According to Mike Mathews, Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a “flipped university.”
That’s because ORU has invested in geo-vision technology – technology that enables students to attend the university without leaving home.
“Everything we do is being classified as geo-vision,” says Mathews, the CIO at ORU. “What that means to [students] is telepresence robots are visiting the campus so they can be anywhere in the world and attend a class. They can use the different robots we have on table tops and they can do a 360 degree view of the classroom. We’re trying to give them the experience of [putting] them in the Tulsa campus no matter where they are located.”
One reason why ORU’s geo-vision technology strategy works is attributed to the hearty substance it provides to students.
Mathews says the university pairs its technology with good educational systems like Desire2Learn. Plus, faculty don’t have to make many changes to their teaching methods to connect with distance learning students.
“We know technology is unimportant if we don’t have substance,” Mathews says. “We’re matching the substance of our faculty and content with technology, and our promise to faculty is they don’t have to change a thing. They can use the Desire2Learn system as they are, or stand up and teach as they are, or the robot will be in the classroom like a student sitting in the seat. Faculty are happy when they don’t have to change, even when going global.”
The other power player in ORU’s geo-vision technology is its infrastructure and network.
The university invested in two companies to get its infrastructures and network up to par. Carousel Industries will deliver wireless connectivity across ORU’s campus through wireless equipment provided by Extreme Networks. Together, the two will continue installing the network and infrastructure through mid-2016.
Bob Nilsson, Director of Solutions Marketing for Extreme Networks, says the university has 300 access points by Extreme Networks. The access points provide coverage across major buildings and walkways on campus.
ORU is also installing Extreme Networks’ NetSight network management software, and NAC network access control for BYOD management.
“We staged all intermediate distribution frame (IDF) and main distribution frame (MDF) equipment before the install,” says Nilsson.
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