MADISON, Wis. — September 18, 2018 — Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the trusted global leader for video creation and management solutions, today announces Iqra University selected Mediasite for lecture capture and video management in its new state-of-the-art smart classrooms across five campuses in Pakistan. The selection is part of the university’s $3M digital learning initiative and makes it the first university in the country to deploy a large-scale academic video program.
“We realized that reaching students via the traditional brick and mortar way in Pakistan is difficult, because we have campuses in different cities and it’s not always easy for them to attend classes in-person,” said Hunaid Lakhani, Iqra University Chancellor. “Mediasite allows us to reach the students regardless of their locations and differentiated our university from all the others in Pakistan. Now that we have Mediasite, universities are looking to us as an innovator and want to replicate our Mediasite smart classrooms.”
The private university began using Mediasite in October 2017 and has since converted 20 rooms into “smart classrooms” — automated and integrated learning spaces complete with state-of-the-art AV systems and Mediasite for lecture capture. The university plans to complete 80 more classrooms soon.
All classes are streamed live to students online via Mediasite on any device and available for review on-demand in the university’s learning management system, Moodle. Plus, using Mediasite’s engaging quizzing and polling features, students complete examinations online in real-time. The recorded lectures and presentations are managed in the secure Mediasite Video Platform on-premises.
Iqra University also created a “smart auditorium” — with plans for another — for university guest speakers and extracurricular activities, making it the go-to presentation space in the country. The university even broadcasts the top three TV news channels in Pakistan from the auditorium.
“Pakistan has a population of nearly 200 million, and 64 million are students in a wide geographical area. I created the smart classroom model to ensure accessible education for all students,” said Muhammad Manshad Satti, CEO and founder of security company IT Butler E-Services and educational technology provider EduServ – both Sonic Foundry partners. “Our aim is to give students unlimited access to digital learning resources in their learning management system so that they can study anywhere, anytime on any device.”
“University leaders in Pakistan are still in the early stages of deploying academic video strategies on their campuses. With its new smart classrooms for lecture capture, Iqra University is among the most ground-breaking institutions in not only Pakistan, but the larger APAC region,” said Gary Weis, CEO, Sonic Foundry. “It is an honor to have been selected by Iqra University as its video solution, and we look forward to helping personalize the learning experiences of each student. With nearly 200 universities and 3,800+ affiliated colleges enrolling more than 64 million students, there is a tremendous opportunity in Pakistan for Mediasite.”
Trusted by more than 1,700 colleges and universities, Mediasite Video Platform quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of live and on-demand videos for campus events, lecture capture and flipped learning.
About Iqra University
Iqra University is a private university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, with additional campuses in other parts of the city and Islamabad. https://iqra.edu.pk/
About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.
Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Madison, Wis., Sonic Foundry (OTC: SOFO) is dedicated to transforming how the world works and learns through innovative and scalable technology solutions. Sonic Foundry’s brands include Vidable® and Global Learning Exchange® which help unlock a smarter, more connected world for learners, workers, and entrepreneurs everywhere. For more information visit www.sonicfoundry.com.
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