In today’s classrooms, success is about more than just grades. It starts with how engaged students are during lessons. Research shows that future workplace success depends on classrooms that encourage active, mobile, and collaborative learning. Students thrive when they see the real-world relevance of what they’re studying—and to make that happen, schools need a display that’s more flexible and feature-packed than a traditional projector or an outdated smart board. Yet, according to a national survey BenQ commissioned, only 30% of teachers reported using smart boards in their classrooms. That points to a big opportunity for schools to elevate student engagement.

West Ottawa Public Schools in Michigan recognized this potential and turned to BenQ Boards to help transform their classrooms. After piloting the boards with 76 teachers, they noticed a shift from the traditional “sage on the stage” approach to a more interactive “guide on the side” model. Teachers were no longer simply delivering content—they were working alongside students, helping them take charge of their own learning. The boards also opened doors for project-based learning that involved the community and fostered real-world skills. For example, students developed campaigns to raise awareness for local causes and created gamified math programs for younger students, using the BenQ Boards as a platform for creativity and collaboration.

BenQ Boards are designed for safe, interactive use. With germ-resistant multi-touch screens, pens, and remotes, plus Eyesafe certification (RPF50), they provide the highest level of interactivity while protecting students’ eyes. West Ottawa teachers also embraced BenQ's EZWrite 6 whiteboarding software. This license-free tool offers an expanded canvas, split-screen functionality, built-in templates, and tools like math widgets and timers, making it easy to turn any lesson into an interactive experience. Teachers can import Office files, IWB files, and more, allowing them to edit documents directly on the smart board. Any notes taken during the lesson can be saved, shared, and even exported as PDFs, so students always have access to what they learned in class. Plus, with cloud whiteboarding, remote students can participate in real-time, just as if they were in the classroom—a feature that became especially important for a student at West Ottawa who couldn’t attend class while receiving medical care.

The flexibility of BenQ Boards is another key to boosting engagement. Mounted on a cart, the board can be easily moved wherever it’s needed, helping create a more mobile, dynamic classroom. InstaShare, BenQ’s wireless screen-sharing feature, allows teachers to share content from anywhere in the room, while students can share their screens as well. Multiple screens can be shared at once, fostering collaboration between students. And with the built-in AI Guardian feature, inappropriate content is automatically filtered out, keeping the classroom focused and safe.

BenQ Boards also come with AI-powered tools like text-to-speech, multilingual translation, and optical character recognition (OCR), which converts text from images and documents into editable formats. These tools help make learning more accessible for all students, supporting a more inclusive classroom environment.

At West Ottawa Public Schools, BenQ Boards are helping create classrooms that are more flexible, engaging, and inclusive. Teachers and students alike are discovering new ways to collaborate and interact with each other, all while staying focused on what really matters—learning. See how West Ottawa used BenQ Boards to boost engagement.