December 17, 2014 at 4:25 p.m.
Nicolet College installs advanced telepresence distance learning technology
Nicolet College installs advanced telepresence distance learning technology
"The experience is amazing," Chuck Komp, Dean of Business and Instructional Effectiveness, said of the technology known as telepresence. "You feel like you are sitting in the same room with people who are actually many miles away. This will definitely cut down on travel time for many students and make it much more convenient for them to earn a college education."
The high-tech classroom on the Rhinelander campus is outfitted with five displays, including three 65-inch, high-definition screens that sit side-by-side. In front of the displays is a specially-designed table for students and instructor. Each site has an advanced camera system along with theater-quality audio equipment.
People appear life-size on the displays and participants view each other eye to eye. To complete the effect, the rooms at each location are also nearly identical down to the paint color.
The system is one of only a handful like it in the state. The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration funded this project by providing a $415,000 grant to Nicolet.
"After using it for a while it's easy to forget you're talking to someone who is actually a long distance away," Komp said. "You actually get the illusion that they are in the room with you. It's that realistic."
The college also structured curriculum so telepresence students can earn a fast-track business technical diploma in supervision, sales and marketing, bookkeeping and receptionist in a year or less.
Numerous general education classes that are required for other college credentials will also be offered over the new technology. These classes will include Oral and Interpersonal Communication, English Composition I, Written Communication, Principles of Microeconomics, Introductory Reading Study, Principles of College Math, and Introduction to Literature.
"On many days, we'll be offering classes eight to 12 hours a day over telepresence," Komp said.
Nicolet will begin using the technology Jan. 26 when the spring semester begins.
Nicolet has telepresence rooms at its Lakeland Center in Minocqua. In Tomahawk, the room is in the college's Academic Success Center, 119 West Wisconsin Avenue.
For more information about telepresence classes, call the Nicolet Welcome Center at (715) 365-4493, 1-800-544-3039, ext. 4493, TDD 711 or visit nicoletcollege.edu.
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