Anticipation

University of Warwick, Learning Grid

Other Sections

Imagination

Implementation

Evaluation

Resource Collection
inc. case studies, flickr photo library, virtual campus and further resources

Technical Infrastructure

The network is vital

'There is a lot to learn about how to use... technologies effectively in the new spaces that are opening up. Two key directions are letting people do things together, and joining up the physical spaces with the informatic spaces. New ubiquitous and mobile technologies, with built-in networking, allow us to do both.'

Dr. Tony Hall and Professor Mike Sharples, University of Nottingham and Peter Lonsdale, University of Birmingham¹⁸

If the future is mobile, the network is even more important than ever before.

We already have more bandwidth at college/university and at home than we ever imagined possible. All of these wireless applications and developments will be supported in the near future (late 2007) by faster wireless networks. 802.11n will deliver 100Mbits/sec and the development of 540Mbits/sec is already underway. This is set to grow to even greater levels over the next few years. For example, France Telecom has a fibre upgrade project costing 270 million euros to completely upgrade the network in major French cities by 2009 making 100 Mbit home connections the norm.

However wires will not go away as higher speeds increase still, and guaranteed Quality of Service will be needed for some applications like telepresence. Such high bandwidth networks will enable greater use of soft technologies such as Voice Over IP (VOIP) - any new build or refurbishment should think seriously about VOIP, further information is featured in our Social Software resource.

'The changing face of education: mobile and ubiquitous learning'

Helen Gale, University of Wolverhampton¹⁰

Software-based implementations such as Skype are a cheap option and as more suppliers offer alternatives to Skype this use of the network is starting to really happen, as are improved building management and environmental control systems that are network-based (see Technologies In The Big Brother Building).

There will also be new applications many of which will be so 'local' they will be personal. The network, wired and wireless, should therefore be considered as integral to any new space development. And it needs to be open. There will be a growth in network services, as in applications, that are tailored to the individual. Students will want access to these wherever they are so considerations about the network need to consider not just your network but access from external wireless networks to students in your new building.

New generation computer applications will be hybrid, using both the power of the client device (which is more and more likely to be owned by the student), and the network. These applications will make use of the facilities of both the web and the desktop taking the best of each to perform the relevant task.