APRIL 2013 4 Reasons Why Higher Ed Institutions Should Be Investing in Technology Published by Marci Powell According to IT Brief Publication, Feb. 23, 2014, there are more than 2.5 billion people and 10 billion things worldwide who are connected to the Internet. Within this “Internet of Things,” there is an already massive range of connected devices that continues to grow every minute. Today’s most innovative schools offer learning environments that don’t seem much like “school” as we know it. With infrastructure that can handle a variety of intelligent devices (either school-provided or “BYOD”) and Video on Demand (VOD) for lectures, faculty and students can literally teach and learn from anywhere. The result? Greater impact, wider reach, and higher student retention. Included are just 4 of many reasons all higher education institutions should consider investing more in these types of technology: 1. Transforming Classrooms Today’s modern classrooms are engaging students in a way that is simply teaching them better. Innovative lectures are allowing for stronger teacher-student interaction. Professors can enhance their knowledge by tapping global experts for insight and collaboration. Students can watch and rewatch lessons until comprehension is high. And the classroom experience can become more fully FOUR REASONS WHY HIGHER ED INSTITUTIONS SHOULD BE INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY integrated, tying into course management systems, annotation boards and multimedia content. Professors are blending technologies to keep things interesting, reducing student attrition significantly through better content and higher involvement. 2. Extending Reach In the past, a lecture could only serve as many people as there were seats in the room. With recorded real-time and on-demand lectures, capacity has expanded exponentially, reaching not only a larger number of students but learners from around the world. This technology is offering universities the chance to expand their degree and non-degree programs into and beyond their communities while taking into account faculty shortages. Even administrative staff are benefitting, taking advantage of simpler knowledge transfer, collaboration, and coordination regardless of time or geographical constraints. 3. Reducing Costs Whereas global collaboration technology was once reserved for the wealthiest of universities, it is now seen as a cost saver for a broad variety of institutions. From reducing travel to increasing interaction with alumni and businesses, schools are able to reach out to more people, more often. Plus, increased “virtual” capacity is offering opportunities for higher student enrollment numbers. Finally, video collaboration is enabling unified communications without adding cost or complexity, connecting campuses and building efficiencies on a grander scale. 4. Administrative Excellence While students and teachers are often the first to understand the incredible benefits of video collaboration systems, administrative teams are never far behind. Administrators are attending meetings across campuses and locations without traveling from their offices and in some cases, their homes. They are benefiting from mobility without losing access to mandated services. They are achieving global outreach virtually, connecting more often with the students that were once hardest to access. There is no question that technology is changing higher education. From virtual learning to distance learning, from trade skills to advanced degrees, and from community colleges to the Ivy League, video collaboration offers benefits that ultimately lead to a better education and better experience for all those involved. The higher education classroom we experienced years ago will one day become as antiquated as the one-room schoolhouse, while people around the world will be able to experience the classes and professors they want, whenever it works for them. 2 FOUR REASONS WHY HIGHER ED INSTITUTIONS SHOULD BE INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY About the Author Marci M. Powell Global Director for Education Marci Powell is Global Director for Education at Polycom and Chair Emerita and Past President of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). Powell is an industry expert in the field of educational technology and telecommunications with extensive experience in applications related to lifelong learning and innovation. Powell began her career as a classroom teacher and has served as an administrator at various educational institutions. With over 20 years of educational leadership, Marci shares global best practices and trends as a fellow educator and futurist through her keynote addresses and serves as an advisor to public and private sectors worldwide. Marci was inducted into the USDLA Hall of Fame in 2012 and in 2011, the Texas Distance Learning Association (TxDLA) Hall of Fame. 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-toface 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. Contact Us: 1.800.POLYCOM (1.800.765.9266) 6001 America Center Drive P.O. Box 641390, San Jose, CA 95164 USA © Copyright 2012 Polycom, Inc. | All Rights Reserved 3