Moravian College Revamps Network for Anytime, Anywhere Learning
In an effort to meet student expectations for anytime, anywhere network access, Moravian College in Pennsylvania has deployed a Unified Access network from Alcatel-Lucent.
Last year, a student survey at the college found that many were unhappy with the performance, coverage and capacity of the institution's existing network. Connectivity frequently dropped as students moved from one location to another. What's more, a campuswide initiative to provide all students with Apple laptops and tablets was flooding the network with devices.
To address those concerns, Moravian worked with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and channel partner Advance 2000 to design an integrated wired and wireless network that can handle high levels of use anywhere on campus. According to a press release, the new technology accommodates all data, video and multimedia traffic on a single secure network, accessible by any device — all without overloading IT with network management and support. Overall, the college aims to create a collaborative, knowledge-sharing environment designed for tailored and interactive learning.
"Our vision was to assure each student would have modern technology to enhance their learning and living experience here," said Scott Hughes, CIO at Moravian, in a prepared statement. "When we committed to issuing multiple devices to our students, we realized they would also be bringing more from home. Students have high expectations of what wired and wireless networks should provide to support their research for classes and their social interactions. We needed a network that could effectively handle the academic load that would be placed on it and easily support the social and entertainment load the students would generate.
"With this new network, Moravian College can achieve its vision for a new education environment in which everyone has the same tools and same access experience regardless of where they are on campus or which network they are using. The classroom walls are totally removed with the availability of a full-blown modern wireless network. And teaching, learning and collaboration can happen anywhere on campus, anytime it's appropriate."
About the Author
Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].