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Southwest’s Digital Twin platform selected as finalist in IDC’s Best in Future of Work awards

By Diana Fedinec

Digital TwinCongratulations to Southwest’s Information and Technology Services department on their prestigious recognition as a finalist in the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Future Enterprise Best in Future of Work North America Awards in the category of Space for its Digital Twin Distance Teaching/Learning Platform. The award-winning entry was a joint submission with project partner Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.’s IT Services Division All Covered. 

The new platform offers students the convenience of choosing a course that is simultaneously offered both in-person and remotely.  The technology integrates two large interactive touch panels for sharing teaching content and camera feeds, along with two high-quality cameras electronically “paired” to each course’s Zoom session. Launched in Spring 2021 during a time when the college expanded its virtual classroom options due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the new teaching modality has since digitally transformed the classroom experience for students and teachers in more than 29 courses ranging from business to nursing to communications. 

“We are thrilled to receive this global recognition that exemplifies our College’s innovative spirit of collaboration and dedication to advancing the success of our students,” Southwest president Tracy D. Hall said. “This unique digital classroom environment not only keeps our students connected, it also provides them an alternative safe learning experience.” 

IDC’s new award program was designed to showcase implemented initiatives in North America that display an agile and scalable approach to work to drive new value and competitive differentiation for an organization. IDC, recognizes that, globally, organizations are experiencing seismic changes in where and how they work: how technology is changing work culture, digital and physical workspaces, and the ways in which humans and machines collaborate to get work done.

“Southwest Tennessee Community College has worked very hard with All Covered and our other vendor partners to design a distance learning technology platform that will facilitate and replicate the real-time “in-class” experience for students who may be attending remotely,” said Dr. David Rosenthal, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Services, SWTCC. “We are proud to know that the Digital Twin platform is entirely unique to Tennessee and the Midsouth, and we see the possibility of this project ultimately increasing our enrollment and adding value to the instruction provided to our students.”

Digital Twin
Associate Professor Shilpa Desai uses Digital Twin Technology to teach students via Zoom
in her Medical Technology Laboratory operations course. 

Allied Health Department Associate Professor Shilpa Desai said she loves the new technology and the flexibility it offers her students. “I actually had a student who used the Digital Twin classroom to join my class via Zoom and take a test virtually from home at the same time I had other students take the test in class,” Desai said. “Digital Twin helped me monitor her on the Zoom call and monitor the other students physically in the classroom. It’s a great use of new technology especially for our health care students who are adapting to new ways of training and learning during a pandemic and in taking COVID-19 safety precautions.” 

To watch a brief demo about the Digital Twin Distance Teaching/Learning Platform click here; to view a brief promotional video featuring Dr. David Rosenthal click here.

IDC's 2021 Best in Future of Work North America Awards will be presented to winning initiatives at an awards ceremony in February 2022. Learn more on IDC’s website.