Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2013, No. 4: Mobile technology


“Flipped” and adaptive learning programs gained traction on campus. A high-profile internet hoax involving a college athlete propelled the term “catfishing” into the public consciousness. MOOCs hit some key stumbling blocks, while the notion of a college degree became more fluid.

mobileThese were some of the key ed-tech developments affecting colleges and universities in the past year—and we’ve got a full recap for you right here.

In this special all-digital publication, the editors of eCampus News highlight what we think are the 10 most significant higher-education technology stories of 2013.

To learn how these stories have made an impact on colleges and universities this year—and how they’ll continue to shape higher education in 2014 and beyond—read on.

4. Mobile technology offers challenges, and opportunities, for schools.

The students entering college today are too young to remember a time when they could not connect, communicate, and explore instantly—from wherever they might be, at all hours of the day—using a smart phone, tablet, or other mobile device.

These “digital natives” expect the same kind of access to information in the palm of their hand when they arrive on campus—and college and university officials know they must respond to this demand if they want to attract and retain students.

Having mobile access to key campus services is “the deciding factor for a lot of students” in choosing a college, said David Crain, assistant provost and chief information officer for Southern Illinois University, which distributed tablets and electronic textbooks to 2,700 incoming freshmen this fall as part of its Mobile Dawg project.

The university also created a suite of mobile apps to help integrate the devices into all phases of campus life, Crain said; students can use these apps to find the nearest bus routes, see what’s on the menu at each dining hall, and even check which laundry facilities have machines available.

SIU isn’t alone in developing a mobile strategy to meet students’ needs. According to the 2013 Campus Computing Project survey, implementing and supporting mobile computing is among the top five priorities for campus IT departments—and tablets and smart phones have overtaken laptops in terms of importance for IT planning.

“Colleges and universities are clearly playing catch-up with the consumer experience,” said Casey Green, director of the Campus Computing Project. “Students come to campus with their smart phones and tablets, expecting to use mobile apps to navigate campus resources and use campus services.”

The shift in focus from laptops to tablets and smart phones suggests that campus IT leaders are trying to anticipate future needs, Green added, by “skating to where the digital puck is going.”

But that has created a host of challenges for campus leaders, many of whom are struggling to meet the bandwidth demands of device-using students.

One solution to emerge this year is the outsourcing of residential network management services to private contractors. Five universities announced Nov. 13 that they would hand over network services to Apogee, a leader in ResNet management.

Another development that could help is the emergence of faster, more reliable Wi-Fi technology.

Providers of wireless access points and other equipment have started to release products that conform with a next-generation standard, called “gigabit Wi-Fi,” that has the potential to be up to four times as fast as the current 802.11n technology.

The new technology, 802.11ac, is designed to relieve network congestion by increasing speeds to more than 1 gigabit per second and moving from the congested 2.4-gigahertz frequency band to the more open 5-gigahertz spectrum.

The changes should mean that wireless routers and access points will be able to accommodate more devices at one time and provide better coverage throughout a campus. In areas crowded with other electronics, the 5 GHz spectrum also offers the promise of less interference, meaning connections shouldn’t randomly drop.

But to take advantage of the faster speeds and wider bandwidth, both ends of a transmission must have the new technology. There is also a tradeoff in terms of signal range—about 20 percent less than with 802.11n—and the new technology is more expensive, at least for now.

See also:

Special Report: Powering the Mobile Campus

Students’ reliance on Wi-Fi multiplies

Study: Campuses lack mobile and BYOD policies, despite concerns

Three things you might not know about tablets on campus

Dialing up a classroom distraction

What’s hogging bandwidth on college campuses?

Wireless connections prove clunky, trip up students

The outsourcing of campus ResNet services is here

Faster, more reliable Wi-Fi on its way

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