VUspace may have competition.
Vanderbilt has signed up to test Microsoft Office Live Workplace, an online "workplace" that allows documents to be shared with others.
"The pilot program will kick off in the next few weeks," said Richard Germano, senior director of Information Technology Services. "It will begin with 15 students and two faculty members in an (English) class, but hopefully it will roll out to more in the near future.
"This is an enormous opportunity for Vanderbilt to test the product and give Microsoft feedback as to what our needs are," he added.
The program gives each student his or her own virtual workspace, accessible from any computer connected to the Internet, in which to store, access and share documents. Students can invite people to the digital workspace with an e-mail address and decide if they can edit or only review.
"Our continued aim is to offer education institutions the best choices of tools to meet the evolving needs of their organization, educators and increasingly tech-savvy students," said Alan Yates, general manager for Worldwide Public Sector Education at Microsoft. "Tools such as Live@edu and Office Live Workspace give students a rich ǃÚconnected-learning' experience, putting them at the center of a vibrant, collaborative teaching and learning community."
Vanderbilt is considering the purchase of Live@edu, another program that offers increased e-mail storage space and password-protected online storage space, automatic e-mail reply, and IP address "white listing," which keeps e-mail messages sent from university mail servers from getting caught in spam filters.
The two components would combine e-mail, calendar and instant message functionality with the new capabilities of the Live Workspace.
The program is Microsoft's answer to Google's Google Apps for Education. Both companies are vying to provide e-mail and online collaboration services to universities.
Senior Matt Kitcharoen said he agreed with the choice to test the online workspace.
"It's a good thing; it's finally a step in the right direction for Vanderbilt," he said.