Dell and Echo360 Simplify Access to Turnkey Blended Learning Platform for Higher Education Institutions

ROUND ROCK, TX and DULLES, VA--(Marketwire - Jul 9, 2012) - Dell and Echo360 today announced that Dell is now reselling the Echo360 blended learning and lecture capture solution to higher education institutions in the United States and Canada. The partnership gives institutions access to the complete suite of Echo360 hardware and software, with the Dell server, storage and networking infrastructure and services, to simplify the rollout of a blended learning solution across a university. Effective immediately, institutions can efficiently purchase, install and receive support for the Echo360 platform through Dell.

"Echo360 has helped hundreds of universities innovate the teaching and learning environment for better interaction and student access -- using technology to reach more students more conveniently; extending the interaction between students and professors before, during and after a lecture and providing a platform for immediate feedback on lessons that need further explanation," said John Mullen, vice president and general manager, Dell Education, State and Local Government. "Dell is excited to help more universities, professors and students realize the benefits of innovative new teaching and learning models with a simple, end-to-end solution to improve academic outcomes and student teaching in a cost-effective manner."

Recent studies from the University of Texas-Austin and the University of Sussex found that students experience improvements to their grades when they have access to Echo360 technology. Echo360 helps students improve learning outcomes by mixing the best of face-to-face teaching with technology to deliver a blended online and offline education experience. The solution records classroom instruction allowing students to view it live or on demand as well as collaborate with their peers. Instructors use activity heat maps to understand viewing habits and gauge trouble spots in student comprehension.

Lecture capture requires scalable compute, network and storage capacity for the optimal user experience and to archive lectures for future usage. Dell's leadership in datacenter solutions and enterprise computing and existing relationships with thousands of higher education institutions and status as a preferred vendor will slash the time it takes to procure and deploy Echo360 products.

"The majority of the technology investment in educational institutions is focused outside of the teaching and learning moment. Today instructors are forced to adapt their teaching to the new technology-centric world armed with little more than chalk and blackboard. It is time to give them the tools they really need," said Echo360 CEO Fred Singer. "We are pleased to partner with Dell to provide institutions with clear solutions for recruitment, retention, distance learning and flipped classroom so they are able to reach more students without added costs."

Vince Kellen, CIO of the University of Kentucky and 2012 Dell Transformational CIO, purchased Echo360 for a campus-wide installation through Dell. Kellen commented, "Higher education needs leading-edge solutions, especially when it comes to the classroom. The partnership between Dell and Echo360 simplifies the purchasing process and makes it much easier to significantly expand blended learning technology solutions." 

Echo360 is available now to all Dell U.S. and Canadian higher education customers as 'Dell Lecture Capture.' Purchasing information is available on both the Dell and Echo360 websites.

About Dell
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is committed to helping students develop the knowledge and skills they need to learn and succeed in an increasingly digital world and a globally competitive workforce. As a top provider of technology and services to schools, Dell listens to and works with students, educators, administrators, parents and community members around the world to deliver innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more in and out of the classroom. Learn more about Dell in Education at www.dell.com. Follow us on Twitter @DellEDU. 

Echo360
More than one million students in 6,000 classrooms at 500 institutions across 30 countries rely on Echo360 technology to enhance their educational experience. Echo360 digitally records and shares instructional content live and on demand, allowing institutions to reach more students while lowering costs. Through Echo360, students engage with their peers through collaborative tools and review information from instructors online, at their convenience and across various devices. The company has been recognized with a Product Line Strategy of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan, is CSIA-certified for outstanding customer service, and was named a Visionary Vendor in Educational Technology by IT research firm Basex. Echo360 is backed by Revolution Growth led by Steve Case, Ted Leonsis and Donn Davis.