Polycom survey of teachers finds video conferencing is the most effective education tool after in-person communications

Polycom, the global leader in standards-based unified communications (UC), reported the results of a survey of 500 grade-school and university teachers across the UK, France, Germany, Russia and Nordics. The survey found that videoconferencing is the most desirable way for school teachers to communicate with parents, students and colleagues—when in-person interactions cannot take place.  And to encourage the adoption of videoconferencing in educational institutions to enhance the learning experience, Polycom is offering a 60% discount off the list price for certain products for one year from November 2011. 

Key findings of the survey included:

Three-quarters of the teachers (77%) think that more investment in videoconferencing would benefit their students and improve their education, citing the increased impact and engagement with subject matter that videoconferencing encourages.

Two-thirds surveyed (67%) believe that videoconferencing improves core skills for use in later life and the workplace. 

Another finding of the survey is that the uses of videoconferencing in learning are viewed somewhat differently by school teachers and university tutors:

Teachers of school-age children saw the most potential for using videoconferencing as a collaborative working tool (65%) and for virtual field trips (60%) – in other words as a way to expand the scope of the learning experience.

University tutors, on the other hand, said that a more important benefit of videoconferencing, from their experience, is the ability to  include more students – such as reaching home-based students (64%) or enabling those who missed a class to view it later (62%).

Over half the university tutors (54%) also stated that access to subject-matter experts was an important feature of videoconferencing; and 56% see videoconferencing as a means of extending their educational services, therefore enabling them to teach via distance learning. 

“The popularity of videoconferencing as a method of communication in education is not surprising with an overwhelming majority (85%) of educators who expect the use of these technologies to increase over the next five years.” comments Gary Rider, EMEA President, Polycom. “The ability to connect students with other teachers and students around the world face to face has enormous benefits to their educational experience,” continues Rider. “Video is the only technology that allows a visual, rich learning experience outside of being in the room together. Video also enables higher quality collaboration and learning. This important in an educational setting, especially distance learning, where teachers can ensure students are focused and absorbing new information better, while students can benefit from a richer learning experience.” 

Georgetown University in Washington, DC has pioneered state-of-the art telepresence technology to extend its educational reach and create a ‘global classroom’ with its branch campus, the School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar). James Reardon-Anderson, Dean of the School of Foreign Service in Qatar explains: “The ‘Global Classroom’ initiative is designed to help provide a consistent learning experience between geographically separated campuses. It is intended to give students from different countries and cultures an opportunity to talk and learn directly with one another, and weave together the two Georgetown campuses in a way that had not been possible in the past.” The Polycom RPX™HD Immersive Telepresence System is used in an undergraduate course titled ‘Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East & United States’ being taught from Washington, DC and accommodating up to 18 students in tiered seating in Qatar and 10 students in Washington DC.  “This technology is so realistic it makes you feel as if you are sharing a seminar room,” John Taylor Hebden, a Student Affairs Officer and Teaching Assistant at SFS-Qatar said. “You do not get a sense that you are talking to a screen at all.” 

As a result of these survey findings and Polycom’s commitment to enhancing the student and teaching learning experience by bringing videoconferencing to each classroom, Polycom has now released a set of low-cost products specifically for the education market - Polycom RealPresence Education Bundle: 

Polycom RealPresence Education Bundle

Polycom is offering its Polycom RealPresence Room HDX 7000 and Polycom RealPresence Room HDX 8000 bundles together with the newly announced Polycom UC Board for one year starting from November 2011. These room telepresence systems provide users with high quality audio and high definition video communications from low bandwidths using standards-base H.264 High Profile Technology, which reduces bandwidth needs by 50%. The Polycom UC Board is an innovative whiteboard solution which improves communication and collaboration in video conferences by instantly sharing content written on the whiteboard to all screens and mobile devices that are connected to the video meeting.