MADISON, Wis. - October 13, 2009 - Classes will continue at Washington State University's Spokane campus even if there is an onset of H1N1, thanks in part to Mediasite by Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the recognized market leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, used throughout the health sciences campus for streaming and archiving online lectures.
WSU Spokane's continuity plan is the focus of a live webinar at 11:00 a.m. Central on Tuesday, November 10. Visit www.sonicfoundry.com/register/h1n1/ for more information.
"Our main campus has had a large number of cases reporting symptoms of swine flu. The health sciences campus is lucky to have not been affected yet. Using Mediasite to capture lectures is a prominent part of our contingency plan, among a number of other things," said Saleh Elgiadi, director of IT services for academics and research. "We are working with faculty to build an archive of rich classroom experiences that we can extend to students that become ill or if we have an outbreak and there is mandated social distancing."
The university also has the technology to facilitate lecture capture from faculty homes, if needed, using a combination of Mediasite and desktop videoconferencing tools.
Elgiadi said the webcasting portion of the disaster recovery plan would not be possible without Mediasite. Last November the school's College of Nursing opened a new $34.6 million, 87,516 square foot facility that integrated eight Mediasite RL recorders into the smart classrooms. The lecture capture platform is centrally managed so courses can be captured from up to 30 classrooms. Lectures are streamed to students on campus, as well as the WSU College of Nursing's other sites in Vancouver, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and Yakima.
While the new nursing facility was the impetus for the Mediasite deployment, the university has expanded the operation and is now recording lectures for all of health sciences as well as the programs in medicine, pharmacy and education.
"The skyrocketing numbers speak for themselves. The first year we had 5,000 on-demand views. We are very close to that number already this fall so there's been a huge growth. Mediasite is very useful for faculty to be able to offer the classroom materials in an interactive media-rich environment. And the viewing by students shows this is something they need and appreciate," said Elgiadi.
"Washington State University Spokane's academic continuity plan epitomizes the vast uses of the Mediasite solution," said Rimas Buinevicius, chairman and CEO of Sonic Foundry. "While the platform is designed for automated capture, often it's the unforeseen events that demonstrate Mediasite's flexibility and reliability, which gives us and our customers peace of mind knowing classes and learning will persevere with the help of Mediasite."
About Washington State University Spokane www.spokane.wsu.edu
The urban research campus of Washington State University, a land-grant university founded in 1890, WSU Spokane combines the top scholarship of a nationally-ranked research university with the opportunities of a metropolitan setting.
WSU Spokane features advanced studies in health sciences and health professions, design disciplines, science and technology, social and policy sciences, and education.
With world-renowned faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, a diverse student body, and a setting at once close to vibrant downtown Spokane and the great outdoors, Washington State University Spokane provides an ideal learning environment.
Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, www.sonicfoundry.com) is the global leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management, providing enterprise communication solutions for more than 1,500 customers in education, business and government. Powered by Mediasite, the patented webcasting platform which automates the capture, management, delivery and search of lectures, online training and briefings, Sonic Foundry empowers people to transform the way they communicate. Through the Mediasite platform and its Events Services group, the company helps customers connect a dynamic, evolving world of shared knowledge and envisions a future where learners and workers around the globe use webcasting to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.
