California universities forced to cancel class due to fire use webcasting
to maintain course flow
MADISON, Wis., Nov. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sonic Foundry(R), Inc.
(Nasdaq: SOFO), a leader in automated rich media communications technology,
today reports that when California wildfires forced California State
University (CSU) Fullerton Department of Nursing and California State
University San Marcos (CSUSM) to cancel classes, both schools turned to
their Mediasite(R) webcasting platform to continue delivering instruction
by capturing and streaming lectures online.
CSU Fullerton Department of Nursing's RN to BSN distance program is one
in which nurses can obtain a Bachelor's degree while attending at a site
near work or home. The program is attended by working nurses who are
looking for convenience, quality, and collaboration. Many of those students
live in areas that were threatened by fires, and were unable to attend
class.
"Although some of the classrooms were closed, we held classes where we
could, and recorded them with Mediasite and made the content available to
the students who weren't able to meet. We didn't want them to have to make
a choice between leaving their homes and families -- potentially having to
evacuate -- and coming to class," said Marsha Orr, Distance Education
Faculty Liaison at CSU Fullerton Department of Nursing. "Because we are
able to swiftly and easily capture the class and post it immediately to the
web, it meant that the students didn't lose any content. It meant not
rescheduling; it meant not trying to double up on information."
On a day-to-day basis, CSUSM uses Mediasite to enhance both traditional
and fully online courses, allowing professors to use in-class time to
concentrate on higher-quality student interaction. When the firestorm broke
out, the university had to close its campus for an entire week. Faculty
used Mediasite to give students remote access to their lectures.
"Mediasite was the first solution we turned to when we had to decide
how to make up for those lost hours," said Linda Scott, Director of
Academic Technology at CSUSM. "One professor was able to release a
previously-recorded Mediasite presentation for his students and another
professor recorded the lecture he would have given the week of the fires,
allowing his students to access it online. There are countless examples of
this, and students were grateful we were able to offer webcasting as an
option."
"These stories illustrate that Mediasite is a powerful resource for our
higher education customers, not only for day-to-day instruction, but also
as a critical solution in responding to these trying and difficult
circumstances," said Darrin Coulson, chief operating officer of Sonic
Foundry. "It's when we hear stories like these that we can see the true
power and convenience of Mediasite."
Since its introduction in 2003, Sonic Foundry's Mediasite has set the
standard as a transformational communication medium for delivering critical
information and sharing knowledge. Trusted by education and health
institutions, corporations and government, the patented Mediasite
webcasting and content management system quickly and cost-effectively
automates the capture, management, delivery and search of rich media
presentations that combine audio, video and accompanying graphics for live
or on-demand viewing.
About Sonic Foundry(R), Inc.
Founded in 1991, Sonic Foundry (Nasdaq: SOFO) is a technology leader in
the emerging rich media communications marketplace, providing enterprise
solutions and services that link an information driven world. Sonic Foundry
is named on Ziff Davis Media's Baseline Magazine's list of the top ten
fastest-growing software companies with sales under $150 million and named
one of Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 companies. Voted Best Webcasting
Platform and Best Webcasting Appliance in the Streaming Media Magazine
Readers' Choice Awards, the company's solutions are trusted by education
institutions, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies for a variety
of critical communication needs. Sonic Foundry is changing the way
organizations communicate via the Web and how people around the globe
receive vital information needed for work, professional advancement, safety
and education. Sonic Foundry is based in Madison, WI. For more information
about Sonic Foundry, visit the company's Website at
http://www.sonicfoundry.com.
Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters
that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because
such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual
results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining
to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to
succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or
systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of
acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in
its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.sonicfoundry.com
CONTACT:
Tammy Kramer of Sonic Foundry, Inc.,
+1-608-237-8592, tammyk@sonicfoundry.com
|
