Nykøbing, DENMARK - May 30, 2013: Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open, standards-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), today announced that Danish education provider VUC Storstrøm has been recognized at  the 2013 International Distance Learning Awards for its innovative project that uses video collaboration technology from Polycom to provide remote education to 5,000 adult students. VUC Storstrøm’s Global Classroom program, a silver award winner in the category ‘Best Practices for Distance Learning Programming,’ enables adult students who did not complete school to finish their degree and learn new skills by attending virtual lessons, making themselves more employable.

 

The International Distance Learning Awards, annually hosted by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), acknowledges major accomplishments in the field of distance learning. It recognizes programs and professionals who have achieved extraordinary results through the use of online, video conferencing, satellite and blended learning delivery technologies.

 

VUC Storstrøm, often referred to as the ‘second chance’ program, is one of 30 adult education centers in Denmark helping students fill in gaps in their education and ultimately improving their employment prospects. Faced with the challenges of providing students from rural areas with easy access to its courses and increasing enrollment in undersubscribed classes, VUC launched its Global Classroom program. The program gives students the option to attend virtual lessons from anywhere, including their nearest VUC center.

 

For this initiative, VUC chose Polycom® HDX® Series room video solutions, with multipoint connections implemented via the Polycom® RealPresence® Collaboration Server (RMX) – part of the Polycom® RealPresence® Platform.  Thanks to Polycom video collaboration software, teachers can continue to conduct their lessons in the traditional classroom environment, while students can join the classes online, from any location. To participate, students simply download Polycom® RealPresence® Desktop video software onto their personal computer and enjoy secure, HD-quality desktop video collaboration with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface.

 

“We are very proud to receive this prestigious award,” said Flemming Neilsen, Project Manager responsible for the Global Classroom program at VUC Storstrøm. “As an education provider, we wanted to make sure that everyone who wants to improve their skills has equal access to our classes. With Polycom RealPresence video collaboration solutions, we’ve managed to achieve this goal and attract students who would otherwise be unable to attend due to their location or other commitments.”

 

To enable more adults to take advantage of distance learning, VUC Storstrøm is currently in discussions to extend the Global Classroom initiative to other VUC centers across Denmark.