LANSDOWNE, VA--(Marketwire - June 4, 2009) - Echo360 Community Conference - Echo360®,
higher education's first choice for reliving the classroom experience on
demand, announced the inception of the Echo360 Research Grants Program.
The program endows four institutions with $10,000 to examine the academic
impact of lecture capture and publish their findings throughout the
worldwide lecture capture community.
Designed and judged by academia, it is the first research program of its
kind that will accelerate the global body of knowledge surrounding lecture
capture. Projects will focus on such topics as student experience,
attendance, grades, accessibility, instructor teaching methods, pedagogic
benefits and best practices.
"To date, only a handful of studies have met the rigorous standards
required by academia to fully understand how lecture capture integrates
with traditional pedagogy in a manner that consistently improves student
learning," explains Jocasta Williams, Echo360 community manager. "The
Echo360 Research Grants Program aims to build on existing lecture capture
knowledge across continents and connect it in more constructive, meaningful
ways."
Williams is the co-author of two lecture capture studies: "
Perpetual Connectivity: Lecture Recordings and Portable
Media Players" and "
Lecture Recordings: Extending Access for Students with
Disabilities." The latter is widely regarded as the definitive study
on the impact of lecture capture on students with physical and learning
differences. She will tap more than ten years experience in education and
expertise as adjunct research fellow at the University of Western Australia
to serve as chair of the selection committee panel.
In August, five judges will blind review the proposals and award up to four
grants worth a combined total of $40,000. The panel includes three
industry leaders:
-- David Morris, Director of eLearning, Coventry University, United
Kingdom
-- Helen Carter, Director of Teaching & Learning Centre, University of
Canberra, Australia
-- Mark Schlesinger, Interim CEO of UMassOnline, University of
Massachusetts, United States
The call for applications is now open. Individuals or institutions
interested in applying for the research grants should visit
http://www.echo360.com/grantsprogram.
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.
Contact Information: Contact:
Mary Young
Director, Marketing
Echo360
(703) 963-2467