Can mobile technology enable students to learn more efficiently? Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology enables students to connect and study from anywhere, at any time. University of Alberta ~ Consumer Focused Case Study Enhanced Productivity www.intel.ca/smallbusiness University of Alberta ~ Consumer Focused Case Study Enhanced Productivity At the University of Alberta’s School of Business The University of Alberta knows technology is a critical skill for graduates entering the workforce. With a mandate to effectively prepare students to succeed in today’s workplace environment, the University of Alberta’s School of Business has made information technology a foundation for course curriculum across the school. Brent Poohkay, Assistant Dean of Infrastructure and Technology, has spent the past six years moving the School of Business from a traditional learning environment where students attend classes, conduct research in the lab and participate in discussion groups to a modern, high-tech learning experience. The School of Business has developed a web-centric course curriculum to provide business students with 24/7 access to course material, discussion group and the school’s faculty -and it’s all accessible through a wireless network. “Everything that is taught in the classroom is available on the web,” says Poohkay. “The infrastructure we have in place today allows students to access course information anytime and from anywhere.” University of Alberta ~ Consumer Focused Case Study Enhanced Productivity Building A Wireless Business School While working to ensure all course curriculum is available on the web, the School of Business wanted students to be able to access that information from anywhere within their campus. A wireless connection was the natural choice because it allowed the IT staff to ensure there were adequate access points without having to install jacks for student LAN access. After building a wireless network within the School of Business Building, Pookhay realized the advantages of providing its students with instant access to the Internet, and moved quickly to extend the wireless network to adjacent buildings including HUB,which is a retail mall with more than 50 services and shops, administrative offices for the School of Business, as well as the student residence. “Students are coming to the School of Business from across campus to access the wireless network,” says Poohkay, noting that when they installed the wireless network, they knew it would provide them with a competitive advantage over other business schools but didn’t realize the value it would hold for students on the rest of the campus. The University of Alberta’s School of Business has seen explosive growth in the number of students with computer notebooks. In the past three years, notebook use has increased from 1.2 percent in 1999 to more than 35 percent in 2003, with approximately 98 percent of students owning a computer. Poohkay expects this trend to continue with all students eventually coming to class with notebooks. With Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology-based notebooks, which provide wireless connections while extending battery life, the benefits of portable computing will be quickly realized. University of Alberta ~ Consumer Focused Case Study Enhanced Productivity Virtual Classrooms Since its foundation in 1997, the material available on the School of Business’ website has increased to more than 650 sites with more than 70,000 documents. All of the materials delivered through the classroom are available on the web, which allows students to study when it’s convenient for them. “Computers and advances in wireless technology, such as Intel Centrino mobile technology, have changed the model for teaching at the university level,” says Poohkay. “Learning is now centered on the student. They decide how and when to access information. It’s an exciting change.” In addition to wireless’ natural advantages of increasing accessibility and availability of course information, Poohkay sees wireless and increased use of computers as a competitive advantage for the students. The workplace is demanding increasingly sophisticated computer skills. Students are learning to leverage the IT tools and put that experience into practice in the business setting. Wireless Makes It Possible None of the technological advances at the school would have been possible if they had to rely on a traditional hard-wired environment. In addition to the exorbitant costs of laying down cabling across the Business School, there are other areas where hard wiring would have been impossible. Poohkay explains that to access many areas of the school, it would have been necessary to drill through concrete block walls. He says without wireless, its unlikely students would have access to the level of Internet accessibility that they currently enjoy. University of Alberta ~ Consumer Focused Case Study Enhanced Productivity In addition, Poohkay indicates that they are saving money on computer lab time as well. Students are now able to use lab time for different kinds of course work, putting the space to better use on simulations and other work that provides tangible real life experience with the theories taught in the classroom. The Classroom of the Future While the University of Alberta’s School of Business is advanced in the provision of course materials and information over the web, Poohkay sees wireless access and the proliferation of notebook computers changing the classroom experience. “Future expansion of the technology will see students using wireless access and computers to participate in classroom lectures, polling and even exams,” he said, adding that greater use of video streaming will allow students to access lectures over the Internet and enable virtual office hours for faculty. In The Classroom Jayson Moss is in class waiting for his instructor to begin. With his notebook open and ready to start taking class notes, Moss believes that the “notebook friendly” attitude at the school of business gives students an advantage when they move into the workplace. Employers are demanding more and more sophisticated skills and computers are a fundamental business tool. With experience using the latest technologies while in the classroom, these skills are instantly transferable to the workplace. When he transferred to the University of Alberta, Moss saw first hand how useful notebooks could be. “I no longer have to wait for labs to be available,” he said, adding wireless access makes his laptop an even more valuable resource. (Possible callout quote) Over Lunch A project group gathers to plan out their group assignment. Only one student is in the hallway, connecting with three more over the Internet. Without needing to physically get together to review the project status and next steps, the group finds collaboration easier than ever. Group work used to translate into headaches as busy students worked to align calendars, course requirements and group projects. The group asks a question on their course’s conference board to clarify a requirement of their project. A response is received within minutes, allowing the group to refocus its efforts. Within the wireless network, meetings can happen anytime, and students can connect from anywhere in business school, retail mall or residence. In HUB HUB a retail mall, is a hotspot for wireless connectivity. Over coffee or lunch, faculty and students can log into the school’s network and continue working on their course curriculum. And, while playing games in a mall might not seem like a good use of computer time and the wireless network, for marketing professor Paul Messinger and PhD candidate Sungchui Choi, game theory forms the basis of their experiments. Their research is addressing the strategic interaction between players in business settings. The wireless network lets Messinger and Choi take their research into the field and conduct research anywhere within the University of Alberta’s School of Business, which provides wireless connectivity across its buildings. The Student Experience The Future is Wireless Universities are preparing their students to enter the workforce with all the skills they need to be successful. In today’s business environment, solid computer skills are essential. “With experience using the latest technological tools, graduates from the University of Alberta’s School of Business will have an advantage over other students who have not leveraged leading edge database, web and research tools,” says Poohkay. Technology is invariably linked to business and students need experience with the latest tools to become more valuable in the workplace. Advances in wireless connectivity, led by Intel Centrino mobile technology-based notebooks, are teaching more and more students the advantages of working anytime, anywhere -and providing the power of instant access to the information they need, when they need it. From a Quiet Corner Away from the chaos of the school’s computer labs, third-year finance student Allison Pelensky sits down at her notebook to prepare a financial analysis for her upcoming class. “My notebook gives me the ability to prepare at school and have all my files with me,” she says, adding she can work in the quiet corners of the business building. Having all her information on her notebook, Allison is able to better use her time between classes to complete assignments or research new projects. In the past, students would have to wait in line at the computer labs, or wait until they got home to start researching their projects. At the University of Alberta’s School of Business, students can work anywhere within their buildings and have instant access to the Internet, and all course curriculum. Cramming In The Dorm With an exam in the morning, a student downloads additional course material that was missing from his notes. Without instant access to the course data, the student might not have had all the information he needed to be fully prepared for tomorrow morning’s test. Wireless connectivity, coupled with all course material being available on the web allows students to access everything they need, when they need it, regardless of the hour, day or night.