Results overwhelmingly reveal Mediasite’s positive effect on recruitment, retention and the executive student experience
MADISON, Wisc., Dec. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Sonic Foundry(R) Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFO) , a leader in automated rich media communications technology, has partnered with the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine to fully integrate Mediasite into its MBA program for Executives (EMBA) and MBA for Health Care Executives (HCEMBA). A poll conducted by the school revealed that 93 percent of students would choose a program that mediasites course content over a school with traditional in-class instruction alone.
Beginning in the fall of 2007, the Merage School of Business began webcasting and archiving all lectures and teaching-assistant sessions in the EMBA and HCEMBA programs. Today six classrooms are Mediasite enabled and equipped with a variety of digital teaching sources including ceiling-mounted robotic cameras and wireless and boom microphones. Mediasite seamlessly records of all of these sources for more than 60 hours of content each week from an adjacent control room. Students and faculty say the technology, which is completely transparent in the classroom, has had a direct positive impact on instruction.
“The availability of streaming video lectures through Mediasite has definitely enhanced my learning experience in a variety of ways,” said Yvonne Bean, EMBA class of 2008. “Being able to review the TA sessions on Mediasite has increased my test scores and I often replayed lectures to complete papers and final exams.”
“Since I am a fully employed student, my opportunity costs are pretty high, so it would be worth spending more to go to a school that offers this type of technology,” said Joseph Smith, EMBA class of 2008. “Having the flexibility to use this tool to reinforce the material if I’m not available to attend class is an invaluable part of my education.”
This fall, UC Irvine conducted a survey of 2007 EMBA students who used Mediasite to review their lectures. The results revealed:
* 93% of students said streaming and archiving instruction would be a
factor in selecting one MBA program over another
* 82% would pay higher tuition for a program that streams and archives
instruction, with almost half willing to pay between $2,000 and
$5,000 more for their 2-year degree
* 91% used Mediasite to view lectures
* 74% used the technology to review a lecture they had attended
* 71% found they were more engaged in lectures when they didn’t have
to focus on taking copious notes
* 83% said they learned more in courses when lectures were available
on demand
“This is an example of how we don’t just talk about strategic innovation in the classroom, but we innovate in the way we deliver instruction ourselves, using Mediasite to make our program more successful and enrich what is already a very solid educational experience,” said John Clarke, Assistant Dean and CIO of the Paul Merage School of Business. “Faculty members engage the students more intellectually and cover more material. Everyone comes to class at a higher level. The fact that more people would come to our program because we’re doing this is just icing on the cake.”
“The use of technology in the classroom is changing the competitive landscape for how business schools will attract top quality students, and the Paul Merage School of Business is a leader in the adoption of these new teaching and learning paradigms,” said Darrin Coulson, Chief Operating Officer of Sonic Foundry. “Across the board in higher education, as each new semester passes, we are seeing more and more students expecting this type of blended learning offering within their choice of programs. We’re pleased that the Paul Merage School of Business has been able to quantify their students’ experience through this survey and look forward to partnering with other Mediasite schools to evaluate the impact of their technology-enhanced learning.”
Since its introduction in 2003, Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite has set the standard as a transformational communication medium for delivering critical information and sharing knowledge. Trusted by education and health institutions, corporations and government, the patented Mediasite webcasting and content management system quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of rich media presentations that combine audio, video and accompanying graphics for live or on-demand viewing.
About The Paul Merage School of Business
The Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine offers four dynamic MBA programs delivering its thematic approach to business education: sustainable growth through strategic innovation, and leadership taught through in-class and on-site experiences with real-world business problems. Six Centers of Excellence and an Executive Education program enhance students’ and graduates’ opportunities for independent study and updates to their professional expertise. The Wall Street Journal ranked the School 6th for information technology in 2006, and the Financial Times ranked the Executive MBA program 1st in southern California and 9th in the United States in 2006. Visit http://www.merage.uci.edu/ for more information on The Paul Merage School of Business.
About Sonic Foundry(R), Inc.
Founded in 1991, Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ:SOFO) is a technology leader in the emerging rich media communications marketplace, providing enterprise solutions and services that link an information driven world. Sonic Foundry is named on Ziff Davis Media’s Baseline Magazine’s list of the top ten fastest- growing software companies with sales under $150 million and named one of Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 companies. Voted Best Webcasting Platform and Best Webcasting Appliance in the Streaming Media Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards, the company’s solutions are trusted by education institutions, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies for a variety of critical communication needs. Sonic Foundry is changing the way organizations communicate via the Web and how people around the globe receive vital information needed for work, professional advancement, safety and education. Sonic Foundry is based in Madison, WI. For more information about Sonic Foundry, visit the company’s Website at http://www.sonicfoundry.com/.
Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry’s products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Source: Sonic Foundry Inc.
CONTACT: Tammy Kramer of Sonic Foundry, +1-608-237-8592,
tammyk@sonicfoundry.com
