Northwestern University Grows Online Learning With PGi Audio-Integration
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Northwestern University Grows
Online Learning With PGi Audio-Integration
1CUSTOMER SUCCESS
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
GROWS ONLINE LEARNING
WITH PGi AUDIO-INTEGRATION
Northwestern University (NU), founded in 1851 and online learning, which helps ease commutes
and headquartered in Evanston, Ill., comprises for students outside the greater Chicago area,
a student body of 21,000 attending from areas as well as the schedules of full-time working
surrounding Evanston and nearby Chicago, as graduate students. While students reap the
well as across the nation. To facilitate their rapidly benefits of better flexibility and productivity, NU
evolving online learning programs, the research maintains a competitive advantage by using
university uses a combination of independent technology to bring classrooms online.
learning and interactive audio and web
conferencing sessions, which help them reach “We reach students that otherwise wouldn’t
more potential students, increase engagement, have time or be able to reach campus, and we
improve student experiences and maintain high help them better communicate virtually, which
retention and graduation rates. is increasingly important to their professional
futures,” Alyssa Dyar said, who helps transition
Departments like the School of Professional and pilot new courses online for the School of
Studies offer degrees entirely online, which Education and Social Policy, as well as orient
makes the university accessible to a wider variety students and faculty with new technology. “We’re
of students. Others offer a mix of on-campus seeing more universities doing the same thing.”
2CUSTOMER SUCCESS
However, offering Voice over Internet Protocol their web conferencing technology. Advanced
(VoIP) only, the school’s web conferencing tool audio control features within a single interface, a
left discussion-heavy, virtual classroom sessions dedicated account team, 24/7 customer support
without a critical component: reliable audio. and accommodations for NU’s unique billing
requirements put PGi ahead for audio integration.
BUILDING A COMMUNITY
OF ONLINE LEARNERS SUPERIOR, HYBRID AUDIO
“We want our online Northwestern students
UPGRADES WEB CONFERENCES
sitting at their computers wearing purple,” Many web conferencing solutions offer just that—
dean of the School of Professional Studies web conferencing features—but not best-in-class
once said about the future of online learning audio. PGi has been a market leader in audio
at NU. Since the piloting phase of NU’s first conferencing for nearly two decades.
online degree program, the university prioritized
synchronous learning and two-way discussions GlobalMeet Audio offers superior, hybrid audio
over prerecorded lectures. Without connection call quality with options to connect via VoIP, dial
and community, online learners may be prone to in or dial out. The solution provides security built
disconnecting and dropping out of courses. for the enterprise, adds more robust functionality
like “Mute All” and does it all within the web
“The challenge with synchronous online learning, conferencing technology’s native interface and
though, is facilitating discussions that feel natural controls, so hosts and attendees don’t feel like
because that’s essential to the content we teach,” they’re navigating multiple solutions.
Dyar said. “Having webcams on and using
headsets instead of speakerphones helps, but we
“The PGi integrated audio solution
still get background noise and people talking over
is pretty flawless. Students just type
each other, which keeps students from building
in their phone number, it pops up
relationships between peers and instructors.”
and there’s not a lot for them to do.
If someone can’t get the code right,
Plus, students and faculty commonly experienced dialing out is really quick.”
dropped connections on the VoIP-only web —Alyssa Dyar
conferencing solution. Losing class time,
momentum and opportunities to connect, NU
needed an integrated audio solution to support
Even when traveling abroad, NU students always
synchronous online learning, better manage
have access to online courses because PGi offers
disruptions and guarantee seamless sessions.
expansive global coverage and mobility. While
VoIP requires students to have a microphone
After a large piloting phase within the central IT to connect, speak and participate, PGi audio
department, NU partnered with PGi in 2010 to integration allows participants to call from any
implement GlobalMeet® Audio integration with phone or mobile device for greater accessibility.
3CUSTOMER SUCCESS
“We’ve really taken advantage of the integrated audio if they weren’t connected to high-speed,
features. Being able to see who’s talking within wired Internet or didn’t have enough bandwidth
the web conferencing interface is really helpful to support VoIP. By optimizing connectivity with
for identifying where background noise is coming VoIP alternatives, NU improved online student
from,” Dyar said, who often joins online classes experiences. Minimizing errors and maximizing
as a facilitator to handle technical issues. “We opportunities for dialogue, the school provided
encourage students to stay muted until they’re a critical medium for relationship building,
ready to talk, but if they don’t, I can mute them increasing commitment and comprehension.
from the web conference without interrupting.”
“Students don’t have the Internet
GLOBALMEET AUDIO SUPPORTS speed we have at Northwestern to
ONLINE LEARNING GROWTH ensure they stay connected on VoIP,
and even on our university Internet,
Online learning ensures customers—students— occasionally web conferences
don’t outgrow universities’ businesses. According disconnect. But on a phone, our
to the Online Learning Consortium, college students never lose the conversation.
enrollment is expected to double by 2020. Online It’s a really nice safety net.”
learning is a viable solution to accommodate —Alyssa Dyar
the influx without flooding physical classrooms.
Larger percentages of tech-savvy generations are
also expected to be working, living off campus
More Value From Existing Investments:
and continuously learning after 25; thus, 70.8
Improving conversations without switching
percent of universities feel online learning is
solutions, NU realized more value from their
critical to their long-term business strategies.
web conferencing technology with minimal
additional investments of budget and resources.
DID YOU KNOW: “We thought about using other audio options,
About 12.5 percent of college students like VoIP, from both a cost-saving and simplicity
(21,147,055) enrolled exclusively in standpoint, but the audio integration really makes
distance education in 2012, and 13.3 a huge difference in the quality of the call and the
percent participated partially online. consistency through the session,” Dyar said.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
Increased Versatility for Wider Uses: With better
technology and reliable audio conferencing,
As a part of NU’s long-term online learning NU found additional uses for their investments:
strategy, GlobalMeet Audio: expanding online orientation and information
sessions with prospective students and
Enriched Online Student Experiences: Prior connecting with remote and traveling faculty.
to engaging with PGi for a hybrid audio solution, “We always have faculty working from home or
participants experienced occasional lapses in at a conference, so we use PGi audio to connect
4CUSTOMER SUCCESS
them to our two-hour, monthly staff meetings,”
Dyar said, who sets up meetings for instructors in Northwestern University’s Success
the School of Education and Public Policy.
Challenge
Better Adoption, Better Acceleration:
Northwestern University needed hybrid audio
GlobalMeet Audio takes little time for setup conferencing integration to get more value out of
and maintenance, which drives better adoption their VoIP-only web conferencing technology for
among faculty. Integrating PGi audio into a web synchronous online learning programs.
conference is a simple process, and PGi offers
24/7 support and online consumer communities, Solution
which Dyar uses to quickly learn more about the GlobalMeet® Audio integration from PGi added
features. Since it’s so user-friendly and glitch- reliable dial-in and dial-out options and advanced
free, instructors spend more time transitioning call control to optimize live online learning.
to online teaching formats than managing
the technology, accelerating pilot programs. Results
“Transitioning classes to online courses requires With reliable connectivity, more options to connect
some adjustments for professors, but having and user-friendly audio conferencing, the school
improved online student experiences and grew
integrated audio helps keep the technical errors
their community of online learners.
down so they can focus on learning how to
facilitate better online conversations,” Dyar said.
That ROI will continue to increase as online
programs expand and as NU adopts synchronous ABOUT PGi
audio-integrated web conferencing for more PGi is the world’s largest pure-play provider of
components of the online student experience. collaboration software and services. PGi’s unified
collaboration platform empowers business users
“Audio integration is something and teams to connect, share ideas and manage
I’d recommend to anyone offering projects with the simplicity and everywhere-
synchronous online courses. I imagine access of the latest cloud technologies. PGi
VoIP quality would be exponentially has a global presence in 25 countries, and its
worse for large classes especially. award-winning solutions provide a collaborative
The more participants you have in a advantage to nearly 50,000 enterprise customers,
session, the more important that audio including 75% of the Fortune 100™. In the last
conferencing line becomes.” five years, PGi has helped over a billion people
—Alyssa Dyar worldwide connect, collaborate and get work
done—in teams, large groups and one-on-one.
For more information, visit PGi at pgi.com.
5PGi.com
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