Transcription Details: RensselaerStudio Tour

The RensselaerStudio is a digital environment created by Rensselaer at Work to enable you to participate fully in your learning experience anytime, anywhere.

It was designed to share features with courses that you may have experienced in the past, but which are delivered in an entirely new way. There are no tests, no quizzes, and learning is completed through projects that matter under the support of a Rensselaer faculty practitioner.

Let me show you how it functions. In the "Course Information" tab, you'll be able to see the basics--the course syllabus, a calendar showing your upcoming course schedule and due dates, and information on the best way to get in touch with your professor.

The learning, however, takes place through "Projects." You'll start your journey to understand the scenario of your projects for the semester.

They often take place within a single workplace narrative that evolves throughout the term, much like work itself. You'll review the scenario and challenge of each project and be guided in your approach through step by step instructions, as well as embedded resources.

If you ever want to go back to a previous resource, you can find them in the resource library.

Projects are not only the basis of instruction at Rensselaer, but they are also the way that you demonstrate mastery of a given topic. You're not just assigned a grade, but have a clear rubric to follow and are given feedback with each of your submissions.

If you're not satisfied with the result, you can take that feedback and resubmit for full credit through an iterative process with your mentor.

"Interactions" has other resources. Every few weeks, we will host a synchronous session in the evening to review updates, discuss approaches to your work, and provide guidance on achieving project success. The sessions are about an hour long and are recorded, so if you can't make it or you'd like to review later, the resource is available to you when you need it.

In addition, there's an inbox feature that lets you message your instructor, as well as other participants of the course. Maybe you'd like to review material together, or use the BigBlueButton tool to conference, screen share, and collaborate.

Scrolling down, you'll see another tool called Discussions. This is not a discussion board as you may have experienced previously, but it functions more like a continued dialogue on topics that students or faculty think are interesting, helpful, or important to the class. To see how you're doing in the course, just check the "My Progress" tab.

One of the biggest features of the Studio are the resources found in the "RensselaerLab." 

This is an emulated Windows desktop environment that allows you access to full versions of important software packages, including the MS Office Suite, Matlab, Anaconda, MiniTab, Crystal Ball, AnyLogic, and many more.

The best thing about this is, you can log in and complete work from any device wherever you are in the world. If you have bandwidth and a browser, that's all you need to get your work done.

The experience was built for you, and in a number of classes, you're able to design projects yourself, so that they applied directly to your work, allowing you to gain mastery as well as providing valuable insights back to your employer.

To learn more about the programs and hear more detail about specific courses, consider joining us for an informational webinar.