Many universities and schools are currently transitioning to the digital world. Lately, teachers have begun embracing new teaching methods, embracing new collaboration tools, and hastily upgrading technologies in the classroom. And although the doors of our classrooms and lecture halls have reopened after the Covid-19 crisis, remote courses have not disappeared.
While traditional classrooms beckon again, the appeal of online distance courses remains, evolving into what we now call hybrid or hybrid flexible (HyFlex) courses.
Naturally, students want the same flexibility and digital empowerment that professionals enjoy. So do many – if not most – teachers. Their lives have been more flexible and their new technological tools have opened up a world of possibilities for innovative ways of working together.
However, all this new digital traffic is straining traditional network infrastructures to the limit. And if the network is poor, the hybrid learning experience suffers. But how bad is it? And what can the education sector do about it?
VP Sales at Extreme Networks in the higher education market.
Hybrid and HyFlex learning
Definitions of a hybrid course vary, but it typically offers a mix of classroom instruction with synchronous or asynchronous online sessions. HyFlex is a type of blended course that allows students to decide how they want to attend class: in person, live via video conference, or by watching a recording later.
This flexibility accommodates students with different schedules, geographic locations, learning needs or accessibility requirements. It also allows students to balance their education with their personal and professional lives, and educators claim it can improve student recruitment and retention.
An Anthology/UNESCO survey also found that 82% of students want at least some of their courses to take place online, while 41% prefer fully online learning.
However, HyFlex learning relies heavily on technology to enable seamless communication and interaction between students, instructors and course resources. Online learning management systems (LMS), video conferencing tools, discussion boards and other digital platforms play a crucial role in supporting content delivery and collaborative activities.
And all that technology depends on the network infrastructure.
The big technology
So there is no doubt that schools and universities are taking this technological revolution seriously. However, many university leaders are still trying to offer a full curriculum of online courses.
Effective digital collaboration depends on high-quality audiovisual (AV) equipment. Surprisingly, a recent survey by Sony found that most European universities – over two-thirds – are not equipped with sufficient AV hardware to manage HyFlex courses, and this only applies to regular classes.
Courses that integrate VR/AR, robotics, and 3D technology will require updated hardware, which will lead to increased latency and bandwidth demands on the campus network. It is clear that the digital makeover in schools and universities is far from over.
But there’s one thing they seem to have forgotten: how is traditional network infrastructure supposed to support all this new technology?
New trains on old tracks
The education sector has a unique opportunity to develop rapidly and embrace the future. The network infrastructure will need to be upgraded. Just as a high-speed train needs modern rails and not old wooden trestles, our advanced educational methods need the right foundation to deliver on their promise.
Fortunately, network technology is undergoing significant advancements. Wi-Fi 6 is superior to its predecessors, especially in dense environments. Wi-Fi 6E further extends this advantage with 6 GHz connectivity that promises a significant increase in frequency bandwidth with less congestion.
There is also a solution that is suitable for schools and universities: Audio Video Bridging (AVB). AVB is a set of IEEE standards that provide improved synchronization, low latency, and reliable delivery of audio and video streams over Ethernet networks. This is particularly useful for educational content such as lectures, tutoring sessions and workshops. AVB achieves this by allocating a specific portion of network bandwidth for such real-time content. By segmenting the network in this way, switches can prioritize vital tasks and manage other data traffic more efficiently.
A plan of action
In summary, the education sector is following the professional world by evolving towards physical and digital hybrids. However, all their new technology will overwhelm traditional network infrastructures if nothing is done. The challenges IT leaders and education administrators should consider as they prepare their campuses for a technology makeover include:
- Evolving connectivity needs
- An ever-growing number of user devices
- Fluctuating bandwidth requirements
- Cybersecurity requirements
- Data privacy concerns
In summary, a thorough reassessment of the network is critical for educational institutions as they move forward in their technology journey.
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