British Columbia Institute of Technology Connects with Students During Olympic Games Closure with Elluminate vClass™

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BURNABY, BC: It will extend the boundaries of the traditional classroom; It will connect BCIT students with faculty from the comfort of their living room – and it is all happening during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. From February 13 to 24, BCIT students will be given the opportunity to virtually connect to fellow students and faculty while classes are cancelled during the Games.

February 3, 2010 -- The technology is called Elluminate vClass™, and it will help BCIT faculty, from nursing to engineering programs, continue to conduct classes, answer questions, and collaborate with students.

“My students are learning fairly advanced nursing concepts that we usually cover in the classroom. Elluminate vClass will allow us to ensure learning continuity during this critical period in the term”, says Judith Fraser, instructor for the Critical Care Nursing program at BCIT. “We plan to schedule both tutorial type drop-in sessions and more formal instructor led presentations. Our goal is to ensure learners can interact with each other, their instructors, and the learning material for these two weeks.”
Elluminate has donated 200 desktop conferencing seats to BCIT for use during the Olympic Games. BCIT students and faculty can access Elluminate vClass with a simple web connection and headset.

“Desktop conferencing over the web allows us to reach students in a way that minimizes down time for them and enhances their collaborative activities”, adds Fraser.

Elluminate vClass is a fully-functional, single-room web conferencing environment for learning. Designed specifically for educators, the moderator-led, rich-collaboration environment can duplicate any learning activity, from lectures and debates to small group discussions and presentations.

A unique Collaborative Communications Framework ensures that all students are in sync, regardless of computer platform or internet connection speed. The No User Left Behind™ technology means all students, even those with disabilities, get a richer, more interactive learning experience. Whether there are two students—or 200 —Elluminate enables world-class communication, collaboration, and education that engages more people in more ways, promotes active learning, and improves student performance.

“Elluminate is thrilled to have the opportunity to support BCIT during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games,” says Maurice Heiblum, president of Elluminate. “With Elluminate vClass, the institute can continue to connect faculty, students, and staff in a variety of ways, from one-on-one tutoring, student group projects to staff meetings, instructor collaboration, and more. We hope that our donation will provide a significant resource for learning and business continuity during the two weeks the Olympic Games are in town.”

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