A few months back I shared some ideas on how telepresence could help raise student satisfaction with higher education programs. It’s exciting, now, to share a success story of telepresence’s invaluable contribution to one business school program that earned rave reviews from participants.
Using Cisco TelePresence, the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business conducted its first custom executive education program. The Moore School connected leaders at textile manufacturer Fiberweb in Frankfurt, Germany, with professors in Columbia, South Carolina, allowing them to work together on marketing and strategy projects … and no one had to step foot on a plane.
With telepresence, the Moore School linked its Global Learning TelePresence room to a Marriott Hotel in Frankfurt, establishing a high-definition, real-time connection that made it feel as though all of the parties sat in the same room. Jeffrey Parsons, senior director of human resources for Fiberweb, said the telepresence technology “’kept participants refreshed, energized, and engaged,’” according to a story on the University of South Carolina website.
Starting in September, the Moore School expanded its use of telepresence. The school outfitted five additional Global Learning TelePresence classrooms, and brought the technology to its sites throughout South Carolina and nearby Charlotte, North Carolina. Read more about Cisco’s innovative partnership with the Moore School here.
Attending Educause 2011 in Philadelphia this week? If so, check out sessions Wed – Fri (10/19/2011 – 10/21/2011) from Duke University, Wake Forest, Lone Star College and West Texas A&M to learn more about what colleges and universities are doing with telepresence and other collaboration technologies!
