Secure HD video collaboration connects teachers and students in different countries for distance learning
The systems are being used by approximately 20 faculty and 30 non-faculty members as well as around 500 students, with some of these students using the system more than once for various courses
AUK saves around $50,000 a year in interview costs alone thanks to secure HD video collaboration
DUBAI, UAE: Video collaboration solutions from Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC), are enabling professors and students at The American University of Kuwait (AUK) to share knowledge and culture with overseas universities and increase collaboration between classrooms within the AUK campus.
In addition, these new innovations and technologies have saved AUK tens of thousands of dollars on travel and maintenance costs, as well as $50,000 a year in interview costs alone, supporting the development of educational systems and providing real value to this sector.
AUK set out to provide its faculty and students with audio and video conferencing tools necessary to facilitate learning with universities abroad and enable them to hold classes in more than one classroom simultaneously. AUK selected 10 Polycom HDX telepresence systems in addition to its existing video-conferencing system - a Polycom VSX 7000 system. The systems are being used by approximately 20 faculty and 30 non-faculty members as well as around 500 students, across various courses.
"We found that students today responded better visually compared to previous generations and we felt that it was our responsibility in conjunction with faculty recommendations to provide the best possible learning environment," said Rusty Bruns, Director of Information Technology at AUK. "We wanted to conduct training and hold classes in more than one classroom simultaneously. Since it was going to be used by students mainly, we also wanted a communication tool which would be easy to use. The ability to have speakers, guest lecturers and authors speak to classes from anywhere in the world was an added advantage."
Georgetown University and the School of Foreign Service in Qatar
In Washington, DC, Georgetown University has pioneered state-of-the art telepresence technology to extend its educational reach and create a 'global classroom' with its branch campus, the School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar). The Polycom RPX™HD Immersive Telepresence System is used in an undergraduate course titled 'Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East & United States'being taught from Washington, DC and accommodating up to 18 students in tiered seating in Qatar and 10 students in Washington DC.
James Reardon-Anderson, Dean of the School of Foreign Service in Qatar explains: "The 'Global Classroom' initiative is designed to help provide a consistent learning experience between geographically separated campuses. It is intended to give students from different countries and cultures an opportunity to talk and learn directly with one another, and weave together the two Georgetown campuses in a way that had not been possible in the past."
To watch a video case study, please click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUI9I7VAdB8
Around the world, schools are using Polycom video collaboration for distance learning, including all of the world's top five colleges and universities. Polycom's vision of collaborative education includes bridging teachers, instructors, students, and content providers around the world to help people learn. Video technology provides rich, interactive, visual solutions that impact all facets of education from student administration to course development to curriculum delivery to content management.
For more information about how Polycom transforms collaboration in vertical industries, visit the Industry Solutions page and the related Customer page.
About Polycom
Polycom is the global leader in open standards-based unified communications (UC) solutions for telepresence, video, and voice powered by the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform. The RealPresence Platform interoperates with the broadest range of business, mobile, and social applications and devices. More than 400,000 organizations trust Polycom solutions to collaborate and meet face-to-face from any location for more productive and effective engagement with colleagues, partners, customers, specialists, and prospects. Polycom, together with its broad partner ecosystem, provides customers with the best total cost of ownership, interoperability, scalability, and security for video collaboration, whether on-premises, hosted, or cloud-delivered. Visit www.polycom.com or connect with Polycom on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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© Press Release 2012
