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Tablet PCs and the Wireless Campus

Tablet PCs and the Wireless Campus. Derek N Woods University of Ulster. The Wireless Campus Project. Project Background and Context Overview of Project Objectives The Wireless Infrastructure The Wireless Campus Provision Hardware and Software Service Provision

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Tablet PCs and the Wireless Campus

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  1. Tablet PCs and the Wireless Campus Derek N Woods University of Ulster

  2. The Wireless Campus Project • Project Background and Context • Overview of Project Objectives • The Wireless Infrastructure • The Wireless Campus Provision • Hardware and Software Service Provision • Authentication and Authorisation • The Staff Experience • The Student Experience • Summary

  3. University of Ulster • Multi campus university • This pilot project was implemented at the Magee campus in the city of Derry/Londonderry • Faculty of Engineering • School of Computing and Intelligent Systems • http://www.ulster.ac.uk/campus/magee/

  4. Project a subset of:-Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment: (DETI) Broadband Flagship InitiativeFrom Walled City to Wireless City

  5. DETI Project overview • 2 year project to Dec ‘06 • Funded by DETI ~ £1.35 Million • Focus on business, citizens, students & visitors.

  6. Flagship Project Objectives • Flagship – high profile attempt to focus on technological opportunities • Highlight opportunities of high speed Internet access • Provision of enhanced educational environment • e-government services • Development of innovative applications (e.g. Location aware services: Pervasive service delivery:) • Support for Industry/Commerce via Wireless Technology Centre

  7. Partners • DETI • DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT • UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER • Intelligent Systems Engineering Laboratory • DERRY CITY COUNCIL • Economic Development Unit • North-West Institute of Further and Higher Education

  8. Three Project Strands • Digital City • Derry City Council, University of Ulster • Wireless Campus • University of Ulster & NWIHFE • Tourism Element • Wireless Walls, DCC, UU

  9. Overview of Wireless Network Infrastructure • Design and Implementation of a Wireless Network which integrates seamlessly with the City wireless infrastructure. • Facilitates wide and easy access to University and NWIHFE resources • Access to content and applications from other aspects of project.

  10. The Wireless Campus Provision • Creation of an enhanced teaching and learning environment • Design and and deployment of Wireless Networking Infrastructure • Provision of support services (Hardware/application and content development) • Tablet PC Provision Initiative • Staff • students • Explore wireless/Tablet PC/ Smart Classroom in educational context • Creation of (4) SMART Classrooms (See Appendix 2)

  11. Hardware and Software Provision: End-User (1) • The project enabled the provision of some 300 tablet PCs for staff and selected year 1 undergraduate students: • The School provides a wide range of software provision to support its teaching and research activities: • A key objective was to provide students with at the minimum, exactly the same access experience whether using a fixed lab PC or a wireless Tablet PC: • This objective was achieved with the exception of specific software licensing limitations: • The tablet PCs were pre-loaded with a software ‘image’ (Details are available on the School Web-site – See appendix 1)

  12. Hardware and Software Provision: End-User (2) • With 160 Tablet PCs distributed to staff and students in 2005/06 + another 130 scheduled for 06/07, another key objective was to limit the maintenance and support requirements • This was done by the development of a student Self-Service System • The Tablets do not have internal CD/DVD or floppy drives and rely on USB or network access for software installation: • However, the network adaptor on the Tablet supports the Preeboot Execution Environment PXE which allows network interface cards to boot workstations independently of data storage devices (like hard drives), or installed operating systems.

  13. Hardware and Software Provision: End-User (3) • Our solution was to create a DOS RAM boot disk which contained the software for kick-starting the self-service image download processes.. • When the user access the service they get the following:-

  14. Hardware and Software Provision: End-User (4)

  15. Hardware and Software Provision: End-User (5) • An enhancement of this provision which we thought of during development was to implement tracking of the Tablets. • We are implementing an option that will allow users to ‘check-in’ their machine – thus proving that they still possess the workstation – by extracting their unique hardware MAC address and the date from the workstation, and updating the relevant database. • In fact, it is entirely possible to perform all sorts of functions using this type of self-service approach. For example the size of the boot image is not limited by the floppy disc size and may be loaded from ISO images of CDs. This would allow for GUI interfaces etc. Work is ongoing.

  16. Authentication from the User Viewpoint • For Staff and Students in the School there are three levels of authentication:- • Local Authentication: • Workstation access only • Administrator or User • Local + Network Authentication: • Internet / TCP network service access • Local + Network + Novell e-Directory Authentication: • Access to Novell Netware Services (u-drive etc)

  17. Workstation access only : Administrator or user • Users are given instruction in the procedure for automating their local user authentication and their network authentication : (See appendix 2) • This means that if the user is in range of the network and has their tablet PC switched on, it will connect to the network automatically and access to the Internet, for example will be immediately available. • Access to the Novell will require the user to execute the Novell client software in the normal fashion. • Users will only have to reconfigure their machines if they change their passwords.

  18. Authentication and Authorisation to Central Services (1) • UU Central Information Services run a Radius server as a point of authentication and authorisation for the UU wide wireless network • The School uses a Novell e-Directory for directory services • An objective was to provide true single-sign-on access with encrypted transmission of usernames and passwords

  19. Authentication and Authorisation to Central Services (2) • This was achieved with Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP) and Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (MS-CHAP) version 2. The architecture is as follows:-

  20. Academic and teaching related staff/student survey • Tablet PC Provision Initiative • Tablet PC’s (Staff and Students)

  21. Academic and teaching related staff survey Context for staff survey • 30 Tablet PC’s were distributed to Lecturers, Teaching Fellows, Computing Training Officers and Graduate Demonstrators in the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems in February 2005. • Within this group there are 21 male and 9 female staff with ages ranging from 20+ to over 50 years of age (Figure 1). • Given the School profile, research and teaching expertise it would be reasonable to assume that the users are technically orientated and familiar with computing related hardware and software in general.

  22. Academic and teaching related staff survey • The survey was carried out in April 2006 (approximately 15 months after the Tablets were distributed) ensuring ample time for familiarity with the platform and for usage patterns to emerge. • Respondents were asked to comment on their usage of the Tablet, the context in which they used it, perceived student usage as well as the overall effect on the lecturer/student teaching experience. • 24 responses from a possible 30 respondents were received giving a good representative sample.

  23. Academic and teaching related staff survey Staff Usage of Applications

  24. Academic and teaching related staff survey: Staff Activities

  25. Academic and teaching related staff survey • general usage for access to the wireless network was high (over 80%). However it is interesting to note that the percentage usage for administrative related tasks is slightly higher than the percentage usage for teaching related activities. Further informal discussions with respondents indicated that this was due to a number of factors including; • Exposure levels related to level of competence. Staff had some reservations about using new technology which they had not fully mastered in front of large groups of students. • The majority of lecture rooms or laboratories have permanent audio visual equipment installed. • The weight and size of the Tablet PC and accompanying carry case along with lecture related materials are awkward to carry around.

  26. Academic and teaching related staff survey • Lack of wireless access in some classrooms discouraged some users (20%). • 16% of respondents indicated that the Tablet PC interfered with their teaching style while 40% felt that it complimented it. • 37% indicated that they did not use the Tablet PC because the students did not have one. • The majority of respondents were happy with the level of training received to use the Tablet PC. • 40% of respondents used the Tablet PC at home and have wireless broadband connectivity at home. A number of staff had general difficulties configuring the Tablet PC for dial up connections.

  27. Academic and teaching related staff survey • Percentage of students using the Tablet PC in lectures

  28. Academic and teaching related staff survey • Wireless Coverage: 1 = Poor; 10 = Excellent

  29. General Conclusions from Academic Staff Survey • Impact of Tablet PC on Lecturer/Student Experience

  30. General Conclusions from Academic Staff Survey • When asked to comment on the overall usefulness of the Tablet PC for teaching and impact on the Lecturer/Student experience, 80% of respondents indicated that the use of this technology had a positive impact on the lecturer/student experience • The vast majority of respondents indicated that they had adapted very quickly to this technology and used it in a range of teaching and administrative related tasks. • The general feeling was that the pilot scheme carried out among students should be expanded. • Many respondents’ observed large numbers of students using their Tablets PC’s as their main PC in laboratories and a high level of student usage was also noted outside of formal scheduled teaching activities e.g. group work sessions in the learning resource centre (LRC) and in on-campus catering provision areas.

  31. Student survey • Over 100 Tablet PC’s were distributed to first and foundation year students attending designated courses in the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems in during semester one (October) of the 2005/6 academic year. • This group contained approximately 69% male and 31% female students with typical age profile ranging from 18 to 20 years of age.

  32. Student Survey • The students are attending computing related courses so in this context it would be reasonable to assume that the recipients are technically minded and technology aware. • The survey was carried out in May 2006 (approximately 8 months after the Tablets were distributed) ensuring ample time for familiarity with the platform and for usage patterns to emerge. • Respondents were asked to comment on their usage of the Tablet, the context in which they used it, perceived teaching staff usage and the effect they felt it had on their overall University experience. • 53 responses (over 50%) were received giving a good representative sample of opinion.

  33. Student Survey • Typical Daily Usage

  34. Student Survey Functionality used: • 90% of students used the Tablet PC in pen-driven mode

  35. Student Survey Student Learning Activities

  36. Student Survey Learning-related usage

  37. Student Survey: • 98% of respondents had used the Tablet PC to work collaboratively with other students and activities including: • completing coursework and assignments (92%), • sharing resources found online (62%) • emailing fellow students or members of staff (82%)

  38. Student Survey: Views on Staff usage • 86% of respondents encountered staff using the Tablet PC for teaching related activities in lectures • 55% in tutorials • 25% in first year tutorial sessions. • 73% of respondents indicated that staff Tablet PC utilization in these environments was competent and appropriate

  39. Student Survey: Wireless Network • 94% of respondents have used the campus wireless network. • 91% rated the campus wireless network coverage as good or better. • 81% of respondents rated the reliability of connection as good or better. • 88% of respondents rated ease of use of the campus wireless network as good or better while • 73% rated the technical support services for wireless network as good or better.

  40. Student Survey: Battery Life • Only 47% of students felt that the battery life of the Tablet PC was satisfactory and 80% of respondents charged the Tablet PC on the University premises. • A variety of locations were used to charge the Tablet PC including lecture theatres (47%), laboratories (60%), student residences (30%) and ad hoc outlets (28%) in the University (e.g. corridors, canteen). • 67% of respondents are in favour of secure on- campus lockers to store and charge the Tablet PC’s but were overwhelmingly against paying a charge for this service. There was some support for a battery swap facility and casual drop in help area.

  41. Student Survey: Insurance • Compulsory student insurance scheme • 80% of respondent felt that the Tablet PC insurance scheme was a good idea and that they would purchase the insurance themselves if it was not compulsory. • 92% felt that the £100 cost levied was reasonable and acceptable.

  42. Student Survey: Technical Support • 70% of respondents had found the Tablet PC website helpful and requested more technical material on the site and felt that a user forum would be beneficial. • 70% of respondents were aware of on campus technical support offered by the computer officers and technicians. • 38% of respondents had used the support services with the average usage of less than 5 visits. • 80% of the problems were software based problems with the majority related to wireless access. • 90% of support services users rated the support received as good or better.

  43. Student Survey: General Conclusions 92% of respondents felt that wireless access had improved and enriched their learning experience at the University allowing mobile flexible access to learning resources, reduced printing costs and facilitating collaborative working with other students.

  44. Student Survey: General Conclusions: wireless-access via the tablet-pc When asked how wireless-access via the tablet-pc improved their University experience respondents replied: • it encourages attendance (25%) • it encourages study (60%) • it facilitates access to online resources for assignments (97%)

  45. Student Survey: General Conclusions: wireless-access via the tablet-pc • it encourages and facilitates collaboration with fellow students (46%), • it allows flexibility by not having to queue for fixed laboratory resources (90%), • it provides a convenient storage and management facility for student work (93%), • it allows flexible management and annotation of lecture material. (90%)

  46. Summary (1) • 90% of respondents felt that the absence of the Tablet PC would have a detrimental effect on their studies. Reasons cited included reduced flexibility by restricting the ability to work at home or on the move, loss of benefits of note annotation stored on the Tablet PC and reduced access to campus based and complementary online resources.

  47. Summary (2) • The results of this survey clearly indicate that a high percentage of teaching related staff and students have embraced the use of the Tablet PC and wireless access in the context of their teaching, work and study. • The consensus is that the use of this technology has had a positive impact on teaching and on the overall University experience.

  48. Summary (3) • From a teaching staff perspective the use of the Tablet PC and wireless access offers flexibility, mobility and opportunities for new modes of teaching and work related activities. • The student perspective is even more positive where the technology was very quickly integrated into the overall student experience becoming indispensable in a very short time period.

  49. Important Issues • This project required input and commitment from, and co-operation between, many university departments and individuals: • Building the right team from the beginning was vital: • All key players were: • Invited early; • Included in the planning stages; • Briefed regularly; • Included in relevant publicity opportunities: • Thanked for their efforts: • This worked!

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