Georgetown University launches 'Global Classroom'

The system will be used to deliver undergraduate courses to and from Washington.

Located in the capital city of Doha, the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar is the first branch campus of the world-renowned Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown.

The program provides a 4-year undergraduate degree in international politics to students from the Middle East and around the world. The Global Classroom initiative, led by James Reardon-Anderson, dean of the School of Foreign Service in Qatar, is designed to help provide a consistent learning experience between the campuses.

"The point of the global classroom is to enable students and teachers in separate locations - in this case Doha and Washington - to experience learning as if they were in the same room," Reardon- Anderson said. "This gives students from different countries and cultures an opportunity to talk directly to one another, and it weaves together the two Georgetown campuses in ways that have not been possible in the past."

The system, which uses Polycom RealPresence Experience High Definition (RPXTMHD) technology, will be used to deliver undergraduate courses to and from Washington. Since the system makes the technology more transparent, thus increasing the connection between the students and the professor, there is more natural interaction between students and faculty. The Polycom RPX HD removes the cameras, microphones, speakers, remote controls and other technology from the user's view so there are absolutely no distractions. The result is an uncluttered, welcoming immersive suite in which to have aproductive meeting.

The screen's special camera, which has two lenses that blend and process the images, allows the professors to make eye contact with each other. Thanks to the high-definition video provided by the twin-lens camera and audio from small microphones placed strategically all over the room, the two are able to make eye contact and hold a conversation as if they were in the same room.

"Georgetown University's Global Classroom is a great example of how Polycom telepresence solutions can erase the collaboration barriers caused by distance and create wonderful new opportunities - in this case for the students, faculty and the university," said Youssef Saleh, vice president and general manager of telepresence and vertical solutions at Polycom. "The flexible nature of this technology makes it ideal for a broad range of industries and interactive applications. We look forward to seeing how the progressive educators at Georgetown will use this system to continue to enhance their curriculum for students of international affairs."

Techno Q, Polycom's certified reseller in Qatar, implemented the solution and is providing on-going support. "We are proud that we have been chosen by Georgetown University for the first Polycom Telepresence System in the Middle Eas,t" said Zeyad Al Jaidah, Managing Director, Techno Q. "This has been a terrific opportunity to strengthen our experience in providing AV solutions for major educational institutions. Furthermore, as a Qatari enterprise, we are proud to continuously contribute to the development of Qatar's knowledge-based economy by providing best- in-class technology solutions."