Bringing in speakers from around the world to talk with CBA students was once a daunting task. But recently things have gotten a lot easier. The Polycom videoconferencing system is breaking down the physical barriers and professors such as CBA's Rob Simon are taking advantage of the technology.

Simon has used the Polycom system to give his Marketing students the chance to hear speakers from companies as diverse as the Union Pacific and Disney. In many cases the opportunity would have been lost if the speakers would have been forced to give their presentations in person. With the Polycom system in place the reduced accessibility issues give instructors a lot more options for bringing business professionals into the classroom.

Simon has also used the Polycom system to make student connections in his MRKT 490/890A class. Students have shared class presentations as far as New York to Washington D.C. and from Mexico to England. Students are able to give their class presentations and then receive instantaneous feedback from Business Professionals around the globe.

There are some technical issues that occassionally come into play such as firewall issues with smaller businesses or occasional phone line problems but for the most part Simon has found the Polycom system to work smoothly and operate well with the integration of live video feeds and Powerpoint presentations.

If you are interested in using the Polycom system for one of your classes or business meetings, please contact the ITS staff.