Technology company Cisco and Mapua University have officially opened what is considered the country’s first all-digital classroom. The collaboration, announced last September, aims to integrate Cisco’s advanced technological solutions into Mapua’s engineering and technology school.
“Technology is transforming how we work, learn, and live,” said Zaza Soriano-Nicart, managing director of Cisco Philippines. “We are here to support Mapua University’s transformative journey to become a leading innovation hub that utilizes cutting-edge teaching and learning methods under Ugnayan 2030.”
This initiative, part of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program in the Philippines, underscores the company’s commitment to bridging the digital divide by providing enhanced access to technology for educational purposes.
“This is a big step toward our vision to foster sustainable socio-economic growth through innovation, digital transformation, and lifelong education,” said Dr. Dodjie Maestrecampo, president and CEO of Mapúa University.
AI-powered collaboration tools
The digital classroom initiative supports Mapua’s Tri-X (triple experience) teaching and learning framework. This model allows students to choose between face-to-face, synchronous, or asynchronous learning for each lesson. The classroom can accommodate a hundred students or those who want to attend in-person classes.
Cisco’s AI-powered collaboration tools and smart cameras, supported by ICT solutions integrator Microdata, will facilitate inclusive, engaging, and secure hybrid learning experiences.
Among the showcased technologies are:
- Webex Boards: Enabling video meetings, digital whiteboarding, and content annotation.
- AI-Powered Webex Suite Features: Providing background noise removal, automatic cropping of remote participants’ videos, real-time automated closed captions, and AI-generated meeting summaries.
- Meraki Cloud-Managed Smart Cameras: Offering enhanced surveillance capabilities with panoramic wide area coverage and low-light functionality.
Webex ensures enterprise-grade security to verify every learner, protect every device and browser, and secure all communications with encryption.
Mapua now hosts five digital classrooms: three at the Intramuros Campus and two at the Makati Campus. These classrooms will support courses in various disciplines, including Engineering, Architecture, Liberal Arts, Information Technology, Media Studies, Business, Health Sciences, and Nursing. Starting in the new academic year in August, the digital classrooms will be used for course lectures, extracurricular activities, and inter-campus planning sessions across Mapua’s campuses in Intramuros, Makati, Laguna, and Davao.
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