Story
Customer: Donvale Christian College
Country: Australia
Industry: Education
Located in the leafy outer suburbs of Melbourne on a large campus, Donvale Christian College is an independent Christian school with a prestigious reputation. Established in 1975, its student population of over 1,000 (P-12) co-educational students has an enviable academic record and it is considered one of Melbourne’s more progressive schools.
CHALLENGE: KEEP AHEAD OF USERS’ TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
The executive team at Donvale Christian College has long believed that technology is best used when it enhances learning and the quality of human interaction. As a school, this means selecting the most appropriate devices for educational outcomes and having world-class IT support and infrastructure.
Walk the halls of Donvale Christian College and you’ll meet students and teachers who embrace technology and love to learn. Technology use is vital in education delivery and it endeavours to assist students to become better thinkers, better writers and better readers – so much so it forms part of the school vision.
Each primary school class has sets of surface devices and iPads, and there are large display screens in every classroom. At the secondary level, every student has a laptop with a range of software packages used to support curriculum subjects such as Multimedia and IT. David Conn, Manager of Risk & Business Systems says that from a document perspective, students were driving the need for change. “Our students are living in an increasingly digital world and paper documents become a frustration at school when the students are using apps, emails and software to develop ideas and communicate.” says David. “Scanning enables the students to convert and store documents electronically, which is becoming vital in this environment".
With a fleet of laser printers spread around the campus and three different print vendors, the ICT department was finding it a challenge to manage their printing and document processes. “We had a rudimentary print management system in place but it was too basic for our needs. The small desktop printers had limited functionality and to be honest they were becoming inconvenient for users. We just felt that seeing as technology is so important to the school that it was time to implement a modern, future-proof printing and document management solution.”
THE SOLUTION: DIGITISING PAPER DOCUMENTS
Gavin May from Trident Computer Services is a long standing trusted adviser of the school and has considerable experience in the education and technology sectors. “We decided to introduce Toshiba to Donvale Christian College having seen the results other schools were getting from their Toshiba document management installations.” says Gavin.
Eighteen months ago, Maranatha Christian School implemented a Toshiba solution that included a fleet of cost effective multi-functional devices (MFDs), enabling them to scan more conveniently, track and control printing and move to an electronic system of document storage.
Maranatha Christian School in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs is a similar size to Donvale Christian College, with over 1,100 students (F-12) and more than 150 staff. Since implementing the Toshiba solution, the ICT team at Maranatha have seen a cultural shift within the school and are thrilled by the results.
The new solution incorporates Toshiba e-BRIDGE Capture & Store, a document capture middleware/software that is simply embedded in the MFD, and acts as a bridge between paper and electronic document flows, helping to streamline the processing of information and increase efficiency. Around 40 various desktop laser printers were replaced with 16 Toshiba MFDs, each with a user-friendly interface and scanning, colour printing and finishing. Documents can now be scanned, stored, located and released with ease.
Connecting seamlessly with the Toshiba software, the Synergetic document management software and PaperCut MF software helps their Heads of Departments to track, control and reduce printing costs and they reported an immediate drop in costs once the new system was installed.
"We realised that Toshiba had the right solution for us, and that they had an in-depth understanding of school environments,"
- David Conn, Manager of Risk and Business Systems
Trident Computer Services and Toshiba staff worked together to help the school develop staff and student ID cards using RFID technology. “At the moment these RFID cards are used for document management only, however there are plans to move to a cashless canteen and even access control now that the ID cards have been rolled out.” says David.
The implementation phase went smoothly and both Trident and Toshiba staff were highly professional and dedicated to the outcome of the project.” says David. “We expected some resistance from users due to the dramatic reduction in hardware, but the teaching staff and students agree that the increased functionality they’re getting from the software makes printing and document handling far more productive.” David also believes that having the same user interface at each device has increased the speed of uptake amongst users.
Gavin May from Trident Computer Services believes that the most exciting benefit of integrating a non-proprietary document system like Toshiba’s is not in the immediate term, but in the long term. “Everything is scalable, and in the future, the school will be able to add new hardware and software seamlessly to their system. Once the platform is established, as their needs change over time, a school can readily use the powerful range of features available.”
David Conn is now planning to use ELO Digital software and Synergetic to automate the capture, filing and storage of key emails that come in and out of the school. “This new system enables us to actively integrate ICT into many layers of school life, something we see not as a novelty but as a necessity.”
Approach:
- Look for innovation in document management at similar schools
- Ensure document management system supports the innovative technology vision of the school
- The ICT Department to work with Trident Computer Services and Toshiba for smooth implementation
Results:
- Scanning to digitise documents and improve access and storage of documents
- Smooth integration into existing IT network
- New user interface quickly adapted by users
- Reduced costs and increased control of printing
- Future-proof, flexible solution to allow for new hardware and software over time
Donvale Christian College
155 Tindals Road
Donvale VIC 3111
Australia
Telephone (03) 9844 2471
www.donvale.vic.edu.au
Trident Computer Services
Suite 1, 328 Reserve Rd
Cheltenham VIC 3192
Australia
Telephone (03) 8587 7500
www.trident.com.au
Toshiba (Australia) Pty Ltd
1 Eden Park Drive
Macquarie Park NSW 2113
Australia
Telephone 1300 794 202
www.toshiba-business.com.au
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