Broadband Meets Distance Learning - Company Business and Marketing

Home Office Computing, Sept, 2000 by Cristina Gair

Imagine never having to leave your home office to continue your education or pursue a graduate degree. While distance-learning offerings have been around for years, they've been slow to catch on--in part because dial-up modem connections can't handle video. But two new services--Bell Atlantic's Remote Learning Solutions (RLS) and Hughes Network Systems' edgeUcast--which rely on high-speed DSL and satellite services, respectively, more closely replicate the classroom experience.

Bell Atlantic teamed up with Yonkers, N.Y.-based Educational Video Conferencing Inc. (EVCI) to develop an education option using its Infospeed DSL network and EVCI's video-enabled PCs. Students can take accredited college courses and teleworkers can take corporate training classes without a trip to headquarters.

"With the [DSL network's] 3Mbps speeds, there's nothing closer to the actual classroom, says EVCI president John McGrath. You can see, hear, and speak to professors in live classes, or play back digitized lectures 24 hours a day. Participating schools include St. John's University, Clemson University, Adelphi University, Manhattan College, the College of Insurance, and Kaplan Education Centers.

RLS is also being used by firms like Merrill Lynch for on-site employee training in business, finance, and technology. "It's a flexible way to supplement [staffers'] training," says William Coda, the financial giant's recent director of global training.

For home workers looking to hone their business knowledge, edgeUcast is an economical solution, especially for existing DirecPC satellite users. You'll need a DirecPC system, which includes an antenna that mounts on your house as well as a satellite modem and access software. (The system requires a line of sight due south and an accompanying dial-up connection.) In return, video classes--including Basic Business Skills, High-Performance Business, and Computer Skills modules--are sent to your desktop at 1.3Mbps. Tuition is $40 for six months' unlimited use.