Item: BlueJeans Meetings (discontinued)
Rating: 10
Author: Daniel P. Geer, MMin, MATS

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

World Harvest Bible College uses BlueJeans for including remote learners in live class sessions. Every course offered on campus is available for remote learners regardless of their location. Because of our use, the Executive Board also adopted BlueJeans to hold meetings when time constraints prevented traveling for face-to-face meetings. Several of our board members are pastors and time is already restricted. BlueJeans allows them to get together without traveling for several hours, enabling them to communicate without the hindrance of travel time.

Pros and Cons

BlueJeans is an easy user experience. Our remote students use a variety of technology, including notebooks and tablets. BlueJeans created an app that makes use easy as well.
BlueJeans has a small footprint, enabling users to use whatever technology they own. I have had one user join class with a cell phone.
BlueJeans enables remote students to both hear lecture and ask questions, while in class. We have also had remote users join small groups in break-out sessions; one local student simply brings their laptop to the group, and the remote learner is in the group via that laptop.
In a normal size classroom, the mic on the camera (Logitech C922 Pro Stream) is adequate to capture both lecture and student comments, creating a truly live experience.

Recording the session creates a large file. We use streaming on YouTube to capture the session for later viewing. Sessions are then posted in our online classroom for students who could not attend live.
The school has one older iMac that cannot use the app. Blue Jeans works in the web browser, but the app is really a good experience. The school is not going to replace a functioning piece of equipment if it can help it!

Return on Investment

The Executive Board has saved time and money by scheduling meetings through BlueJeans.
The college has increased enrollment of remote learners who attend class live.
Students who are sick or encountered childcare issues may still attend class with BlueJeans.
Remote learners benefit from the classroom experience, even if they are 8 hours away from campus.

Usability

Blue Jeans is easy to centrally administrate from an office computer, as far as establishing planned meeting times and schedules, and users only need to know their meeting number and the times of the meetings. We did find out early that it is best for the school to post meeting times in a variety of time zones. Students need to know schedules based upon their local time. Any user must have the meeting number in order to attend, and BlueJeans can be set to only allow certain users into a meeting. So it is easy to use with good security.

Likelihood to Recommend

We recommend BlueJeans, not only for its useful function but also because its cost is reasonable. WHBC is using inexpensive equipment;our cameras are not what might be called professional quality. High-end expense is not necessary for BlueJeans to do a great job relaying both audio and video in a meeting. Users on the other end who also have a mic can enjoy two-way communication, such as in classes or meetings. Because it is easy to use, an organization does not need a "technology department" to benefit from BlueJeans.

BlueJeans for Everyday Communication

Overall Satisfaction with BlueJeans

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Pros and Cons

Return on Investment

Usability

Likelihood to Recommend

BlueJeans Meetings (discontinued) Feature Ratings