ANAHEIM, CA--(Marketwire - October 12, 2010) - EDUCAUSE - Echo360 (www.echo360.com), the recognized leader in campus-wide solutions that enable universities to record, manage and share rich-media course content for lecture capture and distance learning, today announced that the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) has expanded its Echo360 installation to 60 classrooms. With this announcement, UMass Lowell becomes the largest venue-based deployment of lecture capture technology in New England.
UMass Lowell recently upgraded all 190 of its teaching spaces to technology-enhanced "smart" classrooms outfitted with any combination of projectors, computers, audio/video equipment and student response systems. Echo360 lecture capture leverages this investment by creating a digital version of the classroom experience that includes video of the instructor and the presentation materials used in class.
"Our investment in 100 percent smart classrooms gives faculty the ability to integrate technology into their teaching methods. By providing students with multiple ways to retrieve and review class topics, they have more opportunities to learn," said UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan. "UMass Lowell is leading the way by using cutting-edge technology, like Echo360 lecture capture, to enhance our students' academic experience so they are fully prepared to compete in the knowledge economy upon graduation."
Instruction captured with the EchoSystem is available to students after class and can be viewed on virtually any computer or mobile device. The rich-media lectures are an invaluable learning aid that improves comprehension and retention, and are used by UMass Lowell students to enhance their classroom notes, study and prepare for exams. In a recent survey, UMass Lowell students cited Echo360 lecture capture as "indispensible" and "instrumental" to their learning. Ninety-one percent of the nearly 300 students who responded to the survey agreed that lecture capture helped them learn the course material. To conduct additional research, Echo360 is offering UMass Lowell faculty $15,000 in grant funds to study how the technology is helping retention and comprehension.
"UMass Lowell was an early believer in lecture capture. Now, thanks to their visionary approach to technology, more UMass Lowell students will have access to a resource that fundamentally impacts the moment of learning," said Fred Singer, CEO of Echo360. "We couldn't be more pleased that a leader like UMass Lowell put their trust in Echo360."
To learn more about UMass Lowell's use of lecture capture, Rich Zera, CIO, and Mike Lucas, director of instructional technology, will be speaking in Echo360 booth 1209 at the EDUCAUSE tradeshow in the Anaheim Convention Center on October 13, 2010 at 3:00PM PT.
About the University of Massachusetts Lowell
UMass Lowell, with a national reputation in science, engineering and technology, is committed to educating students for lifelong success in a diverse world and conducting research and outreach activities that sustain the economic, environmental and social health of the region. The university offers its 14,000 students more than 120 degree choices, internships, five-year combined bachelor's to master's programs and doctoral studies in the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Management, the School of Health and Environment, and the Graduate School of Education. www.uml.edu
About Echo360
Echo360 envisions an opportunity for every student to be freed from traditional barriers to learning with an on-demand education 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 the students' terms with full and unbounded access to classroom-based content via multiplatform replay. Developed in partnership with the University of Western Australia, Echo360 means scalable and affordable lecture capture solutions that can provide institutions of all sizes with universal availability of lecture content. www.echo360.com
Contact Information:
Contact:
Mary Young
Director, Marketing
Echo360
c) 703-963-2467
o) 703-948-3043