Polycom, Glowpoint power Georgetown University’s 'Global Classroom'

HILLSIDE, USA: Students on two separate continents, almost 7,000 miles apart, now study together live via high-definition (HD), immersive Polycom telepresence suites, managed by Glowpoint, a carrier-grade provider of managed services for telepresence and video conferencing.

Georgetown University’s classrooms feature high-definition video, voice and content-sharing capabilities, which allow students to interact with teachers and collaborate with each other, thereby bridging the geographical divide.

As part of the Glowpoint and Polycom service, students at Georgetown’s Washington, D.C., and Doha, Qatar, campuses now communicate and interact using the Polycom RealPresence Experience (RPX) HD, a state-of-the-art immersive telepresence solution. Glowpoint is providing technology, network, and managed services through its hosted-cloud infrastructure, to deliver a seamless experience across the campuses.

“Having recently taught a class using the ‘Global Classroom,’ I know the value this technology can bring in connecting students with diverse backgrounds and perspectives,” said Mehran Kamrava, interim dean of Georgetown’s Qatar campus.

“Faculty members are excited about the technology, and they’re developing new ways to use this technology to improve the educational experience for students on both campuses." Kamrava taught Revolutions in Comparative Perspectives, just one of the classes that utilize Georgetown’s Global Classroom.

Located in the capital city of Doha, the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar is the only branch campus of the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. The program provides a four-year undergraduate degree in international politics to students from the Middle East and around the world. The Global Classroom initiative is designed to help provide a consistent learning experience between the campuses.

“Classrooms and cultures around the world are becoming more interactive thanks to immersive telepresence technologies,” said Joe Laezza, Glowpoint’s president and Co-CEO. “Glowpoint is dedicated to supporting capabilities that transcend the limitations of traditional classrooms. Our managed telepresence services ensure that remote students can learn from invaluable teachers in one educational setting.”

Polycom telepresence solutions eliminate the barriers of working across distance through immersive, life-like visual communications, enabling people to collaborate face to face with coworkers, customers and partners in different locations as effectively and productively as if they were in the same rooms.

Joe Sigrist, Polycom’s senior vice president and general manager of video communications said: “As Polycom’s telepresence solutions are based on open standards, they work seamlessly, allowing organizations such as Georgetown to interconnect their entire educational institution. Our partnership with Glowpoint ensures that our clients, such as Georgetown University, achieve the highest level of quality and service for telepresence.”

Georgetown’s telepresence systems are currently being used in two classes per semester. The Georgetown students have quickly adapted to the technology and new learning experience, and the University is evaluating ways to expand the use of the system for additional courses, student meetings and faculty training.