HPWREN: Bringing High-Speed Internet to Rural San Diego for Distance Learning

1. Introduction • Distance learning has increased drastically over the last 100 years. • High-speed network connectivity enables more opportunities for distance learning programs. Unfortunately, most rural areas do not have access to high-speed Internet. • HPWREN (High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network) is the result of a research program at UCSD intended to provide high-speed Internet access for rural San Diego.

2. HPWREN works in collaboration with UCSD Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) for distance math tutoring. • HPWREN works in collaboration with Hewlett Packard and the Tribal Digital Village(TDV) to introduce students from rural San Diego to wireless technology using HPWREN’s Internet. • For more information: http://hpwren.ucsd.edu/

3. Distance Learning Transmission: Then and Now • 1883-distance learning began by correspondence • Distance learning transmission methods: • Correspondence(1883), Radio(1930), Television(1950) • 1950-60 Audiocassettes, Videocassettes, Fax • From 1985 to present, computers and the Internet become essential for distance learning. • From 1995 to 1998 Internet-based distance education programs increased by 72%.* • 1997-98-more than 1.6 million students were enrolled in Internet-based distance classes.* • * A 1997-98 study by The National Center for Education Statistics(NCES). U.S. Department of Education, NCES #2000-013. Washington, DC

4. HPWREN Backbone • 45mbps duplex point-to-point links • 45mbps is about 750 times faster than dial-up modem • Network performance monitors at backbone sites • Antennas are interconnected as point-to-point or point-to-multipoint in what is called line of sight or repeater antenna, as shown in the next design figure

5. Design • Terrestrial microwave transmission of interconnected antennas: • Line of sight: Use when there is a clear line of sight between two antennas • Repeater antenna: Use when there is an obstruction like a mountain between the receiver and the destination. It receives a signal on one side and transmits it to the other side • Transmission of up to 30 miles maximum

6. Impact of HPWREN’s Implementation • 3 Native American Centers connected via HPWREN: Pala, Rincon, and La Jolla • Before HPWREN, The Pala Learning Center had a dial-up modem on one of their computers; students could use the Internet for 30 minutes. Now they have multiple computers hooked up to high-speed Internet • Internet uses: • Distance math tutoring: Math grade improvement from F/D to A/B of two girls who used the distance math tutoring • Hewlett Packard Youth Academy

7. Impact (continued) • Classes offered: • Introduction to Internet • HTML • The Pala and Rincon Centers have offered both classes and several students have finished them • Students from ages 18 to 50 take such classes, and there are no restrictions for enrolling in classes or for using the Internet

8. HPWREN’s Future • HPWREN is currently working on a proposal to develop more formal classes in the near future. • The distance math tutoring will be offered again the next school year. • Hewlett Packard has just donated a $5 million grant to expand HPWREN connectivity to the other fifteen Native American Learning Centers in rural San Diego. • HPWREN’s team will keep making an effort with their research to make the opportunity of distance learning equally available for everyone in rural San Diego.

9. Acknowledgements • The HPWREN project is based on work sponsored by The National Science Foundation and its ANIR division under grant number ANI-0087344, and the University of California, San Diego. The U.S. Government has certain rights to the related material presented on HPWREN. • UC San Diego’s HPWREN is led by Hans-Werner Braun, a research scientist at the San Diego Super Computer Center, and Frank Vernon, a geophysicist at The Scripps Institution of Oceanography. • Special thanks to UCSD Academic Enrichment Programs and its staff, and to Jesse, Sarah and Kimberly for all their support in this project.