Cal State San Bernardino Powers Up With Wireless Charging
Powermat's wireless charging rings
Students at California State University, San Bernardino will soon be able to charge their mobile devices wirelessly all over campus. The school is installing the Powermat wireless charging platform in high-traffic common spaces, student union areas, study areas, and on-campus cafes and restaurants to help students stay connected to the information and learning resources they need. The next step will be a broader implementation in the university's library and classrooms.
"E-learning has become part of every student's lifestyle with course materials, assignments and videos hosted online and accessible via mobile," said Gerard Au, associate vice president, Information Technology Services at CSUSB, in a press release. "As mobile device usage increases, we need to extend our capability to keep up, and the Powermat platform is an important part of that infrastructure as it will allow our students to stay connected and learning all day long,"
The number of mobile devices connected to CSUSB's wireless network has increased 16 percent year over year, according to Au. While the university recently upgraded its network, there were not enough electrical outlets to keep students' devices charged up.
"The Powermat platform allows us to monitor the charging spots and take full advantage of usage trends. We can then engage students with university-sponsored information via the Powermat application when they charge. Having the ability to manage the technology and engage students beyond a simple charging solution is what made us decide to partner with Powermat," said Au.
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].