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SAP Launches Virtual Campus for University Students, Faculty, Partners

By: Chris Riedel

2/26/2009

SAP has recently launched an interactive Web portal aimed at the global academic community. Dubbed the SAP University Alliances community, the new portal provides participants with a range of IT, academic, and career-oriented tools intended to bring real-world skills into the academic environment.

According to the announcement, the new resource is structured like a virtual campus, complete with a career resource center, faculty club, student union, library, and classrooms. Content for the various areas is supplied by both SAP and community participants and includes course lectures, case studies, demonstrations and videos, and exercises, as well as discussion forums and blogs.

"The users of this community-based portal will extend significantly beyond those involved with the long-standing SAP University Alliances program," said SAP co-CEO Leo Apotheker, in a prepared statement. "Professors and students from program member and non-member universities alike now have access to effective, clear networking tools designed to expand their skill sets for developing and using enterprise technology. The portal highlights SAP's global commitment to technology education, and will help increase student participation and expand the worldwide pool of SAP-knowledgeable graduates."

According to SAP, the portal is built on technology currently deployed in the broader SAP community network. The company expects the new portal to foster faculty and student collaboration as well as provide members the opportunity to network with SAP customers and business partners. The current SAP online community has more than 1.5 million users and, with the addition of the University Alliances community, is expected to grow by up to one million additional participants over the next few years.


About the author: Chris Riedel is a freelance writer based in Florida. He can be reached here.