University Portal Eases Distance Learning

When Royal Roads University wanted to create a virtual college community, it turned to San Francisco-based Plumtree (www.plumtree.com). The Victoria, B.C.-based University now has a portal in place that unites more than 2,000 people, including faculty, staff, and local and distance learners from across North America, Europe and Asia.

The portal has extended Royal Roads to an international market. In all, more than 90 percent of students and 20 percent of faculty now interact with the university remotely, with only short residencies on campus. Using the Plumtree-powered portal, learners and faculty are now able to participate in cross-departmental discussion groups and online communities; find reference libraries and relevant research; and view announcements, broadcast headlines and alerts regarding courses and campus activities.

Other benefits include the ability to pay tuition online, schedule and plan meetings, find HR information, apply for parking permits and pay parking tickets.

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