April 2002 — Applications

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Wireless Networking Enhances Educational Opportunities at Alexandria Technical College

MicronPC proposed an end-to-end wireless network system to meet the IT challenges at ATC and more easily maintain its network's optimal performance. Students in technology-oriented programs at ATC lease MicronPC TransPort notebooks, which combine a flexible design and rich feature set with a small footprint. For the GIS lab project, MicronPC equipped TransPort notebook com-puters with wireless networking cards and two Wi-Fi-compliant high-speed wireless access points, which they installed in January 2002.

Since the installation, the wireless network has performed as well as the wired network, with a fraction of the maintenance and configuration challenges. The wireless access points give GIS students complete flexibility to move around their lab, interacting with individuals and groups without being harnessed to the wired network. The wireless access points' coverage extends outside of the lab and into the neighboring common area, allowing students to congregate and work in a more comfortable non-classroom setting.

In addition, the students had a unique opportunity to observe and participate in the network implementation. Students watched the installation of several cards and one Wi-Fi access point, then had the hands-on opportunity to install the remaining wireless cards and second access point; thus providing the students with real-life experience. This is particularly valuable according to Jan D'ebbert, ATC's dean of technology. "Wireless technology is emerging as a dominant technology, and we need to look ahead to what's next with handhelds and palmtops, because wireless is going to be an inescapable part of all our lives," he says.

Less IT Clutter

In the coming months, ATC and its students will gain valuable insight into the opportunities of wireless net-working and become better acquainted with this emerging technology. ATC will also gauge student response to the technology, particularly regarding the speed and reliability of a wireless network under the stress of intense computing tasks. They believe its wireless network will create less IT clutter than the traditional networked classroom. The school also expects to save both time and money by adding more wireless networked classrooms, since there is no need to install costly network cables. Wireless technology also eliminates several potential obstructions when troubleshooting connectivity issues.

ATC's existing relationship with MicronPC and its portable computer lease plan make technology relatively easy for many reasons. "We consider Alexandria Technical College a true lab environment, so consistency is critical," says D'ebbert. "When students and the instructor open their laptops, they all see the same thing and we know we're not going to have compatibility issues." D'ebbert adds that because of ATC's relationship with MicronPC the school's tech support has a very quick response time. In the event of a problem, the IT department can simply rebuild a student's files and configuration on an identical MicronPC computer, and get the student back in the classroom in just a couple of hours. Finally, the school's site licenses for educational software allow both students and faculty to use and learn industry-standard software they could not otherwise afford.