For the summer semester, the College of Computer & Information Technology is seeking to pilot WEBEX in its CISCO courses. According to CISCO Academy Instructor Michael Gordon, WEBEX allows for online classes to incorporate video and voiceover. It facilitates up to 100 students. Although instructors have the main control to present, it can be passed from the instructor to students during a presentation.

Using WEBEX is in no way cumbersome. Students get an email from the instructor, and like an email account, students log on to the server using their username and password. There is no download or installation required. If students prefer not to use the video feature, they have the option of using a phone conference system. All sessions are recorded and can be replayed at a later time. If a student does not have computer access, mobile phones can accommodate WEBEX as well.

“I wanted to add this feature to the virtual class setting because I can meet with a student and all students can observe my responses. This, in turn, cuts down on emailing, which can be time consuming.” Currently, Gordon is the only one slated to use WEBEX for CISCO courses, but he hopes that it will be used for other subjects in the future. Though Gordon hopes to implement WEBEX into his courses by fall, a pilot for WEBEX is slated for the summer session.