BCNET News
New National Web Conferencing Procurement for Higher Education and Research Institutions
Partners in the NREN award the first of two collaborative procurements to streamline web conferencing for Canadian education and research institutions.
BCNET, working with its National Research & Education Network (NREN) partners, is pleased to announce the first of two awards for a national web conferencing solution. The first agreement is awarded to Kaltura’s virtual classroom solution, which offers a fully integrated video platform to enhance the teaching and learning experience and enrich student engagement both on campus and remotely at Canadian education and research institutions.
With the increased use of online learning in the country, partners in Canada’s National Research and Education Network (NREN) identified a collective need for a robust, low-cost, video tool tailored to the unique online teaching and learning needs of their member institutions.
“Our successful completion of a national procurement agreement for web conferencing is another milestone for the NREN. We are honored to lead the way for a collaborative agreement that powers online learning experiences for students, faculty and staff at Canadian institutions.”
BALA KATHIRESAN
President and Chief Executive Officer | BCNET
Cooperative Agreement
The search for a web conference solution involved a collaboration of provincial, territorial and federal partners of the NREN. The national cooperation brought together NREN partners from coast to coast to share their requirements for a web conferencing solution that aggregates licensing for the Canadian higher education and research sector. The proposed solution will enable partners of the NREN and their regional higher education and research member institutions to purchase licenses from the national contract.
About Kaltura Virtual Classroom
The Kaltura virtual classroom platform offers an easy-to-use experience built for online instruction, standalone or integrated with learning management systems (LMS). The virtual classroom platform helps make the learning experience interactive and engaging while providing a controlled environment. It also includes features that reach beyond the in-class experience. Instructors can access the classroom prior to the lesson to prepare the material. This material, as well as the session recording, is available after class, for reference for instructors and participants alike.
About the NREN
The National Research and Education Network (NREN) is an essential collective of infrastructure, tools and people that bolsters Canadian leadership in research, education, and innovation. CANARIE and its twelve provincial and territorial partners form Canada’s NREN. We connect Canada’s researchers, educators, and innovators to each other and to data, technology, and colleagues around the world.
Please contact clientservices@bc.net for more information about the agreement.