Every fall, entering the ivory gates of college campuses is an eagerly anticipated rite of passage for millions of students across the country. This school year, students, parents, and colleges are catapulted into an unexpected new reality. It’s hard to fathom that in a few short months, higher education has permanently pivoted towards blended and remote learning, and the pressure on IT departments and the demand for connectivity has greatly intensified.
For us at Lyon College, this challenge became an opportunity to pilot various remote learning solutions on the strong foundation of an advanced managed campus network.
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2020 has tested and stretched our small, rural Batesville, Arkansas-based private college. With a major milestone – our sesquicentennial – approaching in two years and our students starting the fall semester remotely, we felt a get-it-done-now pressure to deliver high-quality online learning – not as a convenient alternative but as a critical part of the education experience.