The SouthWest London Academic Network was launched earlier this year as a strategic alliance among Kingston University, St Georges, University of London, and Royal Holloway, University of London. The Alliance aims to create new opportunities in biological and biomedical sciences, leadership and management education for health professionals, and inter-professional practice and learning. As part of the venture, a number of collaborative courses will be delivered by the three universities.

The Wimba Collaboration Suite maintains the intimate and interactive nature of the classroom in a remote setting. Traditional classroom elements, such as discussion, collaboration, and debate are enabled through interactive technologies including voice and video features, polling, white boarding, and application sharing. Podcasting, content authoring, and instant messaging allow students and faculty to enjoy a rich experience from their separate locations, a prerequisite for the type of community the Alliance is building.

"We're preparing our students, faculty, and researchers for the future", said Cherie Woolmer, Project Manager for the SouthWest London Academic Network. "Our National Health Service, the publicly funded health system in the U.K., and public sector workforce must be well trained and flexible, and our institutions offer unparalleled coursework and content. With the Wimba Collaboration Suite, we all benefit - students, teachers and professionals across three institutions - and can truly learn from one another and hone much needed skills for the future."

The scope of the program is significant. It is the first example of three universities communicating and collaborating with shared coursework and resources. Students and faculty at any of the three universities are able to access coursework and fully participate in classroom activities. The Wimba Collaboration Suite works seamlessly with existing online course management systems, in this case, Blackboard and Moodle.

"Like Wimba, the SouthWest London Academic Network recognizes the potential of highly collaborative networks in education and the impact of established communities of learning in the advancement of science", said Tommaso Trionfi, CEO of Wimba. "We look forward to supporting the Alliance as it expands horizons and breaks barriers for communicating and sharing research and knowledge."

Wimba offers the most comprehensive suite of collaborative products created exclusively for education. The Wimba Collaboration Suite - which includes Wimba Classroom, Wimba Voice, Wimba Create and Wimba Pronto (formerly known as Live Classroom, Voice Tools, Course Genie and Pronto, respectively) - empowers educators and publishers with a unique collaborative approach that enhances learning, improves outcomes, and increases student retention.