Case Studies

Galileo University

About Galileo University

The University of Galileo in Guatemala is a new university with a focus on information technology. Based in Guatemala, Galileo is a leader in Central America education in the study of technology planning and analysis; electrical engineering; and design, development, and application of educational technology solutions. Galileo awards undergraduate and masters degrees in technology. Galileo graduates are committed to using their strong technology background to address social development issues in both Guatemala and the broader international community.

Why Galileo University chose .LRN

With its focus on technology and learning, Galileo needed a leading web-based technology for its local and distance learners. In 1998, Galileo sought a flexible solution that would support its nascent distance learning programs and physical class e-learning support. After surveying the open source landscape Galileo chose ACS, the system that later became the underpinnings of .LRN. ".LRN was the only open source platform able to grow along with us," said Rocael Hernandez, Development Director, Research & Development at Galileo. ".LRN's flexible APIs allowed us to create new features to meet our specific user needs." Initial trials for distance learning pilots were successful, and Galileo soon took advantage of the product's inherent flexibility to create their own .LRN-based e-learning application: Galileo Educational System (GES).

What Galileo University is doing with .LRN

At Galileo University, .LRN supports both local and distance learning student populations. .LRN handles all aspects of course administration: assignments, grading, discussion groups, bulk email, and calendaring. GES also has advanced e-learning features, including sophisticated assessment tools, surveys, and even an short messages to mobile phones (SMS) interface for students and professors. Best of all, the .LRN application integrates with existing university systems, with an LDAP service facilitating external authentication.

.LRN has lived up to its promise to grow along with the institution. Today, GES has 16,000 registered users, and actively supports 524 courses, 100 professors, and nearly 3,000 students. GES delivers over 55,000 sessions a month; according to Rocael Hernandez, "GES handles thousands of transactions per day, with multiple concurrent users and a mountain of data." GES's customization is being ported back to .LRN application framework -- enhancing the software for the broader .LRN community.

Future plans for .LRN at Galileo University

In the coming year, Galileo hopes to roll out a .LRN-based course catalog made available by the community, and to develop more advanced features for the assessment system. With a low total cost of ownership and in-house development costs, Galileo plans to continue to invest heavily in .LRN.