At N2N, our motto is “connect anything to anything,” and we are constantly leading the pack when it comes to higher education systems integration. Providing colleges and universities with a solution that interconnects their disparate data systems has always been our goal, and we’ve developed our Integration Cloud platform, called Illuminate, to do just that. Illuminate takes each data source and integrates them securely and affordably. But we want to keep pushing the boundaries of what our technology can do for higher education. We want to extend this data connectivity with a rich, in-depth, and interactive mobile application.
That’s why we’ve teamed up with Modo Labs. Together, we intend to provide a truly stunning mobile solution that allows students to connect to their financial data, course work, grades, and other information, while at the same time empowering them to interact with their teachers, advisors, tutors, and other campus activities. This innovative new platform is the product of collaboration between our Illuminate date engine and Modo Lab’s Kurogo, a mobile app assembly platform.
So who are Modo Labs, and why is this partnership so transformative for higher
education? Based out of Cambridge, MA, Modo Labs provides a complete mobile solution that empowers ordinary people to create their own applications. These types of mobile capabilities used to only be the domain of mobile developers and expensive consultants. Now, Modo Labs Kurogo Platform gives non-developers an outstanding app assembly system with powerful mobile implementation and development capabilities. The secret is in Kurogo’s combination of data access, pre-built functionality, and ease of use. Today, creating mobile apps for campus is no longer out of reach for non-technical staff or business owners.
And how does this platform fit in with N2N’s Illuminate data engine? Well, the combination of the two allows a massive simplification in the mobile app building process. Illuminate integrates and allows access to the multitude of different data sources in a university system, while Kurogo quickly and easily mobilizes them into a well-developed mobile experience.
Stewart Elliot, Modo Labs CEO said, “We are excited to partner with N2N Services. The combination of the two platforms makes it easier than ever for Universities to provide the comprehensive mobile experience that students expect. Students will be able to easily accomplish even more important tasks on their mobile phones, including the ability to perform direct transactions in virtually any student information system, such as class registration, yet do so as part of an advanced, interactive and rich mobile experience.”
This combination of higher education technology is a major development for colleges and universities around the country. At N2N, we understand the importance of easy-to-use technology in campus life. Today’s students are used to instant access and in-depth mobile apps. Our partnership with Modo Labs provides these institutions with the best of both worlds: secure enterprise data access, and an unsurpassed front-end mobile experience.
If you would like to hear more about our partnership with Modo Labs, and how your college can benefit, contact N2N Services today.
The purpose of innovations in technology has always been to meet a particular need. This is no different when it comes to the integration of new technologies in college and university classrooms.
But some of these higher learning organizations are hesitant to adopt the new wave of technological advancement in their classrooms.
Their reasons for not transitioning immediately into the new paradigm of education are often understandable. The changes brought about by these new technologies are happening before our eyes at a pace so rapid it can leave you dizzy!
But the reality of the global economy and the state of higher education necessitates these changes.
Poor Access
One of the unfortunately more common reasons for colleges not embracing technological innovation is because they simply can’t access it. This can be because they’re in more rural areas, or don’t have the actual infrastructure to include it in their classrooms.
Providing high speed, wireless Internet for an entire college campus can be seriously difficult for institutions in areas of the world where small homes nearby can hardly manage a solid connection. The effort required of IT workers and local ISPs to maintain such a network can be downright Herculean.
Fortunately, the technologies that allow the Internet to flourish in even the most remote locations are developing and spreading at a breakneck pace. The adoption of a more digital environment soon won?t have to rely on grass roots efforts ? it’ll be everywhere.
Authenticity and Efficiency
There’s a pretty sizeable group of academics who are concerned that by adopting new technologies in education, the relationship between instructor and student becomes less authentic.
What technology represents for higher education systems a lot of the time is increased efficiency so more students can be educated at a faster pace than in the more traditional style of learning. Some educators are worried that increased efficiency will mean education has been corporatized and commodified, instead of being valued like it should be.
But this does not have to be the case. Learning technologies lower costs for students, increasing their access to educators like never before. The technologies themselves can be used by the educators as a companion tool to their curriculum, allowing for the learning platforms they work with to become more adaptive and successful.
Above all, technology can increase the faculty certainty that their students have mastered the curriculum to the correct degree through intuitive grading and progress measurement applications.
What the Technological Revolution Really Means for Colleges
Times are changing, that’s for sure. If we want a more educated population, the best way for colleges to produce more graduates is to embrace technological innovation.
Technology is to be used as a tool to address whatever needs educators have in ensuring the best possible education for all of their students. As it develops further into the future, there?s no doubt that technology will be integrated into the classroom setting in new and incredible ways.
There’s no reason for educators to be Luddites! They’re often at the cutting-edge already when it comes to new and improved teaching methods. And while we may not know exactly what the future holds for education, it’s undeniable that transitioning smoothly into it is the best way to stay up-to-date and ahead of the times.
If you would like to learn how technology can help your university reach higher levels of success, contact N2N services today.
College and university CIOs face all sorts of complex issues when it comes to successfully meeting application, technology, and user base demands.
As developments in the tech world continue ever onwards, CIOs will face numerous challenges if they want to successfully integrate and operate the digital environments of their campuses.
New Trends
Business Analytics: More than ever, CIOs need to develop and provide useful data for both students and administrators. In order to retain students and improve their education outcomes, CIOs are using learning and predictive analytics as well as data-driven decision making.
Mobile Apps: Colleges and universities are now coming under pressure to provide mobile applications for their students that offer new and intuitive connectivity on a student-to-student and student-to-educator basis. A recent national survey has shown that 83 percent of higher education campuses are activating mobile apps or planning to for 2015 and beyond.
Cloud Services: Providing user support for cloud services is another huge new endeavor for CIOs to tackle. In keeping up with the trend of tech development, cloud integration is now a necessary structure for CIOs to master themselves and make available to their administrative staff and students.
Campus Wi-Fi: As the proliferation of smart wireless devices increases year after year, institutions are struggling to provide the adequate bandwidth to accommodate all the devices students carry. The same national survey mentioned above showed that 74 percent of CIOs ranked providing appropriate wireless networking a top priority.
New Tech: New tools and toys are the name of the game year-to-year when it comes to technological innovation. For instance, wearable devices open up a new frontier in educational opportunities. Quizzes, campus navigation, and interactive lessons will make use of these devices, and CIOs must ensure their digital infrastructures are well-equipped to accommodate them. But security will also prove a major issue in this area ? especially as the ?Internet of Things? develops into the future.
Biggest Challenges
Operational Strategies: Staffing IT departments on college and university campuses is of utmost importance for CIOs if they want to keep their systems running at full capacity. A 2014 survey on these campuses across the US showed that two-thirds of CIOs had succession planning strategies, and 71 percent reported having formal IT governance strategies.
Budget Concerns: Allocating funds to central, academic, and administrative IT proves a major challenge to CIOs, especially when only 33 percent (according to the survey) of respondents expected their IT budgets to increase by next year.
Data Collection and Reporting: Most CIOs report using internal service providers for data management. In other words, CIOs will more than likely be responsible for overseeing the strategies of how to support and maintain the updates and maintenance of their likely multiple data center environments.
Higher education is on a path toward a worldwide technological revolution that will completely change the way we look at learning and the systems that provide it.
For both public and private institutions, these new trends and challenges will be front and center in your mind as a CIO for the rest of 2015 and as we transition into 2016. Stay up to date on these developments, and you should be prepared to overcome any IT obstacles you face.
And remember ? N2N?s integration cloud can help you streamline processes at your university and easily move data that way you need to. To learn more, contact us today by emailing info@n2nservices.com.
Think of?approaching your home or car and seeing your door automatically unlock once it senses your smartwatch or key fob ?- or checking your smartphone to see if the laundry machines in your apartment complex are currently being used. These are some examples of the potential of the Internet of Things.
What is the Internet of Things?
If you’ve not read the Wikipedia article 🙂 the Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of ?smart? devices that are embedded with connectivity and sensors that allow them to collect and transfer data to other connected devices. Common devices that we think about when we contemplate networked “computers” are PCs, notebooks, smartphones and tablets, but there are countless other connected ?smart? devices that are a part of the Internet of Things and more are being created every day. These include things we think of, and things we don’t, but the message is that with today’s technology, almost anything can be “node” in the IoT if enabled by the right technology. I’ve recently installed two “connected” smoke alarms in my house; they are a part of the IoT. ?My smartphone receives alarms and “all-ok” messages in real-time, and has access to historical observations.?The implications are vast.
The Internet of Things supports device-to-device communication between nodes?(think of a “personal area network” where a smart watch communicates with a phone for updates) and also supports device-to-aggregator communications (think of sensors collecting data from coastal buoys and updating a database used in weather prediction). It uses both private networks and public networks (the “Cloud”) to securely carry data between participating nodes. Then,?applications (typically Cloud-based), allow you to access and transfer that data, giving you the flexibility to transform that data into information?anytime and anywhere, including on your campus. So, smart devices can communicate with other smart devices or can collect data, either over restricted networks or as encrypted “calls” over the public Internet.
How can the Internet of Things affect your college?
It Can Improve Energy Efficiency
Many colleges and universities?are burdened by limited fiscal resources, so enormous energy consumption mixed with inefficient energy use can often be taxing, cutting into funds that could be spent teaching students more effectively. Large institutions are are often beginning to leverage “facilities networks” to interconnect and control HVAC systems, but often the deployments are limited and not strategic.
However, the Internet of Things includes a rapidly growing?variety of devices and methods that can help significantly reduce energy costs. Institutions?are looking for ways to implement energy conservation programs that include building ubiquitous automation and accurate energy monitoring devices, allowing schools to pay only for what they need instead of having to cool or heat entire buildings. Pervasive technology enabled by the IoT is moving this from specialized systems to more open and interoperable (and affordable!) environments.
It Can Improve Quality of Education
The Internet of Things can play a major role in the education process, especially in regards to the quality of education that is provided to a student. It can have a pedagogical role (improved data or access to sensors and devices) or support role by expanding range of devices for content delivery and interaction possibilities.
In a support role, we have seen that in the last decade, online courses have allowed students to study and earn degrees on the internet while allowing them to retain the flexibility to fulfill important daily obligations (like taking care of their family or working a full-time job). Ubiquitous access to computing resources and networks, including the “connected supercomputer” you carry in your pocket, enables qualitatively improved tools and access to information. With smart displays (there’s the IoT again!), collaborative workspaces leveraging projected or “cast” content allow richly productive group sessions wherever students gather.?Over time, an enormous amount of data,?will?be collected and analyzed with the help of smart devices and systems, allowing universities to target student performance and to offer and help students find classes that would better suit their interests and learning styles.
It Will Require Attention to Security
The Internet of Things can be a bit overwhelming with possibilities…both good and bad. Ubiquitous connectivity to all kinds of devices is good, but that means that devices and systems have to learn to live in a world that is potentially hostile at each turn. They can’t rely on a “firewall” to protect them from things in the outside world, as they are inthe outside world. If the firewall surrounds everything, then it surely will have bad actors inside any security perimeter. One part of this answer is de-perimeterization. This means that each device and system needs to be “hardened” to not trust, without verification, messages that it gets from another device or system. ?Too many devices and systems in the early Internet of Things are far too trusting about their neighbors. Security must mature quickly for the IoT to reach its potential.
The Internet of Things isn?t the only technology advancement that could help your institution.
The NIC, N2N Service?s cloud based integration platform, is another way your college or university?can use cutting-edge technology to reach greater heights of success and offer students a better educational experience. Leveraging the same advances in Cloud-based systems that support the myriad devices and deep pools of data from the IoT, the NIC is there to help you bring together the administrative and academic?data necessary to support an effective institution.
If you?re interested in learning about how the NIC can benefit your institution, contact N2N Services today.
If you?ve been looking for all-in-one software solutions to streamline operations at your school, you might have encountered the term ?Enterprise Service Bus? (or ?ESB?).
We know that there are a lot of acronyms and potentially confusing terms out there when it comes to technology, and ESB is one of them. So, we thought we?d walk you through what exactly an Enterprise Service Bus is, what purpose it serves, and how it can make a huge difference for your college or university.
The definition of an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)
In the simplest terms, an Enterprise Service Bus is an architecture that allows many different applications to run together as a part of one infrastructure. It integrates these different applications, manages the access to them, and presents them to the user in a single interface. An ESB is typically part of an integration suite and can offer many valuable tools that other frameworks do not.
To make this abstract concept a bit easier to understand, think about the word ?bus? for a second. In the tech world, it refers to a transmission path where signals are dropped off and picked up ? kind of like an actual bus! So, you can think of the Enterprise Service Bus as a ?bus? through which all of your institution’s information passes.
The ESB?s Purpose in the N2N Integration Cloud (NIC)
An ESB is a core component of the N2N Integration Cloud (NIC) because it serves as the architecture that allows the NIC to integrate all of a school?s applications in one central hub. It actually provides the interface that allows you to connect your institution’s applications together ? parametrizable with no coding by you required!
Why This Matters For Your College or University
While you can probably immediately think of some benefits of the application integration offered by the NIC, there are a few that might not be so obvious. Here are some ways the NIC can help your college:
It allows your students to use their mobile phones to check grades, view financial aid status, and more (NIC for Mobile).
It cuts down on manual labor needs by eliminating tedious data entry tasks.
It helps keep costs low (the NIC is cloud-based and does not require you to purchase extra hardware).
It provides you with the ability to analyze data more effectively (melding data from multiple applications). That way, you have the resources you need to make good business decisions and give each student a personalized educational experience.
The NIC was specifically designed with higher education in mind, so you can feel confident knowing that it can help you achieve your goals. It?s also quick to deploy, so you can start benefitting from its functionality right away.
So, there you have it ? an explanation of what an Enterprise Service Bus is and why it is an important part of the NIC. If you have questions or are interested in learning more about how the NIC can help your college or university, we?d love to chat ? contact us today!
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That’s why we’ve teamed up with Modo Labs. Together, we intend to provide a truly stunning mobile solution that allows students to connect to their financial data, course work, grades, and other information, while at the same time empowering them to interact with their teachers, advisors, tutors, and other campus activities. This innovative new platform is the product of collaboration between our Illuminate date engine and Modo Lab’s Kurogo, a mobile app assembly platform.
