Wireless Solution Gives University Students and Teachers ...



Overview

Country: United Kingdom

Industry: Education

Customer Profile

Scottish-based University of Strathclyde is dedicated to making higher education available to all students, regardless of their background.

Business Situation

The university wanted to consolidate its central e-mail systems and information portal into a new service that students and staff could access anywhere in the world, from any device.

Solution

The university built an interface to the portal and Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003, which can be accessed using a single logon from any computer or Microsoft Windows Mobile® 2003–based device.

Benefits

■ Convenient, any-time access to university information

■ Gives students more freedom to manage their own learning

■ Provides teachers with effective, any-time communications

■ A unique selling point for the university

■ Offers a cost-effective, secure solution

| | |“We are gathering numerous useful services to offer students using the system. For example, one student was thrilled to be able to get his exam results on his Smartphone while travelling in a remote part of Australia”

George Farquhar, Assistant Director, University of Strathclyde

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| | | |The University of Strathclyde in Scotland aims to make education available to all students and remove|

| | | |some of the boundaries often associated with campus education. The success of a number of wireless |

| | | |projects prompted the university to consolidate its central e-mail systems and information portal |

| | | |into a new service that students and staff could access from anywhere in the world, from any device. |

| | | |Using their computer or Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 2003–based device, students and staff can access |

| | | |exam results, timetables or class details, or manage their e-mail, calendar, and contacts in real |

| | | |time. The solution gives students and staff freedom to access information when and where it is |

| | | |convenient for them, rather than just during university hours. |

| | | | |

| | | |[pic] |

| | | | |

Situation

The University of Strathclyde is a dynamic, top-ranking university based in Scotland. It is dedicated to making higher education available to all students, regardless of their background, and helping them to develop their skills and recognise their full potential and abilities. The university aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge, social cohesion, and the quality of life.

The University of Strathclyde was recently rated by students as among the most impressive universities in the U.K. The Times Higher Education Supplement asked 10,000 first-year undergraduates how they perceived their university in 10 categories. Strathclyde achieved more top-20 mentions than any other institution and was rated in the top-10 of four of the categories.

Strathclyde’s students are particularly attracted to the university’s strong employment prospects, course content, and quality of teaching. Part of the university’s strategy is to remove the physical boundaries often associated with on-campus education. One of its early projects was to set up a wireless area in the library where students could move around freely with their laptops.

Stuart Brough, Director of IT, University of Strathclyde, says: “We got a lot of positive feedback and started doing new pilot studies with laptops. It gave us the incentive to build a larger wireless network, and we expanded to main areas where students congregated, such as the refectory and cafes. Staff and students loved it, and there are now 2,500 laptops on campus.”

In 2004, the university started a new scheme to consolidate its central e-mail systems and information portal into a more robust and reliable infrastructure. “We wanted to offer a new service that would help students and staff to connect to any content, from anywhere in the world, using any device,” says Brough.

Solution

The university worked with Microsoft to implement an Active Directory® directory service infrastructure, on which the institution based a new interface to all systems and services at the university, which can be accessed using a single logon.

The system identifies individuals, whether they are a staff member or a student, and their access rights. “For example, the system will automatically know that I’m the Director of IT, what budgets I access, and the staff that I look after,” says Brough. “If a student logs on, the system knows what classes they attend, what library books they have borrowed, and so on.”

Using the communications area on the portal, staff can make announcements targeted at individuals or any groups of individuals.

Students can access exam results, which are published electronically. They can also view their individual curriculum, class details, and exam timetables from any device whether it is a computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), or laptop.

Brough says: “Our system supports any Microsoft® Windows Mobile® device. We have already tested Orange SPV C500, M2000, M1000, and M500 devices, which are all compatible. We use Microsoft technologies across campus and believe that the interoperability offered by Microsoft Windows Mobile-based Smartphones or Pocket PC Phone Edition devices is excellent and second to none.”

The infrastructure also offers secure e-mail access. Brough adds: “We wanted staff and students to have access to e-mail from anywhere. We looked at the technologies available, but for the most robust and reliable service, we chose to work with Microsoft to develop a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 wide area cluster.”

Staff access the Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 messaging and collaboration client to manage their diaries, contacts, and e-mail, anywhere, from any device, using general packet radio service (GPRS), Wi-Fi (a type of wireless local area network or WLAN), or standard connectivity options. The university now has an extensive Wi-Fi network, which is being extended to open-air areas.

With a secure infrastructure in place, the university is considering integrating additional software to add value to the solution, such as Microsoft Office SharePoint® Portal Server 2003 to enhance collaboration.

Benefits

Any Time, Anywhere Learning

The solution gives students and staff freedom to access information when and where it is convenient for them, rather than just during university hours.

“In the past, students had to go to a physical location to access the university’s resources,” says Brough. “This solution is helping us to move away from that. It offers a ‘campus without walls,’ giving students and staff access to information where and when they want it. Now, our network peaks are at 10 AM, 3 PM, and around midnight.”

Teachers and academic staff are using the solution for managing their schedules, checking university information, updating notices, and keeping in touch with their colleagues. Brough notes: “Many teachers wouldn’t be without a mobile device now. They have become part of the way they work.”

Available to All Students and Staff

The mobile solution is open to any staff member or student in the university, in line with the university’s strategy to bring educational resources to everyone.

According to Brough, since the portal went live in February 2004, it has seen more than 1 million hits. He says: “Students and staff use it daily—it’s one of the main methods of accessing their individual information.”

“Windows Mobile devices are intuitive and easy-to-use, and most users were already familiar with using Microsoft applications, so adoption has been seamless. All they need is a mobile browser on their device to gain access. We have more than 110 mobile users already,” says Brough. “There are around 12,000 people using the Exchange Server 2003 cluster from fixed terminals, and this is due to increase to about 20,000 by the start of the term. Mobile access is open to anyone.”

Winning Incentives

George Farquhar, Assistant Director, University of Strathclyde, says: “We are gathering numerous useful services to offer students over the system. For example, one student was thrilled to be able to receive his exam results on his Smartphone while travelling in a remote part of Australia.”

Providing this leading-edge service is an attractive proposition for prospective new students and staff. “Many people already have mobile devices. We can offer them a package, which will give them access to e-mail, calendar, and contacts remotely from anywhere. We believe it’s a unique selling point for the university and is a positive reflection of our reputation and objectives,” says Farquhar.

Secure and Reliable Infrastructure

Microsoft Windows Mobile technology offers reliable, robust support. “We have not had any problems with the technology or with the devices,” says Brough.

The solution offers extensive storage, which has been set up in two locations to build in additional resilience. “If there is a massive power outage in one building, the other system kicks in, preventing system failure,” says Brough.

He adds: “A recent fire on campus highlighted the importance of this. Despite fire and water damage, we were able to restore data to people within two hours. The data is backed up and supported by professionals, rather than saved on individual machines or devices. We also look after the infrastructure and help prevent viruses from getting into their data. When users connect to Active Directory, Microsoft service updates occur automatically.”

Keeping Costs Down

Ensuring costs are kept to a minimum is critical so that resources can be poured into maintaining a high standard of education. “The solution is very cost effective,” says Brough. “We have consolidated and standardised our services across the university. Before we had 20 to 30 different systems, and these have been substantially reduced. We have also received an affordable licence deal from Microsoft. Support costs

will definitely be reduced as maintenance and management is simplified, and the technology is much more reliable. We have recently calculated our uptime as being 99.999995 percent, which gives us the level of service and the peace of mind we need.”

Microsoft Windows Mobile

For more information about Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs and Smartphones visit: mobile/enterprise

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| |Software and Services

■ Products

− Microsoft Exchange Server 2003

− Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

− Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003

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− Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003–based Smartphone

− Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003–based Pocket PC Phone Edition

■ Technologies

Active Directory

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© 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, Active Directory, Outlook, SharePoint, the Windows logo, and Windows Mobile are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Document published November 2005 | | |

For More Information

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For more information about the University of Strathclyde, visit the Web site at: strath.ac.uk

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