If there's one thing small college purchasing managers know for sure, it's that they have to be smart about a lot of things. "At larger schools, people in purchasing have more specialization—they only do IT or facilities or science. Those of us at small colleges have to be able to do everything," says Allison Canada, […]
At the Internet of Things Village of the DEF CON security conference in 2016, hacking contests revealed nearly 50 vulnerabilities in 23 devices from 21 manufacturers. Security flaws were exposed in smart door locks, padlocks, thermostats, refrigerators, wheelchairs and even solar panel arrays—all items that can be found connected to an institution’s computer network. Improperly […]
Most of the 2 million students participating in dual enrollment programs attend classes at their high schools or on higher ed campuses. Colleges in at least 35 states, however, offer students another option—online classes, according to research by the Education Commission of the States. Access is a main aim. Distance learning provides opportunities to students […]
Following the multiple hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast this past September, several higher ed institutions used unmanned aerial vehicles or systems—or drones—to assess damage on campuses and beyond. In Daytona Beach, professors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University assisted local police by providing images both before and after Hurricane Irma. Drones were flown over municipal, private […]
Like most institutions, the University of Arizona began utilizing lecture capture technology through small-scale experimentation, starting at the departmental level. And those experiments would bear fruit—in just a few years lecture capture had taken hold at UA, with faculty producing more than 2TB of video every week, and students viewing more than 30,000 hours of […]
For nearly a decade, video analytics has been considered the next big thing in campus security. But the surveillance technology, also known as video content analysis, is just beginning to catch the eye of higher ed security administrators. Certainly these systems—where software provides automatic monitoring of video feeds and triggers alerts for follow-up by security […]
Live interpreters had long been the gold standard for colleges committed to having the hearing-impaired participate in campus activities. From classes to sporting events to guest lectures, theatre performances and commencement, American Sign Language interpreters were often on stage, in front of class or down on the sidelines. Now technology offers additional options for live […]
Aaron Sams, Jon Bergmann and a handful of other educators first began sharing their experiences creating educational videos about a decade ago. Some other teachers had started using similar techniques years earlier, so there is some debate over the true birth of “flipped classroom.” While the timeline can be debated, it is a certainty that […]
Every school needs a reliable water supply—no matter the climate—yet it is often the most overlooked aspect of facilities management. It flows throughout the campus, from sinks and toilets to cooling and sprinkler systems. It's essential for dining services, landscape management, research spaces, athletic facilities and academic programs such as agriculture. Even with increasing emphasis […]
Colleges and universities face an increasingly competitive environment for attracting and retaining students. These challenges are further complicated with tighter funding constraints and the need to keep up with the latest technological advancements to remain competitive. Student ID card systems are not immune to these pressures; outdated ID technology can result in increased costs, long […]