Cisco Enables Next-Generation Learning Experience at BITS Pilani


Bangalore: Cisco announced that Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, one of India’s premier independent universities, along with BITSAA International, its global alumni community, have successfully deployed the immersive, high-definition Cisco TelePresence  videoconferencing and Cisco WebEx technologies as part of a cross-campus technology initiative named BITSConnect 2.0. Set to transform the learning experience through unparalleled campus-connectivity, this platform is aimed at creating a dynamic and collaborative learning environment by connecting classrooms through a MPLS – based data network.

9707Custom-built using Cisco TelePresence technology, the new virtual lecture facility will offer immersive, high-definition visual communications — enabling all students, regardless of location, to collaborate and participate as if they were in the same room as one another and their professor.  The initiative will benefit over 11,000 students and 700 teachers and provide them with access to business leaders and guest lecturers located around the globe, enabling collaborative research and interactive learning a routine part of their lives.  

Cisco has a history of developing unique solutions for educational institutions and a strong corporate commitment to improving the quality of education. Through the Cisco Networking Academy program, the company’s 21st Century Schools initiative and numerous engagements with nongovernmental organizations whose aim is to boost opportunity through education, Cisco has helped multiply the impact of technology on millions of students and teachers around the globe.

“BITSConnect 2.0, which is built on Cisco technology, comes at a time when the Institute is on its way to become a top research-led university in Asia. This joint University-Alumni initiative will provide seamless integration of all campuses; create new avenues of research collaboration and knowledge sharing among faculty, students and researchers worldwide. BITSConnect 2.0 initiative will further strengthen industry linkage and enable remote placements with minimal travel costs to prospective employers,” said Bijendra Nath Jain, vice-chancellor, BITS Pilani.

“BITSConnect 2.0 heralds a new era for technology-enabled education in India. It has the capability to bring speakers from anywhere in the world almost alive into the classroom at BITS and open endless possibilities for pedagogy and research. In 2002, BITSConnect 1.0 aimed at making BITS Pilani’s infrastructure the best in India. As an eclectic group of volunteers from the university join hands with members of our global alumni community for the second time, we are confident that this new initiative will be a big step towards achieving our joint goal to have our alma mater among the top research-driven institutions in Asia by 2020,” said Prem Jain, chief mentor, BITSConnect 2.0,

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