Campus Consortium EdTalk: Secure Collaboration in Higher Education with Google Workspace

COVID-19 has made, previously considered optional, technical support essential to teaching and learning due to heightened security concerns and the need for reliable communication and collaboration. As schools transition from distance and hybrid learning models back to in-person, institutions of Higher Education are still facing the challenges of data security threats and low student engagement due to inadequate educational tools. 

On Tuesday, May 25th, at the EdTalk event, Campus Consortium President, Karl Horvath, and Amplified IT’s Google for Education Training Lead, Tom Woods, shared the key solutions Google Workspace for Education Plus, which has supported the success of over 170 million students and educators, can provide a post-pandemic campus.

Security & privacy

Over 24.5 million education records have been affected by more than 1,300 data breaches since 2005. Google for Education is committed to the security and privacy of an institution’s Google Workspace domain. Event attendees learned that their digital infrastructure would be:

  • Safe: Google Workspace data is never sold or leveraged to improve Google products. Also, ads are never displayed in any apps. 

  • Manageable: Google Admins can access, export, or delete data at any time.

  • Compliant: Google for Education services comply with the rigorous standards of FERPA, COPPA, FPF, ISO/IEC 27018:2014, and the Software & Information Industry Association.

Included in the Education Plus edition, advanced features like Data Regions, the Investigation Tool, and the Security Dashboard all work to protect sensitive information as holistic and proactive tools that supply analytics and insight into domain data.

Communication & collaboration

With 75% of educators finding that students are participating less during remote instruction than in the physical classroom, improving the student experience is a principal goal. Event attendees also explored Google Workspace for Education Plus enhanced video conferencing capabilities in Google Meet for increased engagement such as: 

  • Live streaming: Institutions can live stream with up to 100,000 viewers at once and host virtual classrooms with up to 250 participants. 

  • Q&A and polling: Video conference hosts can pose and respond to questions for discussion or launch polls for instant feedback.

  • Breakout rooms: Students can engage in smaller groups while the instructor monitors student-led discussions.

  • Recordings and transcriptions: Instructors can save, archive, and transcribe recorded Google Meet meetings in Google Drive for students to have future access to the material.

Going forward, education and technology will rarely operate as independent entities in academic institutions again. Ensuring secure and flexible EdTech tools is important for a successful teaching and learning environment. Campus Consortium supports that Google Workspace for Education’s suite of tools is a great solution and Amplified IT helps institutions get the most of their Google cloud with our products and services.

If your institution would like to migrate to Google Workspace for Education, use Amplified IT’s new Assessment Tool to discover the edition that will meet the needs of your staff, faculty, and students. 

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  • Jessica Bright
    Director, Business Development

  • About the Author:

    Based in Richmond, Virginia, Jessica joined Amplified IT in 2020 to head up the Business Development effort from her remote office. Working exclusively in the educational space for the past 13 years, she has a passion for helping institutions achieve their goals with technology and services. Outside of work, Jessica spends as much time as she can with her furry pals and enjoys being outdoors. She also volunteers regularly, most notably at a youth summer camp.