Champlain College Using InSpace Collaboration Platform to Enhance Online Learning Experiences

Vermont's Champlain College is expanding the use of InSpace, a video collaboration tool, in its online learning division. Students studying at Champlain College Online (CCO) will be able to engage with one another as well as with academic advisers in the platform's fully virtual environment, much like they would in physical spaces.

Conceived by Champlain data science and machine learning professor Narine Hall and spun off into a private company, InSpace provides a virtual environment in which each participant is represented by a video circle. Users can click and drag their video circle to move around the space, join breakout rooms, and converse with others. CCO has been using the platform since fall 2020 for faculty and student communication, peer collaboration and networking, and now plans to roll out the technology across all asynchronous courses. The platform will essentially serve as a full virtual campus, allowing online students to "experience all aspects of the Burlington, Vermont campus including a variety of campus buildings with event live-streaming, library spaces, staff and databases, orientations, panel discussions, wellness events, and more," according to a news announcement.

"We received feedback from our students that their sense of community and having a connection to the physical campus is of the utmost importance to them," said Johnna Herrick-Phelps, vice president of online learning at Champlain College Online, in a statement. "Using InSpace, students are able to communicate in new dynamic ways, create and foster collaboration, and a sense of community and connection to the brick-and-mortar college."

"When we started InSpace two years ago, our mission was to take the technology out of the way and let instructors and students connect and learn virtually," added Hall, who also serves as CEO and co-founder of InSpace. "The most innovative and forward-thinking institutions are seeking differentiated and effective video collaboration and learning partners like InSpace as a competitive advantage for their online courses."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • central cloud platform connected to various AI icons—including a brain, robot, and network nodes

    Linux Foundation to Host Protocol for AI Agent Interoperability

    The Linux Foundation has announced it will host the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol project, an open standard originally developed by Google to support secure communication and interoperability among AI agents.

  • cloud connected to a quantum processor with digital circuit lines and quantum symbols

    Columbia Engineering Researchers Develop Cloud-Style Virtualization for Quantum Computing

    Columbia Engineering's HyperQ system introduces cloud-style virtualization to quantum computing, allowing multiple users to run programs simultaneously on a single machine. Learn how it works, why it matters, and highlights from other recent quantum breakthroughs from leading institutions and vendors.

  • laptop on a clean desk with digital padlock icon on the screen

    Study: Data Privacy a Top Concern as Orgs Scale Up AI Agents

    As organizations race to integrate AI agents into their cloud operations and business workflows, they face a crucial reality: while enthusiasm is high, major adoption barriers remain, according to a new Cloudera report. Chief among them is the challenge of safeguarding sensitive data.

  • stylized illustration of a desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone all displaying an orange AI icon

    Report: AI Shifting from Cloud to PCs

    AI is shifting from the cloud to PCs, offering enhanced productivity, security, and ROI. Key players like Intel, Microsoft (Copilot+ PCs), and Google (Gemini Nano) are driving this on-device AI trend, shaping a crucial hybrid future for IT.