Global Network for Supinfo
Paris (F), July 2009 - Supinfo - the International Institute of Information Technology in Paris recently decided to work with the collaboration solution Cisco WebEx. François Fanuel, Systems and Network Manager at Supinfo tells CHECK.point eLearning why a global network is crucial for students when it comes to working with tutors and other students distributed all over the world.
Why did you drop your previous solution and decide on Cisco WebEx?
François Fanuel: We chose the Cisco WebEx platform because of its quality and compatibility and because it's a one-minute configuration solution. Forty-eight hours after signing the license contract, we were able to use it.
What are the advantages of Cisco WebEx?
François Fanuel: The main advantage is quality of service. The Cisco WebEx Collaboration Cloud, at the heart of the system, is the key to communications quality without any delay between participants. Another big advantage, as I've mentioned, is compatibility: Our students use their own laptops, with many platforms (PC/Windows, PC/Linux, Mac), and they are all able to use Cisco WebEx.
The solution was usable for our needs immediately. We only needed to integrate it into our LMS, which was very simple. And Cisco WebEx is SCORM compliant.
What kind of collaboration do you seek?
François Fanuel: Our goal is to develop our online learning catalogue with Cisco WebEx. We'll need appropriate training for our trainers and expect Cisco WebEx to help us in this part of the learning process.
How has the solution been adopted by the students?
François Fanuel: The students are really happy to use it. They save time because they can ask the teachers questions anytime without interrupting them, and they're sure to get an answer. They can also review the courses after class. In our test period, more than ninety percent of the students said they preferred Cisco WebEx to any other eLearning method they had used.
What are the challenges universities have to face in the future?
François Fanuel: We have to face the same challenges as the IT industry. One of the biggest is to reduce the carbon footprint of our education methods. With real eLearning methods like Cisco WebEx, we can reduce our students and teachers having to drive to campus, sometimes for less than two hours of class.
