The Information and Technology Service have been busy, with laptop rental lockers being installed and hundreds of new PCs now online.
Date: 7 October 2016
Students returning to London Met this autumn are set to benefit from a wide range of new IT services, thanks to an ongoing £2m upgrade programme.
The University runs a rolling investment programme with a budget of £2m per year to improve AV equipment for students. Among this year’s innovations are ‘lap-safes’ – lockers from which students can loan laptops on campus, or charge up their own devices.
The lap-safes, which will be activated via students’ ID cards, will be commissioned this term and incorporate charging bays and the ability to loan laptops for up to four hours in duration. The equipment can be used on campus, offsite or in any areas where there is WiFi access.
London Met’s Information and Technology Services (ITS) have been busy elsewhere on campus. Two months ago, 224 high-spec PCs were replaced in the Learning Centre – with positive feedback from students. The present rollout includes cutting edge, 65” interactive screens to enhance the learning experience at London Met, including group working.
Paulette Lyden, Information and Technology Services Business Manager, said: “ITS undertakes a continuous programme of improvements ensuring its networks, applications, PCs and printing functions are up to date to deliver the best possible user experience and value for London Met students and staff.”
ITS has financed nearly £77,000 for a dynamic new initiative to boost students’ IT and learning experiences.
Free, unlimited printing in the libraries has been introduced. Aiwip allows UK university students to print for free by including small adverts at the bottom of the page. Students just download the app, upload the document from a laptop, PC or phone, stand next to an aiwip printer and press print. Although this service isn’t suitable for coursework submissions, it means students can save considerably on their notes, photocopies or other non-submission printing – saving £10 every 200 pages.
An almost ubiquitous wireless network has recently been enabled around the University, with an ITS investment of £500,000, which will support more devices than ever and increase conference and guest access.
London Met students are able to get access to some free and discounted software packages on Windows and IOS, including Macs, iPads and iPhones.
And finally, ITS are keen to know if students have met lynda.com and BoB National yet! Lynda.com is an online learning resource that can help students with a wide range of digital skills. Students can choose from over 4,000 video courses, with 200 courses added every week. LinkedIn users can also post their lynda.com certificates to their profiles.
“BoB National is like iPlayer but with more channels and special tools for students,” said Olly Holmes, Head of Service Delivery in ITS. It engages all types of learning styles, particularly visual learners. The fact that BoB can be accessed via all devices is significant because mobile learning allows students to use your downtime flexibly and to recap and revisit topics.
More IT improvements are scheduled for the year ahead, meaning London Met students will continue to benefit from better tech in their learning experience.
