UW-Stout Taps Echo360 to Connect With Distance Students


DULLES, VA--(Marketwire - September 23, 2008) - Distance education students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout are enjoying the personal touch in their online technical communications program thanks to deployment of lecture capture from Echo360. Using the EchoSystem platform for campus-wide lecture capture, the university creates a dynamic learning environment for their on-campus and remote student body.

UW-Stout was designated by the UW System Board of Regents in 2007 as Wisconsin's Polytechnic University. Distinguishing itself with applied, hands-on learning, UW-Stout produces graduates ready for professional careers. Lecture capture helps UW-Stout students learn, no matter their location or learning style.

"Our distance-education students have access to the same curriculum and faculty as the other students. But they express frustration over the missed interactions as they aren't attending class in the physical classroom," said Doug Wahl, UW-Stout's chief information officer. "Echo360 captures the culture of the classroom, connecting our distance-education students with their on-campus peers and faculty."

As one of the smaller programs offered at UW-Stout, officials in the technical communications program were looking for methods to improve enrollment numbers. The technical communications program blends multimedia, product marketing and interface design under a single degree. Attracting additional distance-education students allows UW-Stout to increase enrollment without requiring more classroom space.

"The ability for us to matriculate additional distance-education students per class is a make or break for this program," said Dr. Matthew Livesey, program director and assistant professor at UW-Stout. "Using Echo360, we enroll two to four additional students per class and give them a better distance education experience. It is a win-win for UW-Stout and our students."

The EchoSystem offers the university additional technology benefits including rich media playback with the Flash player, an important technology distinction from presentation recording solutions.

"UW-Stout is a multiplatform campus with every student receiving a laptop upon enrollment," said Wahl. "The EchoSystem player is viewable by students across Mac and Windows platforms, giving 100 percent of UW-Stout students in the complete benefits of lecture capture."

About Echo360

Echo360 envisions a time when all students are freed from traditional barriers to learning with an "education on demand" experience. Full-time, part-time, distance, continuing, and online all describe today's student, living in a 24/7 world. On-demand media and education converge at Echo360, helping colleges and universities engage students on their terms with full and unbounded access to their classroom-based content through multiplatform replay. Developed in partnership with the University of Western Australia, Echo360 offers scalable and affordable lecture capture solutions that empower institutions of any size to provide universal availability of lecture content to their students. From New York to Newcastle, Melbourne to Mexico City, Echo360 touches the lives of more students in over than 1,000 higher education classrooms around the globe. For more information, visit www.echo360.com.

Contact Information: Contact Information: Jeff Lovari RLM PR on behalf of Echo360 (212) 741-5106