Ilim College, a co-educational Islamic school in Melbourne, Australia, traces its roots back to a late 20th century Turkish community. First recognised in 1995 as the ‘Islamic College of Northwestern Region’ and home to just 45 students, the modern day Ilim College now welcomes an academic community of more than 3,000 students and 470 staff across four campuses.
Its newest campus, Doveton Campus, was inaugurated in 2017 and has quickly grown to host students from Prep to Grade 11, introducing Grade 12 in 2024. The expansion of Doveton Campus represented an opportunity for Ilim College to step up its IT strategy. Having already committed to an ambitious 1:1 student-to-device pairing model, the college intended to achieve the same high standards for its front-of-class displays across the new classrooms.
Finding the right interactive solution
For Ilim College, finding a front-of-class solution that represented a significant upgrade on existing short-throw projectors while remaining intuitive and teacher-friendly was key. An initial investment for 16 classrooms would effectively serve as a pilot for future expansion, so longevity and compatibility were important criteria.
Working with its designated AV partner, Soho Electrical & Communications, Ilim College identified the Promethean ActivPanel as its ideal solution. Specifically, the college opted for 16 of Promethean’s flagship ActivPanel 9 Premium displays to maximise functionality and give teachers a premium interactive display that delivers value for years to come.
Promethean’s standard Classroom Essential apps were the perfect option for teachers, while Radix panel management offered the potential to support Ilim College’s robust IT team. In collaboration with Promethean, the institution streamlined the rollout of ActivPanel displays through a standardised Radix setup, which gives a campus-wide view of its ActivPanel stock and offers 24/7 centralised and remote administrative support.
“The support we received from Promethean and from our AV partner has been unparalleled at every stage,” said Suleyman Sahingoz, business manager of Doveton Campus. “In helping us navigate the modern technology landscape, and by being entirely willing to give us demonstration opportunities, trials and training, our partners have ensured we have been informed and empowered to make the best decision for our campus, and I’m certain we have chosen well.”
Making an impact with the ActivPanel
Since installation, the ActivPanel 9 Premium has been transforming learning at Ilim College’s Doveton Campus. Zakkiya Azvi, a teacher leading a Grade 3 class of 24 students at Doveton Campus, uses the ActivPanel to teach subjects from across the curriculum. “When the ActivPanel was first installed I was a little nervous because of the move from a traditional whiteboard to a digital solution, but that seems so long ago now,” she said. “It was really easy to get started, and I can’t imagine myself without it now.”
Azvi combines the Classroom Essential apps with popular Promethean tools like the Timer and Spinner to create varied and engaging lessons for her class. In literacy lessons, she uses the Promethean Whiteboard app to give students hands-on writing practice, and runs collaborative activities where the students work together to analyse a section of text on the ActivPanel. In numeracy lessons, Azvi is quick to use the display’s digital mathematic tools, calling up rulers and protractors to show students how to measure angles and distances within shapes.
The ActivPanel also supports gamified learning at Ilim College. Azvi uses the interactive display to facilitate friendly competitions within the class, asking different groups of pupils to simultaneously create as many words as possible from a selection of letters while the timer ticks down. “It’s a great way to get the students thinking and working together while keeping that fun and engaging element,” Azvi said.
The intuitive nature of the ActivPanel 9 Premium has been a huge help in the classroom. Not only has it been easy for teachers to pick up, but students have become confident using it as well. “The students love coming up to use the ActivPanel, and they’ve quickly learned how to use different tools and navigate the apps,” she said. “To be honest, they’re often reminding me how to use different features, and telling me where to plug in different cables and extra devices.”
As the Doveton Campus develops, there will undoubtedly be scope for Ilim College to achieve even more with the ActivPanel. The commitment to innovation and excellence across the school ensures Ilim College will move forward with confidence to give its students the best possible educational experiences and opportunities.
“What we have built at the Doveton Campus is a cutting-edge educational environment, and the ActivPanel is part of that,” Sahingoz said. “It is a narrative of growth, adaptability, and loyalty to our values, and there will be lots more to come in our journey.”