NEWS RELEASE
July 23 2003
Look no wires -
UniSA students online and on the move
UniSA will be the first South Australian
university to give students access to wireless internet connection across
an entire university campus as part of its new push to deliver improved
services to students.
For the increasing number of staff and
students who choose a laptop as their computer of choice, it means they
can access the internet and email services from anywhere on campus at
anytime.
Installed at the City West campus, the
high-speed, wireless 802.11g
network represents the most sophisticated technology available in wireless
networks, five times faster than most existing wireless services.
Director of UniSA’s IT Services Paul
Sherlock says they were looking for the right network product for the
location and user needs.
“We had to meet some important criteria
in building the network – security, ease of installation, quality,
affordability and ease of management,” he said.
“Despite the fact that City West is the
University’s newest campus, the big growth in international students
numbers and the numbers of students working on campus throughout most of
the day and into the evening, when many mature age or part time students
come on campus, we found we couldn’t build enough computer pools to meet
that growing demand.
“In a business sense it would have been
an investment in old technologies to try to meet that demand by housing
more and more PCs on campus. Wireless technology is the way of the future
and this new network gives UniSA students a head start opportunity to
experience the benefits and flexibility of the wireless communications
environment.”
Sherlock said students could access all
the online services provided by the University including, teaching and
learning resources, online enrolment and library databases from the
cafeteria, the courtyards, and even the Hindley Street cafes and pubs in
the immediate vicinity of the campus.
“Students and staff will be able to have
a cappuccino and scan the internet for the latest business or
architectural research they need, and maybe even email their tutor to get
and extension on an assignment.”
The system was successfully trialled with
a group of 16 City West students and the response has been very positive.
UniSA’s goal is to introduce the same network to City East other UniSA
campuses as soon as possible.
Media contact: Michèle Nardelli
(08) 8302 0966 or 0418823673
Need
an expert? Find one at UniSA’s online Directory of Experts -
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/MDU/MDU-search.asp
.
