What is a smart campus?
A smart campus framework is a flexible foundation on which a university can transform its offer, improve operational efficiency, and enhance experiences for students and employees.
Built on a broad spectrum of technology infrastructure, a smart campus is a borderless concept that enables frictionless, touchless, and intuitive experiences, offering personalised learning pathways and opening up crucial new revenue streams.
Starting with a secure, reliable cloud-centric network that delivers flexible connectivity, a smart campus then refreshes and augments current infrastructure with intelligent connected systems that blend physical and digital environments. Its true strength is the holistic integration of smart digital capabilities – from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Augmented Reality – seamlessly blending these into the university’s infrastructure to support future development in any direction.
How does it address today’s challenges?
To unlock maximum value from a smart campus, a clear, strategic vision should lead the project and focus on current and future challenges and opportunities. Leveraging advanced digital capabilities to directly address key pain points and goals, a smart campus university can:
- Differentiate itself in a crowded market
- Enhance research and innovation hub capabilities
- Improve the student experience
- Reduce the facilities management burden.
- Increase flexibility and change readiness
- Unlock energy savings and sustainability gains
Case study: Creating a connected campus with Warwick University
With more than 30,000 students and staff living, working and learning across its 600m2 campus, Warwick University operates as an ecosystem in its own right. David Plumb, CIO of the University of Warwick, is constantly looking for ways to leverage technology to drive innovation.
Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality is an important consideration for the University. It’s creating a whole new world of teaching possibilities – preparing students for the world of work by allowing them to get a hands-on experience in many different industrial environments – all from the comfort of the campus.
It’s easy to see the benefits too, for science, research, learning and work. Let’s say a piece of equipment’s on the other side of the globe. Or it’s very dangerous for a first timer to operate. Immersive reality allows you to train those people in a safe environment, without the risks or the travel involved.
And it’s not just industry-based careers that’ll benefit. History students, for example, could immerse themselves in virtual battles and bring abstract concepts to life – all through the power of immersive reality. It’s the future of learning. Every industry has the potential to harness the technology of tomorrow – and see just how much the world can change.
