Vauban’s blueprint for a successful launch of their 1:1 Take-Home iPad program.
Background
Vauban is a private educational institution approved by the French Ministry of National Education. Located in Luxembourg, it was founded in 2017 from the merger of the French School of Luxembourg and the Lycée Vauban. It is part of Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), a unique network made up of 522* schools, located in 139* countries. With nearly 2,600 students in attendance, Vauban welcomes students from 3 years old to high school (Le Lycée). Their open and rigorous pedagogy ensures the mastery of fundamental knowledge, diversified training, rational use of technology, commitment to culture and attention to personal expression.
To support their approach to digital teaching and learning, students in secondary carry digital books on iPads, which significantly reduces the weight of student satchels. The iPad also allows teachers to make the necessary educational adjustments for children who, for example, benefit from a personalized support plan (PAP). To date, 1,600 iPads have been deployed for students and 300 iPads for teachers.
Planning Ahead
As part of this 1:1 mobile device program, each student becomes the owner and manager of their iPad. They are responsible for keeping their devices charged throughout the day. At the launch of this program, the Tech Team at Vauban had the foresight to implement the iPads and a secure public charging solution at the same time. Planning ahead has reduced some of the challenges–such as uncharged or stolen devices–that other schools have faced during their 1:1 take-home device program.
Solution
Mr. Sebastien Desjeunes, IT Service Manager at Vauban, met LocknCharge at the London BETT Show and discovered the FUYL Tower Smart Charging Locker. He saw value in the Tower’s public charging capabilities and the ability to provide a troubleshooting solution for students and teachers to charge their iPads securely during the day. The Towers work with the RFID card system that was already in place, making adoption of the solution seamless. Students and teachers are regularly and successfully using the Smart Lockers, and the program is running smoothly.
Public Charging Workflow
Securing, Charging and Retrieving a Device:
Vauban installed four FUYL Tower 15s in strategic places of passage like the school cafeteria and the hallways. One Tower is designated specifically for teacher use. Here’s how it works:
Future Planning
Part of the reason why Vauban originally chose the FUYL Tower solution is because of its future-proof design and its ability to adjust to multiple workflows: check-in/check-out, break/fix and loaners.
The next stage of the project is to equip four more grade levels with 1:1 iPads – which will bring their total iPad count to 2,600 and will include students ranging from elementary (L’Ecole Primaire) up to high school (Le Lycée). Vauban recognizes the strain an additional 1,000 devices will put on their Technology Team, so they plan to launch 4-8 additional FUYL Towers. The Team will use those Towers to automate their device exchange and equipment lending process by utilizing the LocknCharge Cloud. The web-based Cloud platform will track and manage access to any assets inside the Tower, saving the school considerable time and resources.
*2019 figures