4 Reasons Why Higher Ed Institutions Should Be Investing in Technology

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.
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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)
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