BHUBANESWAR: The state government has expressed displeasure over the poor utilisation of free Wi-Fi facilities provided in different higher educational institutions. It has directed them to identify the reason behind such low usage and take corrective steps to improve student access.
The Higher Education department pointed out that recent data utilisation reports revealed daily usage of free Wi-Fi service by students was significantly low in several institutions. “Free Wi-Fi infrastructure had been provided across 130 campuses as part of an initiative to bridge the digital divide and provide students with seamless access to online academic resources, e-learning platforms and digital research materials,” it stated.
However, such under-utilisation limited the academic potential of students and affected the intended outcomes of the public investment made in the project. The college principals should take appropriate corrective measures to ensure the project achieved its objective, the department stated.
The DHE further suggested a slew of measures to make free Wi-Fi accessible to students and increase its usage. They include conducting awareness campaigns in colleges and organising orientation sessions for both freshers and existing students and prominently displaying Wi-Fi network names, registration procedures and usage guidelines at notice boards, libraries, laboratories and other common student areas.
Faculties in these 130 colleges will also integrate digital learning into classroom activities by referring students to online journals, e-books, open educational resources and Massive Open Online Courses to motivate students to make productive use of the campus network.
Moreover, they have also been asked to periodically review network coverage and ensure adequate signal strength in student-centric areas such as libraries, reading rooms, study halls and common rooms. “Any technical glitches or dead zones should be promptly reported to the service provider and the department for necessary action,” the DHE ordered.
This story has been written by Sudarsan Maharana of The New Indian Express.
