Harvard Technology Team Wins Eduventures Innovation Award

The Emerging Technology Solutions Team from the Harvard Division of Continuing Education (DCE) recently received a 2024 Eduventures Innovation Award at the annual Summit in Chicago, Ill., according to a news release. DCE designed, developed, and implemented the HELIX Portable Blended Classroom, which expands the teaching capabilities of blended classes to allow for an connected, immersive learning experience.

The HELIX (Harvard Extension Live Interactive eXperience) Portable Blended Classroom replaces HyFlex (Hybrid and Flexible) teaching to allow Harvard faculty to teach classroom-based and remote students in real time from any classroom on campus. The hardware is available via two portable carts with minimal setup required and uses Zoom-based software, according to the news release. The technology has been deployed in hundreds of classrooms used by the Harvard Extension School, Harvard Summer School, Harvard College, and other professional schools.

The DCE Emerging Technology Solutions Team is led by Henry Leitner, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer and Associate Dean, Information Technology. Eduventures Research is a division of Encoura that offers research, analysis, and advisory services to higher education leaders and that recognizes innovative approaches to teaching, learning, and student support, the news release reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Elevating Campus Maintenance: How Power Wash Drones are Transforming Educational Facilities

    As today’s campuses grow larger and more architecturally complex, keeping exteriors clean, safe, and inviting has never been tougher. Facilities leaders are under constant pressure to stretch budgets, meet safety standards, and support sustainability goals—all while tackling the stubborn challenge of exterior cleaning.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

Digital Edition