HughesNet Distance Ed Program Awarded
Today, global leading provider of broadband satellite products and services, HughesNet, revealed that its Brazilian division - Hughes do Brasil - was presented with a Gold Learning Impact Award (LIA) from the IMS Global Learning Consortium. IMS revealed the award at its annual conference in Barcelona. HughesNet was honored for providing distance learning solutions to the Education and Quality of Teaching Department of the State of Amazonas. Additionally, the Brazilian initiative was named "Best in Category: Student Success Solution." The LIAs honor the means by which technology is used to improve learning in various educational settings around the world.
HughesNet's Brazilian initiative delivers educational programming via satellite to over 20,000 Amazonian students. The leading satellite provider’s project was selected from a pool of more than 300 applicants, with IMS selecting the winner based on availability, accessibility, innovation, interoperability, final use, adoption, quality, and organizational learning.
"When we started the program, almost 60% of the communities did not have regular electrical power and we had to buy diesel generators to enable the classrooms to receive the programming. Thanks to the project's success, we have taken the classes to other communities and that's very positive," stated José Augusto de Melo Neto, Coordinator of the Education Media Center of Amazonas. "In 2010, we plan to offer classes for elementary school and to expand the number of classrooms from 700 to 1,000, which will benefit 25,000 students."
"The technological design of this project is at the forefront of providing worldwide basic education. When we introduced the program, we were aware that the entire world was moving towards using technology as a tool to deliver education," said Professor Gedeão Timóteo Amorim, State Secretary for Education and Quality of Teaching of Amazonas.



