18th June 2007

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Professor Martin McGinnity, UU, Dr Margaret Duddy, NWIFHE, Thomas Moore, NWIFH, Brendan Houston, HP, and Brenda Buckley, Business Eye

Lecturers in the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems at Magee have once again received accolades for their involvement in the Wireless City Project. 

The University of Ulster was highly commended in the BT BusinessEyeT Awards for innovative use of technology in education and for best use of mobile/data/wi-fi internet technology in a public or private sector organisation. 

The project has previously been recognised by the award of Communications in Business Best Wireless Project prize in London, and an Inspired iT award in Dublin.

The DETI funded Broadband Flagship initiative was a two-year collaborative project between the University’s Magee campus, the North West Institute for Further and Higher Education, Derry City Council and DETI.  The objective was to create an innovative Wireless City, with a number of complementary elements including wireless campus (educational), wireless city (civic aspect), and wireless walls (tourism). 

Professor Martin McGinnity, Director of the Intelligent Systems Research Centre explains: “The Wireless Campus element is composed of three strands: the provision of wireless networking services; the development of SMART classrooms, and the pilot Tablet PC Mandate.

 “The objective of the educational aspect of the project was to provide an interactive computing environment which would enable richer interaction between lecturers and students creating a more productive learning experience. 

“Wireless networking services have been provided through the creation of an educational precinct covering large areas of the University's Magee campus and the adjacent NWIHFE campus. This network provides wireless connectivity in classrooms, meeting rooms, library areas, student union areas, canteens and other places where people congregate. The objective is to allow enhanced, more flexible access to computing resources and the Internet in the designated areas.  

“SMART classrooms, or technology-enhanced multimedia learning environments, have been created to allow the presentation of complex information to students and to encourage advanced levels of interaction in the lecture hall. The facilities on offer include wireless connectivity, interactive white boards, and a range of multimedia audio and video equipment and projection systems. 

“The Tablet PC Mandate initiative was designed to take full advantage of the SMART classroom resources and the accompanying wireless infrastructure. The Tablet PC is the next generation of laptop computers which are lightweight and portable, offering wireless connectivity and including advanced features such as pen-based computing, digital ink and advanced collaboration facilities.

“All academic and teaching-related staff in the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems were provided with a Tablet PC to create and deliver teaching material, with a wireless-supported teaching working group set up to investigate, evaluate and disseminate effective pedagogical methods.  

“All incoming first-year students undertaking at least two thirds of their degree within the School in the academic years 2005/6 and 2006/7 received, free of charge, a Tablet PC for the duration of their studies. This equates to a combined staff and student user base of approximately 300 over the 2 years of the project and an investment of approximately £300,000.  

“A final element of the project was the provision of a Wireless Technology Demonstration Centre in the Intelligent Systems Research Centre at Magee, which provides expert assistance to local companies regarding the potential of wireless technology and the possibilities of creating new products using a range of wireless techniques such as RFID, WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and wireless sensor networks.”      

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter