Digital Campus ICT and eLearning Infrastructure

Key issues faced
Increasing student numbers but limited computing facilities
Desktop PCs are expensive and complex
Lack of ownership by ICT teams
Teachers need skills in how to use ICT effectively

Current solutions
Purchasing new standalone PCs
Employing more ICT staff & technicians
Elearning teams and training for teachers

Yet some issues remain...
Standalone PC labs poorly maintained
Fragile infrastructure
Teachers lack skills in using technology effectively
PC's become obsolete
Students have little computer access

Our experience with Thin Clients
Much better uptime than standalone labs
Poor network causes problems
Lack of ownership by ICT
Most issues have been human factors not technical

Our Approach

Services oriented
Fully installed thin client infrastructure with service level support agreement
Reuse existing hardware
Every student has their own account and desktop environment
Full time, onsite support staff

Upskilling local staff
Encouraging local ICT enterprise and opportunities
Training and support for local ICT staff
Elearning certification for elearning team and teachers

Sustainable Business Model
Incubation of Digital-Campus Ethiopia
Development of skilled, well paid local staff, performance related salaries
Economically sustainable and scalable for-profit organization
Digital-Campus in Europe
Platform Development / Investigation
Sequestering used servers and network equipment
Training and support for Ethiopian staff

Thin Clients

Traditional Standalone Architecture Thin Client Architecture Loose network coupling Tight network coupling User has different account on each device Data spread across different PCs and server User desktop different on each device Same account on every device Stored centrally on server Same desktop environment from all devices Applications installed on every device Applications installed on server only Processing happens on local device Server handles all processing

Standalone v Thin Client: Hardware Standalone Thin Client Maintenance and Support Each device needs to be maintained separately Client devices require no maintenance, only the network and server Scalability Low: doubling the number of PCs will double the support requirements Very high, adding many more clients adds little to the overall support requirements Performance Varies from device to device depending on processor/memory. To increase performance each device needs to be upgraded Performance based on the server and network. Can increase performance/capacity by adding servers Security Devices contain valuable components, so every area hosting a device must be well secured Few valuable components within the devices (only the monitor). Data centre needs to be well secured Robustness Devices susceptible to component failure (fans, disk drives etc regularly fail) Devices very robust (no moving parts). Ergonomics Fan noise and heat generation. No noise, low heat.

Standalone v Thin Client: Software Standalone Thin Client Application management and support Software needs to be installed/ upgraded/patched on every device Software only needs to be managed on the server Data management Data may be distributed over all devices and moved from device to device with USB disk or CD Data stored centrally so easy to manage and back up Virus resistance Poor (with Windows OS): every PC needs to have it's anti-virus program updated Very high virus resistance with open source operating system. System resource efficiency Low: most of processing capacity idle and disk storage empty Very high: centralised processing and data storage means best use can be made of all system resources Usage Monitoring Hard to report on usage as distributed across many PCs Easy to generate usage reports

Standalone v Thin Client: Costs Standalone Thin Client Hardware cost per seat High Low Longevity/ replacement costs PC generally have approx 4 year lifespan Thin client terminals can still be useful after 8+ years. Energy efficiency Low, desktop PC (excluding monitor) is typically 100W High – can save 60-80% on electricity costs. Thin client devices (excluding monitor) are typically 5-10W. Total Cost of Ownership High – each desktop PC requires maintenance and administration Low – only the servers need to be maintained

Generic user v Identified user Generic User Identified User Data Management User needs to manage and backup their own data. Risks losing their data as can easily be deleted by other users. Users data is kept secure under their account, can't be deleted by other users. Applications Set up according to generic preferences (or the last user) Users can configure/setup application setting to suit them, their changes won't be lost Device affinity/ownership Users tend to use one particular physical device User owns the desktop environment, so can use any physical machine Application integration User must log in separately to each application (and remember to log out properly) Users can be automatically logged into the email and other systems Monitoring & reporting Cannot monitor individuals usage Can monitor and report on individuals usage

Many architectures Standalone PC Thin Client Ultra Thin Client Standard Desktop PC N-computing, Surfboard + more SunRay Spectrum of solutions for student computer labs

Open Source
Digital Campus focused on using Open Source technology
Allows for greater flexibility
License fee-free
Virus resistant
Easier to change between different open source systems

Modular Applications Modules Digital Campus Infrastructure

Benefits

Flexibility Client devices may be:
Refurbished Pcs
Surfboards
SunRays
Other thin client devices
Servers may be:
Existing servers
Refurbished servers
New servers

Scalability & Integration
Hyper-scalable
Add many more terminals with little extra effort or support
Server architecture is expandable – add rather than replace
Extend the useful life of existing hardware

User Provisioning & Reporting
All user accounts created and maintained
Integrate with existing systems (e.g. Student information system)
Generate regular usage reports

Performance
Network and server dependent
Not dependent on specification of client hardware
Significantly improved up-time and availability of computer labs
UPS can power whole lab during short electricity cuts

For the University
Significant cost savings
Turnkey solution
Managed and supported ICT infrastructure
Well trained staff
Support local ICT enterprise

For the Teacher
Move away from lecture oriented teaching
Training and certification
Reliable ICT infrastructure for elearning activities

For the Student
Personalized desktop environment available from any client device
Reliable computer access
Reliable data storage

Example Scenario

Scenario
500 thin clients
5000 students
3 year support
50 instructors trained per year

Scenario includes
All server, network and client hardware installed and configured
User account provisioning
Full time support staff
Basic software services: internet, email and office
Elearning support and certification

Scenario excludes
furniture (tables/desks, chairs)
lab attendants
specialised software (eg AutoCAD, SPSS etc)
internet connection

Scenarios assume
Access to network equipment
Remote access to server
24x7 lab opening
Students all have email addresses

Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Focus on the service, not hardware!
3 year service on-site:
User provisioning and face-to-face support
Lab maintenance (power, network, hardware)
Local system administration / remote 2 nd tier support
Low-cost Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Quantifiable success metrics / penalties

SLAs
Number terminals working (95%)
Moodle service uptime (95%)
Call/ticket response time (<8 hours)
User provisioning (<8 hours)
Power (<5 min outage in labs)

Statement of Work
Contract
Work steps
Scope
Terms and conditions
e.g. payment: 50% - 25% - 25%
Responsibilities
Legal entity

Summary

Overview
Reliable, well maintained ICT infrastructure with service level agreement
Hyper-scalable: build in new/existing hardware
Integrated elearning systems
Usage reporting
Staff training, development and certification

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Digital Campus ICT and eLearning Infrastructure

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