About 90 percent of academic buildings on campus now have wireless Internet access, and the buildings without access are in the process of getting connected.
In the past two years, OU has expanded dramatically its wireless access capabilities, said Nicholas Key, OU Information Technology spokesman.
Key said IT has been focused on providing wireless access primarily in classrooms, implementing access as construction and renovations finish.
“We’re working on a building-by-building basis,” he said.
Recent wireless additions include David L. Boren Hall and about 90 percent of the Fred Jones Museum Jr. of Art. Full wireless access in the museum will be implemented upon completion of current renovations.
The Reynolds’s Performing Arts Center’s Green Room also received a wireless connection about two weeks ago.
Performing arts students have praised their newly acquired Internet access, said Laura Stephenson, acting senior.
She said drama students spend a lot of time in the Green Room, a room where actors and crew members can break between performances, and have wanted Internet access in the area for over two years.
The new connection has been beneficial for students who use the room, Stephenson said.
Another major wireless improvement on campus is access in Bizzell Memorial Library, Key said.
“Just about every nook and cranny in the library is now wireless,” he said.
But access is not limited to buildings. There are now several outdoor areas where students can access the Web.
The North and South Ovals, Walker-Adams Mall and areas outside the library are now wired to better serve students.
Wireless projects underway include the two Cate buildings along Lindsey Street and the Cate building on the southeast side, Key said.
He said IT is currently working with Housing and Food Services to provide funding for wireless access to these buildings. All dorm buildings have gained wireless access as renovations have been completed.
IT also plans to make all classrooms on the first floor of the Physical Sciences Center wireless this summer.
With more than 800 wireless access points and a total of 16 buildings across campus geared for a wireless hook-up, OU’s Internet connection has not gone unnoticed.
PC Magazine has ranked OU 10th in the nation in its past two editions of America’s Top Wired Colleges.
But making OU one of the most recognized wireless campuses in the nation is no simple task, especially because of the size of the campus, Key said.
“One of the challenges we face is we are very spread out, and that adds quite a bit of complexity to wireless networks,” he said.
He said IT’s priority is not to simply make every inch of campus wireless, but to get wireless access to locations on campus where it will be most used by students.
To fund the wireless access, IT takes advantage of other technology efficiencies to reduce its costs, Key said.
“We could certainly look and say we’re going to blanket it square to square, but that money would be wasted,” he said. “I think the way we’ve approached it is looking at high-priority areas and cost savings. We don’t want to waste opportunity where it can be used.”
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jssooner4 3 years, 1 month ago
Next thing OU IT must do is make D2L an iphone app or at least viewable on the iphone. So many students have an iphone/ipod touch. Make it happen!