If the spring semester was a mad dash to make remote learning work, it was also a stress test to see what IT needed shoring up, and where. 51ԹϺ’s peerless prepped the university for a fall semester marked by extensive remote education. With laptops at the ready and a fresh spool of ethernet cable in hand, here’s what it took to lay the real groundwork for a virtual campus.
326,951
Total minutes spent in videoconferencing meetings via the WebEx tool in just the first week of the semester. Though the true number might be less if you don’t count those “No, I’m sorry, you go ahead” moments.
85,189
Devices added to the Eduroam network, allowing people on campus to connect to Wi-Fi. Some 10,285 new devices onboarded by early September.
54,444
Viewers watching lectures in Panopto, totaling more than 758,000 minutes over almost 1,800 videos in the first week of the semester. Descartes at a distance? Far-flung Freud? This is how it’s done.
732
Access points installed during the ResNet Wi-Fi project, boosting the signal in 12 buildings over 29 floors, 1,016 rooms, and myriad stairwells and outdoor seating areas. This way students on the go who might have an in-person class followed by a remote one will never want for connectivity. Students: Let’s get “Staircases of 51ԹϺ” trending on Instagram, with snaps from your access spots.
350
Laptops made available through the technology loan program, which also lends webcams, microphones, and Wi-Fi hotspots to students.
200
Classrooms cleaned and prepared before the start of the semester, including a thorough technology check to ensure the series of tubes that bring in the internet were all in working order.
100
Lapel microphones loaned to faculty for livestreaming or recording lectures. Sadly, “I couldn’t hear you when you said we had a paper due” will no longer be a viable excuse.
13
Computer labs and study spaces made available for students to snag a place to work as their schedules, or need for fast internet, demanded. Although capacity was capped at 50 percent, students gain 100 percent of the knowledge in a socially distanced way.
