While we all strive to receive the best education possible, individual experiences are often limited by geographical constraints. Not all institutions are equal, and in many cases we need to travel to foreign countries just to seek the education we wish. Travelling is difficult and not always possible; even when we are able to travel we spend time and effort just adapting to our new environment and consequently our education suffers.

Modern technology enables us the luxury of bringing education to our doorstep. One of the markets predicted to grow and significantly upgrade the world of education in the next few years is the field of online synchronous learning. These platforms allow for students to participate in a full online classroom experience while enjoying one of the ultimate luxuries – geographical freedom.

Recently, many video conferencing suppliers have started to integrate their technology with Learning Management Systems (LMS) used by education institutions. This enables institutions to create fully interactive multi-party online classes. One of the major players in this arena is Groopex, which integrates Cisco’s WebEx and Microsoft’s Live Meeting (which supply roughly 70% of the videoconferencing market) with Moodle, one of the leading LMS’s.

It seems to only be a matter of time before advances in technology will once again transform the world of education.