Buckinghamshire New University streamlines course offerings with online meetings

In 2008, the university underwent significant changes, transforming its physical base from three campuses to one major campus and a new separate campus. This new campus would only provide lectures for a maximum of around 80 students at a time, so the university needed to rethink its method of lecture delivery. The university also wanted to ensure that everyone at the new campus would be able to communicate easily with colleagues on the main campus, thus reducing the need for travel.

'The logistics of holding traditional face-to-face lectures can be extremely challenging,' said Steve Hoole, system developer at Buckinghamshire New University. 'We wanted to see if it would be possible to replace physical lectures with an online alternative. That's when we started looking at Cisco WebEx.'

Buckinghamshire New University considered several online meeting tools, including Adobe Acrobat Connect. But only Cisco WebEx Enterprise Edition offered a comprehensive, reliable, secure suite of real-time web collaboration services that the university could use for web-based staff meetings and large-scale online seminars. 'With WebEx, we could scale our online classrooms to accommodate 10 students or 200,' commented Hoole. 'We simply didn't have that kind of flexibility before.'

A major factor in the decision was the university's preexisting relationship with Cisco. Cisco technology helps Buckinghamshire New University students and staff communicate with voice, data, and video across a secure, unified network. 'Our communications infrastructure is from Cisco, so it made sense to integrate our web conferencing system with our existing tools,' said Hoole. 'As a result, we're able to rely on a single technology provider for a whole range of communication and collaboration activities.'

WebEx technology helps Buckinghamshire New University maximize its resources. Students still get face-to-face time with teachers during seminars, but are able to attend online lectures at their convenience. Meanwhile, academics can dedicate more time to guiding students in small-group environments. 'We've found that using interactive, online delivery really improves the learning experience for students,' said Hoole. 'The online environment presents fewer distractions and lends itself to a more streamlined presentation of content. Both students and faculty have greater flexibility without compromising the quality of the university's educational offerings. We've had very positive feedback from both sides.'

Recorded lectures serve as an excellent revision aid, as students can repeat relevant sections again and again to maximize learning. From the lecturer's perspective, the new system encourages teachers to offer lectures in manageable chunks, knowing that students may struggle to concentrate on a computer screen for long periods of time. Teachers can also annotate students' essays online and provide detailed commentary more efficiently than before.

By using WebEx applications to hold internal meetings between campuses, Buckinghamshire New University can reduce its carbon footprint. 'We have a green travel plan in place to encourage staff and students to consider the environmental implications of their travel,' said Hoole. 'WebEx fits nicely into our green initiative, as it gives everyone the ability to work from home without missing out on vital meetings.'

The university's staff continues to find new and innovative ways to deploy WebEx technology. For instance, the admissions committee even allows prospective students to be interviewed online rather than in person. 'Students often have to travel a long way for their university interviews, and sometimes that isn't very practical,' commented Hoole. 'For example, we have the opportunity to interview students via WebEx, saving them significant time and money.'

The university is committed to a positive student experience, and the adoption of innovative technology like WebEx will enhance teaching and learning. 'We are always striving to find ways to improve the learning experience,' said Derek Godfrey, deputy vice chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University. 'We're always looking for innovative ways to give our students the best education possible.'

Considering Buckinghamshire New University's success with WebEx applications, it's no surprise that the university plans to expand its use of online meeting technology. 'We consider this to be a long-term investment,' said Hoole. 'Now that so many employees and students have seen the benefits of this technology, they're going to help us discover more and more ways to make the most of it.'