Flipping the Script at Stevens Institute

A revolution in classroom learning is underway at Stevens Institute of Technology. The students have an active role in contributing to class lessons, instead of just passively listening to long lectures, because they have Mezzanine from Oblong Industries.

This investment turned the dynamics of the classroom on its head. The learning environment is now more collaborative with students able to immediately connect and contribute content streams from multiple sources simultaneously. This enables teams of student analysts to get significantly more engaged, evaluate problems from a wider angle, and move faster to better decisions. The educator in this environment can take on a supporting role as advisor, advocate, and guide to problem-solving the matters at hand. The approach is important, because it mirrors the realities of the future of work, which is forecast to be ever more complex.

“These new labs provide the tools and the technologies to make good decisions and it also provides the environment of collaboration that is needed to address major problems both in business and in finance.”

- Gregory Prastacos, Dean of the School of Business

With the data deluge here now—the exponential increase in information coming ever faster and from every angle—tools are needed to help teams make sense of it. In the finance industry, markets and rates and opportunities are by definition influenced by myriad sources, expectations, timing, and trends. To win in the markets means you need great insights. Sure, A.I. and machine learning can provide filtration and prediction services but are you getting your answers from one source, or from multiple sources? Thorny problems require information and monitoring from multiple sources. You could consume source-data serially — first this chart and then that feed and then this other reference — but that takes a lot more brain power and retention than just putting everything up side-by-side where analysts can see it all together. 

“Unless you’re moving [workflows] into a more visual and immersive kind of mode you’re going to have a lot of trouble even coping with the data that you’re getting out of the market today.”

- George Calhoun, Director of the Quantitative Finance Program

Take a moment to watch the video, and hear students and educators talk about it in their own words. 

To learn more about what Mezzanine can do for your business, or your classroom, get in touch.