CT Briefs
Technology Happenings In Higher Education
:: NEWS
WAKE FOREST U offers admissions interviews via webcam.
THE NEW ADMISSIONS
INTERVIEW: CAM-TO-CAM?
Applicants at Wake Forest University (NC) may now elect to take their
"face-to-face" interviews with WFU
admissions counselors using a medium
most are familiar and very comfortable
with: the webcam. The university tested
its virtual interview process this
past October with early decision students
and, in light of its success,
now offers the option to
all applicants. The Admissions
office has been using Skype for the interviews
but, to conduct interviews
that will not require a Skype
account, soon will have Adobe
Connect software
as well. Admissions staff
also hold traditional in-person
interviews as needed, both on
campus and in their travels around
the country. "While a personal
visit is the first choice, the virtual
interview is an innovative way to use
technology to connect individually
with those who, because of financial
or other reasons, cannot come to campus,"
says Martha Allman, director of
admissions at Wake Forest.
VERSATILE WEB CONFERENCING.
At the Darden School of
Business at the University of Virginia,
standardization is the mode of choice
for a web conferencing system, used
widely across campus, and for diverse
groups. "We identified that standardizing
on a web conferencing solution
would not only support distance learning,
but also would give administrators,
faculty, and students immediate anywhere,
anytime access to information
and to each other," explains Chris
Lehmbeck, director of Darden Media.
The school has implemented Adobe
Connect across its Executive Education,
MBA, and MBA for Executives
programs-- as well as for administrative
functions schoolwide. Read more here.
IMMERSED IN EXCELLENCE.
St. Paul College (MN) and Sun
Microsystems have
opened the new Sun Center of Excellence
for Open Virtual Worlds. The
center's demonstration of cutting-edge
immersive education technology will
help support the work of the Education
Grid and advance the global build-out of an
open network of servers used by the
Immersive Education Initiative and the Media
Grid. At the center's
virtual ribbon-cutting event Jan.
22, St. Paul officially opened its Virtual
Northstar campus, which will offer
classes beginning in fall 2009. St. Paul
College President Donovan Schwichtenberg,
Sun VP of Education Joe Hartley,
and Grid Institute Director Aaron Walsh
were on hand for the virtual celebration.
ZIPPY AND TRIPPY. Duke University's
(NC) Zipcar vehicle-sharing program has
students going into "green"
gear. An environmentally
friendly Zipcar can be rented
starting at $8 per hour or $66 per day,
including insurance. When the students
are done using it, they just turn it in.
And students can reserve the vehicles
online or via cell phone. Read more here.
:: PEOPLE
PADRÓN TO
CHAIR AAC&U.
The Association of
American Colleges
and Universities has elected Miami
Dade College (FL) President Eduardo
Padrón as its chair. Padrón, who
served as AAC&U vice chair last
year, says he will work to "advance
a comprehensive agenda that will
help maintain the nation's colleges
and universities as the best in the
world." As MDC's president, he oversees
the nation's largest higher education
institution. Padrón serves on
the CT editorial advisory board.
CHOUDHURY APPOINTED CLIR
FELLOW. The Council on Library
and Information
Resources has
appointed Sayeed
Choudhury, associate
dean for digital
library programs at
The Johns Hopkins University's (MD)
Sheridan Libraries, as a CLIR Senior
Presidential Fellow. CLIR President
Charles Henry says Choudhury will
offer CLIR perspectives on "building
successful coalitions of diverse
constituencies."