Connecting with India Using WisLine Web
This is a simple story with a happy ending. But if you stop to think about the distance and mission – connecting engineers in Pune, India, with an instructor in Madison, Wisconsin, not to mention an eleven-and-a-half hour time difference – well, forecasting a happy ending might have seemed downright optimistic.
But that’s where the staff of Instructional Communications Systems (ICS) and Wisline Web conferencing come in. This real-world scenario epitomizes the importance of distance education – in this case, webconferencing -- and highlights how ICS helps our clients in Wisconsin and around the world.
The story begins with Dr. Syed Shahed. He received his Ph.D in Madison and remains a good friend of the university. A few years ago, Dr. Shahed was elected president of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). One of his goals during his term as president was to offer a professional development seminar for practicing engineers under the auspices of SAE India. The course was a popular one, and he continued to offer similar seminars. One was co-presented by Dr. Shahed and Dr. Kevin Hoag of Engineering and Professional Development (EPD), University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Because the Engineering and Professional Development department regularly uses WisLine Web for their online Master of Engineering in Engine Systems (MEES) and already has students participating overseas, Dr. Shahed and Dr. Hoag decided to use WisLine Web to offer an Engine Design and Development seminar in conjunction with SAE India.
The biggest concern was the 11.5-hour time difference between India and Madison. For Dr. Hoag to begin his presentation at 9 a.m., he and the ICS WisLine Web Operations staff had to begin their work at 9:30 p.m. With breaks and questions, the seminar would run until about 12:30 p.m. each night. The course started on a Sunday in India, so Kevin and the Operations staff worked Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights over the Dr. King holiday weekend.
The results? Hoag: WisLine Web “worked flawlessly. Audio quality was very good, and the internet worked perfectly. … we used the new camera feature, so they could see a small camera inlay of my ‘talking head.’ While I did not think this would be important the feedback from India is that it helped tremendously in making it feel ‘live.’”
Shahed: “The technology worked very well and the visual image was of high value. I cannot emphasize enough the need for such courses in emerging regions. If long distance technology can work as effectively as it did this time … then the number of people who can be reached is vast.”
And the happy ending? Fifty-five people in India were extremely pleased with the course and course delivery. They got the knowledge they were seeking.
ICS is proud to have played its part to span time and distance to help connect UW-Madison’s Engineering Professional Development with SAE colleagues in India via WisLine Web. That’s a happy ending for us, too.
