If a guest speaker can’t make it to an Elon classroom from across the country, campus technology staff members have another solution: bring the class to the speaker. How? Ship them a video conference unit that plugs right into an Internet connection.
In an effort to expand offerings for students, the office of Instructional and Campus Technologies invested last year in the equipment, which can be delivered within days to far-flung lecturers or alumni chapters. The university ships the unit to the guest, who would connect it to their network for transmitting the video feed.
“I envision these types of devices eventually going to other countries,” said Scott Hildebrand, director of Instructional Technology Services. “There are numerous ways for faculty and staff to use these.”
Hildebrand cited the Office of Alumni Relations as one example. Alumni Relations requested the equipment for two web conferences that permitted students on campus to talk with alumni panels in Boston and New York as part of the office’s “Destination …” initiative.
“It allowed us to really connect the students with alumni in ways we wouldn’t have been able to do,” said Lindsay Hege, assistant director of Alumni Relations for young alumni. The “Destination …” project gives current students advice about cities they may have interest in moving to after graduation.
Hege said the technology allows the office to expand the program to other cities next year for students to talk with alumni in Los Angeles and Chicago.
The video conference unit provides a higher quality of video and sound than what Internet users can find online with small cameras attached to a monitor that rely on services like Skype. And the technology reduces what could otherwise be costly travel expenses for speakers who would be reimbursed if they traveled to Elon in person.
Elon currently maintains two mobile video conference units for shipment to distant locales. Another 18 cameras were purchased and permanently located around campus and with members of the board of trustees.
Elon’s push into video conferencing is taking place as a result of earlier technology investments.
“We have spent a great deal of time and resources investing in our campus infrastructure,” Hildebrand said. “As a result, we have a robust architecture to support this imitative.”
For more information on the cameras or to reserve them for use, contact the Technology Help Desk at 278-5200.