SAN CARLOS, Calif, & GRAND RAPIDS, MI, March 18, 2020 -- Bluescape, the leading visual collaboration platform for mission-critical activities, announced that Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Michigan, one of America’s largest universities with more than 24,000 students and 1,780 faculty members, is using Bluescape as part of its transition to online course delivery as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. "Coronavirus is accelerating the adoption of new technologies that are fundamentally changing the way we learn and work," said Peter Jackson, CEO, Bluescape. "We are pleased to support Grand Valley State University to drive this transition quickly and at scale, to better equip students for learning and success within and beyond the classroom, and in life." The move creates a best practice for other universities who are adapting to the shift to remote learning driven by Coronavirus. "This move ensures that Grand Valley State University students can continue to benefit from continuous education while minimizing risks to public health and the disruptions caused by Coronavirus," said Philomena V. Mantella, president, Grand Valley State University. "Education is about equipping our students with the tools and skills needed to adapt quickly to life’s changes and help turn adversity into opportunities for excellence." GVSU chose Bluescape because the technology uniquely meets four essential requirements:
Incorporates existing technologies that are already used by students and faculty such as Zoom, Webex, Google Hangout, Google Docs, and more. The result enables them to teach and learn the way they are used to, versus forcing students and professors to have to learn and adapt to new technologies during a time of change, and increasing stress and anxiety
Enable many-to-many interactions necessary for cohort-centric working and small seminar teaching, given GVSU’s average class size is 26 students, in addition to one-to-many lecture-style learning
Document student attendance and participation required for accreditation and completion of classes and accreditation, both in session and in between sessions
Guarantee student and faculty privacy and security
Protect university intellectual property while enabling access to students, faculty and research partners
About Bluescape
Bluescape transforms the way people work by enabling them to see, share, and interact with mission critical content across all information sources in a single virtual interface, on any device. Bluescape’s open SaaS platform integrates with leading unified communications systems, messaging, content management, and collaboration applications. It operates on large format touch screen displays, laptops, desktops and mobile devices from any location and at any time. Customers include many of the world’s leading multinationals, universities, and government agencies. Bluescape is based in San Carlos, CA with offices throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company was founded in 2012 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Haworth. Visit Bluescape.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
About Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University attracts more than 24,000 students with high-quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Grand Valley is a comprehensive university serving students from all across Michigan and dozens of other states and foreign countries. Grand Valley offers 94 undergraduate and 42 graduate degree programs and has campuses in Allendale, Grand Rapids and Holland. The university offers programming and classes from outreach centers in Battle Creek, Detroit and Traverse City; the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute and the Muskegon Innovation Hub are located in Muskegon. The university is dedicated to individual student achievement, going beyond the traditional classroom experience, with research opportunities and business partnerships.
CONTACT
Sydney Alcaraz Sydney.Alcaraz@RuderFinn.com (628) 235-2102
