11 Jun 2014 How Better Wi-Fi Has Improved The Student Experience

Student Accessibility to Educational Information

The internet is now, without question, a key tool in the education of any university student. With the depth of information available on the web, not to mention the ability to quickly and easily share information with others, it is essential that students can connect to the internet at the conveniently and securely.

There was a time when, outside of their own home, connecting to the internet would require students to visit a campus library or computer lab, but with advancements in modern Wi-Fi technology it is increasingly likely that students are able to easily connect to the internet wherever they may be on campus.

Campus Wi-Fi For Improved Grades

According to a recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of the Wi-Fi Alliance – a non-profit trade association that promotes and certifies Wi-Fi technology – there is a consensus among current generation students that free Wi-Fi is not only a perk that they expect to be provided at university, but that universal Wi-Fi connectivity across campus actually helps them achieve better grades. A total of 501 students were involved in the study, which found that 60% of those would not attend a college that didn’t offer free Wi-Fi. 79% of participants went on to agree that college would be made a lot more difficult if Wi-Fi access was not provided.

While it is accepted that ubiquitous Wi-Fi coverage across campuses will lead to usage for non-educational purposes, such as social media, email or the consumption of other media not related to study, it is believed that keeping students on campus for as much time as possible ultimately leads to a greater success rate. It is therefore crucial that students are offered the best Wi-Fi coverage possible.

Huge Investment in Wifi Technology

Following a study of current American college campuses, ABI Research claims that Wi-Fi penetration is already at around 99%. Further illustrating its importance globally, ABI estimated that colleges worldwide spent around $137 million on Wi-Fi access points and controllers in 2007 alone, a figure expected to have grown to as much as $837 million in 2013.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a prime example of an institution that has listened to the calls from its students to provide better Wi-Fi connectivity across university grounds. It undertook a considerable Wi-Fi expansion project in 2013 to increase the coverage, capacity and speed of its Wi-Fi network on the UNC Charlotte Campus. After monitoring a “dramatic increase in the number of wireless devices on campus”, network specialist Chad Lenox admitted that they had to go as far as to rebuild the “entire wireless network from the ground up”.

Project manager Joseph Moses explained that students’ relationship with the campus was changing. They are now able to “maintain continuous connections to a robust, sustainable network as they conduct research individually or work in groups”. The ability to collaborate efficiently is seen as a key “value-added” service aimed at improving productivity on campus.

Wifi Transformation at Johannesburg Uni

The University of Johannesburg, in South Africa’s largest city, has been through a similar transformation. The considerable process of installing Wi-Fi across all four of its campuses – serving almost 50,000 students – has been ongoing since 2010. The executive Director of Information and Communication Systems at the university, Andile Swartbooi, claims that the biggest benefit is the ability of students “to gain access to online resources” across the entire campus, thus alleviating previous issues such as the overcrowding of its computer labs.

Like most other academic institutions, The University of Johannesburg does not charge for the service. It does, however, employ a policy that ensures responsible use of the Wi-Fi network. While this is seen as imperative in maintaining proper usage and in turn good network speeds and high productivity levels it can prove difficult to regulate.

As well as improving students’ educational experience, it is also believed that good Wi-Fi connectivity can enhance their extra-curricular life on campus. By making information about social events, societies and sports teams more readily available to students it is hoped that they will feel more connected with their peers and their institution generally, which will in turn improve their general levels of satisfaction during the course of their studies.

The most persuasive argument for the importance of Wi-Fi among university students again comes from the study by Wakefield Research. They found, perhaps surprisingly, that 48% – not quite half, then – would rather give up beer than give up Wi-Fi.

About Purdicom

Purdicom is a value added distributor of wireless cloud and security hardware and software. With its head offices in Oxfordshire, Purdicom has a leading name in the UK with a worldwide reach due to a unique combination of support, technology and partnership. To discuss ideas about how improving wireless accessibility can improve productivity in your school, university or office, get in touch with us today.

Photo by: James