Justin Gunter, History Major, William Carey University

“Any system that results in better learning outcomes, more accurate testing methods, and higher test scores is one that belongs on our campus. Microsoft Live@edu provides those services.”

Justin Gunter, History Major, William Carey University

Based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, William Carey University experienced Hurricane Katrina firsthand. The university’s in-house e-mail service went down, and staff had no way to reach students. Determined to replace the old e-mail system with a reliable, hosted,Web-based e-mail service, William Carey chose Microsoft® Live@edu. Today, William Carey students are enjoying stable, rich, collaboration services, no matter what the weather.

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published April 2008

Business Needs

WilliamCareyUniversity is affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The main campus is in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with two subsidiary campuses located in Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

WilliamCareyUniversity had been providing an in-house e-mail service for its students’ use; however, most students preferred to keep the Web-based e-mail services they had been using before arriving on campus. This meant that the university administration didn’t have a single, standard e-mail address list for notifying all students of important campus announcements.

So, when Hurricane Katrina hit the GulfCoast in August 2005, university staff struggled to communicate with students before, during, and after the disaster. “Theweekend prior, we sent out class cancellation notices through TV and radio stations,” recalls Jeff Andrews, Director of Information Technology at WilliamCareyUniversity. “After the hurricane hit, our power and communication lines were down for weeks. Over the next few months, our efforts at getting classes back on track with makeshift locations were hampered by our communication difficulties.”

Establishing a reliable Web-based e-mail service for students was a top priority during the ensuing disaster-recovery and business-continuity meetings at WilliamCareyUniversity. “Hurricane Katrina taught us that we couldn’t rely on our communications infrastructure as the backbone of our student e-mail service,” says Andrews. “We needed a hosted, reliable,Web-based e-mail service from a vendor that we could trust.”

Solution

WilliamCareyUniversity chose Microsoft®Live@edu, a set of free communications and collaboration services for students and alumni, hosted by Microsoft. Through the program, each student receives a Windows Live™Hotmail® Web-based e-mail account that he or she can keepafter graduation. TheMicrosoft Live@edu program also includes Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging conversations among groups, and Windows Live Spaces for sharing documents, photos, and blogs.

“We felt comfortable knowing that Live@edu is modeled after the Hotmail [Web-based email] service, which is proven and reliable. And the students were all familiar with it,” says Andrews. “Reliability was our priority when choosing Live@edu, but we also realized that the potential for improved student communications and collaboration made this much more than just a hosted e-mail service.”

It took Andrews and his three IT staffers only two days to configure the solution and to provision all 2,600 student accounts. These accounts were ready for all students returning to classes in September 2006. “I am not a programmer, and I found this a pretty straightforward process,” recalls Andrews.

To drive student adoption, Andrews integrated the Live@edu e-mail service into the university’s course management system. The university sent mailings via the U.S. Postal Service to the students, and Live@edu account information was attached to student schedules and billing statements also mailed. Also, the university president mandated that faculty members use the Live@edu e-mail account when sending e-mail messages to students.

Benefits

Speaking for the university, Andrews says, “Live@edu is the student communications piece of our business-continuity plan, and it’s running flawlessly. “WithMicrosoft hosting the service, we areingood hands.”

For William Carey students, Live@edu is more than a reliable e-mail service. Students are using the solution to communicate better with teachers, improve productivity when working on school activities, collaborate with each other on projects, and keep in touch after graduating.

Ensures reliable student/faculty communication. Justin Gunter, a third-year history student at WilliamCareyUniversity, prefers to receive his assignments via a secure, university- validated e-mail service. “Professors used to rely on hit-and-miss handouts or phoned students to tell them about a change to the curriculum,” Gunter says. “Now I know that I’ll get every assignment and notice.”

Improves productivity. Students can quickly communicate with each other using Windows Live Messenger,potentiallyboosting productivity. Gunter uses instant messaging conversations to coordinate his work-study activities with colleagues in the IT department. “If I’m setting up a computer and I need my colleague to do something on the network, I send him an instant message instead of walking around trying to find him,” heexplains.

And it’s making a big difference in the classroom. “Students use Live@edu e-mail to hand in quizzes and assignments, and the professor e-mails them back when they’re graded,” says Gunter. “Now the professor doesn’t go around to every computer during class or collect paper.

“We have created a dialogue that begins in the classroom, but then, via the Live@edu services, extends safely and conveniently beyond. Students can easily store their grades and assignments to look at beforea test.Any system that results in better learning outcomes, more accurate testing methods, and higher test scores is one that belongs on our campus. Microsoft Live@edu provides those services.”

Fosters student collaboration. Achampion debater and member of the William Carey debate team, Gunter believes that the team’s ability to communicate electronically is helping to win more competitions. “It’s easy to share supporting documents with each other and the coach,” he says. “During the event, it’s faster to search electronic documents than paper ones, and we can send instant messages to keep the team focused and on target.”

Keepsalumni connected. Andrews is already receiving requests from alumni for an @wmcarey.edu e-mail address of their own. “William Carey alumni are a close-knit group, and I’ll be able to stay in touch better,” says Gunter. “This e-mail address will also look more professional when I apply tolaw schools.”

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published April 2008