Oral Roberts U Wireless Upgrade to Support Digital Learning
Over the next year, Oral Roberts University will undergo a massive wireless revamp aimed at "academic growth and expansion.” The institution has partnered with technology integrator Carousel Industries to roll out more than $7 million in upgrades. A major part of the project will be a new Global Learning Center with "three stories of smart classrooms, a multimedia production studio, a 715-seat performance hall and a virtual/augmented reality classroom capable of delivering more than 7,000 academic subjects in a live format," all supported by wireless equipment from Extreme Networks.
"One of ORU's imperatives is to come up with new technology paradigms to extend the reach of education, no matter where people are located in the world," explained Michael Mathews, chief information officer for ORU, in a statement. "We already have 84 different nations represented at our university, and once this installation is complete, remote and prospective students will be able to experience the full breadth of our campus via telepresence robots." (Since this past April, ORU has explored the use of telepresence robots for remote students to virtually attend campus tours, classes, graduation and more.)
"The primary driver of this initiative is that if we can make education fluid, and if we have fluid technology, we can have successful student outcomes," Mathews said.
The wireless upgrade will occur over multiple phases through mid-2016, beginning with the university's chapel, which seats approximately 3,000 people and is used for lectures, classes and religious services. The next phase will focus on other major campus areas, including the Global Learning Center and student dorm rooms.
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].