Debashish Kumar, Administrative Officer IT Services, XLRI Jamshedpur
Technology adoption in the education sector is on the rise. The deployment of information and communication technology (ICT) across schools and colleges is moving beyond traditional set-ups to a broader system for disseminating information and interacting with students, faculty and staff members. The cloud is emerging as a key technology solution that promises to change the way students learn. IT heads of key educational institutions talk about the emerging ICT trends in the sector, the level of technology adoption and key challenges…
How have the technology requirements of the education sector changed over time?
Technology is a powerful tool that can support and transform education in many ways, from making it easier for teachers to create instructional materials to enabling new ways for people to learn and work together. The increasing use of technology is changing the manner in which basic processes in education are carried out. Technology has made education more accessible and flexible in terms of interaction between teachers and students, online tests and assessments, and access to online content, bringing in significant reductions in the cost of accessing education. Today, almost all evaluated components are being prepared and submitted online. This has greatly increased the dependence of students on email and online drives. Therefore, the availability of network services is a high priority in XLRI.
What is the telecom and IT blueprint of your organisation? What are the ongoing and future initiatives?
At XLRI, the IT strategies include providing smart classrooms and study areas, student/faculty/staff development facilities, and fully equipped research and computer laboratories. Further, we are enhancing our existing information systems and developing new services. We are planning to incorporate cloud computing and online sharing of resources with top global universities. We have also taken measures to ensure the safety of our computers and prevent unauthorised access or damage to them using wireless networks.
What are your views and plans on the deployment of new technologies such as the cloud, internet of things (IoT) and big data analytics in the education sector?
The education sector can greatly benefit from the deployment of the cloud. Almost every student makes use of a smartphone to connect to academic resources through various networks. Hence, it is imperative that the college makes its resources available to students over the cloud. IoT can be used in resource management in academia. For instance, checking out books in the library can be made automatic and much faster. In contrast to the universal utility of the cloud, data analytics will find use in the evaluation and selection of students during the admission phase as well as in research.
What are the challenges faced while managing the existing IT/telecom infrastructure and deploying new technologies?
Institutions typically face challenges in terms of scaling up their IT infrastructure. While IT infrastructure continues to be a critical element, the costs associated with managing IT assets with the required service levels and as per the latest technology are too high. There is a need for an IT infrastructure that offers reliability, round-the-clock availability, remote manageability and optimum scalability. One of the key challenges faced by XLRI’s IT department while deploying solutions is the lack of a single solution that works for everybody.
What are the key technology trends that will shape the education sector going forward?
- Mobile: Almost all students own a mobile phone and use it to access their official email and other college resources. A successful education system should make academic material available online.
- Cloud: As educational institutions cannot restrict their students from accessing academic material from within their network, it makes sense to give them more mobility by making college resources available on the cloud. Cloud-based infrastructure will also allow colleges to reduce costs and purchase resources only as required.
“Technology has made education more accessible and flexible in terms of interaction between teachers and students, online assessments, and access to online content, bringing in significant reductions in the cost of accessing education.” Debashish Kumar
