IMD Business School and Cisco have announced the completion of the Connected Classroom — a two-year-long initiative to virtually connect classrooms and boardrooms thousands of kilometres apart with telepresence technology.
The Connected Classroom takes cutting-edge educational technology a step further by using life-size, high-definition visual communications to interact with participants from other locations from IMD’s campus in Lausanne, Switzerland, to its Executive Learning Centre in Singapore, and vice-versa. Based on Cisco TelePresence — which enables in-person collaboration with simplicity and state-of-the-art video technology — the immersive experience empowers IMD faculty and students to have the same high-quality, collaborative interactions that would be possible in a traditional classroom setting.
The initiative was made possible thanks to a donation from Cisco in 2015 as part of a broader collaboration between the company and IMD, which included the establishment of the Global Center for Digital Business Transformation.
There are 10,000 kilometres between IMD’s Lausanne and Singapore campuses, but a combination of 80-inch LED monitors on the walls of
classrooms in both locations, as well high-definition cameras in the front and back of the rooms, and microphones attached to the ceilings, students and faculty can connect as they would in a physical space. The initiative also links IMD’s Lausanne Broadcast Room and Singapore Boardroom.
The Connected Classroom expands access to IMD’s world-leading faculty, experts and speakers, wherever they are in the world — extending the business school’s global reach. The initiative has also reduced the need for instructors to travel between Lausanne and Singapore.
The cutting-edge program builds on IMD’s commitment to innovation, after the creation of the Global Center, which is a world-leading hub of research and innovation, helping executives take advantage of digital opportunities and neutralize digital threats.
Cisco has a proven track record of working with educational institutions to improve the quality of learning through digital technology. The company’s 21st Century Schools initiative has impacted millions of students and teachers across the planet.
Quotes
Remy El Assir, Operations Manager, Cisco Center for Digital Business Transformation at IMD
“The Connected Classroom lets us maintain the high-quality session delivery that IMD is renowned for in a virtual setting. With Cisco TelePresence technology, we are strengthening the relationships with our staff, customers and partners and delivering a high-touch, collaborative learning experience at the same time.”
About the Global Center for Digital Business Transformation:
A joint initiative of IMD and Cisco, the Global Center for Digital Business
Transformation (DBT Center), is a global hub for leading research and analysis on digital disruption.
