38 | CASE STUDY | HIGHER EDUCATION


W: edtechnology.co.uk | T: @Educ_Technology


EDUCATION FOR A WI-FI NATION


ABOVE: The University of Bradford


In the 50+ years the University of Bradford has existed, the students it serves and the world in which it exists have changed drastically


Higher education has gone from paper-based study to relying heavily on mobile technology and the internet. It therefore comes as no surprise that keeping up with such constantly evolving technology is a challenge for higher education institutions. The mobile boom in particular is something


the University of Bradford knew it needed to cater for. Ofcom now states that more than half of UK adults own a smartphone, with 75% of 16–24-year- olds regularly using their smartphones to access the internet. Today’s students were born into the mobile generation. They expect to be able to access all manner of online tools from their devices such as social networks, news sources and apps. “We already provided Wi-Fi access to our resident


students and staff but we often welcome people from elsewhere, for example prospective students and their parents atending open days,” explained Jill Bell, computer network manager at the University of Bradford.


resource both from a staff and budget perspective. In 2009, the university signed a deal with The


Cloud, the UK’s biggest provider of public access Wi- Fi, with over 20,000 live locations including the City of London, Southampton City Council and M&S, in addition to many other universities. With over 10 years in providing internet access across large areas, the University was confident that The Cloud could offer the kind of reliable service its visitors required. “When speaking with The Cloud we were impressed


by how simple the service would be to manage. The only cost to us is a reasonable monthly fee. For that our visitors get fast, free Wi-Fi so they can stay connected as they visit,” explained Bell. “The initial roll-out of the Wi-Fi was smooth and


completed quickly with no disruption to students, staff or visitors.”


Connected Campus With fast, free internet connection, visitors are able to fully experience life on-campus – using The Cloud to access online service such as social media and apps. The Cloud’s FastConnect App has also helped to drive usage – meaning visitors are automatically connected


"The initial roll-out of Wi-Fi was smooth and completed quickly with no disruption to students" “We also have an app, ‘About UoB,’ which provides


information like maps, plus details of various on- campus venues. This is designed to help people who do not know the campus well. Because of that, we knew that to provide the best campus experience, our visitors required fast, free internet access.”


Graduating to Wi-Fi One option was to provide people with temporary access to the student/staff Wi-Fi network by registering them individually. However this was a time-consuming, manual option, so was soon dismissed. Instead, the University sought to partner with a Wi-Fi provider which could offer the kind of service it needed, without investing in additional


to the Wi-Fi network when they arrive on campus. “Everyone from construction teams working


on building improvements to parents visiting the campus can use the Wi-Fi and it’s proving a vital tool in ensuring people have the best experience at the University,” added Bell. “Since implementation, there have also been


upgrades to the service. In 2013 The Cloud partnered with Janet, part of JISC Group, the UK’s expert on digital technologies for research and education. This led to improvements to the infrastructure and we’ve seen the Wi-Fi become even more reliable since. We’re delighted with the service – it has added to the experience of visiting the campus and ensured we are fully providing for the mobile generation.” ET


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66