Saturday, July 16, 2011

Wi-Fi access bends DU students to online learning

Introduction of Wi-Fi facilities at the vintage points of Dhaka University campus has brought remarkable change in the academic activities of the students helping them broader access to internet and online learning.

Dhaka University (DU) authorities first introduced the Wi-Fi in the Teacher- Student Centre (TSC) area in 2009, which has gradually expanded in some faculties and eight residential halls.

Wi-Fi is a branded system for connecting electronic devices without wire.

The Wi-Fi facilities are greatly helping the students enabling them to prepare their class assignments, research papers and presentations using internet in the classroom or residential halls without enjoying traditional library facility.

Internet facility also contributed to increase the use of laptop, high resolution mobile phone and other electronic devices by the students to download their required materials from information databank.

Sujan Kumar Mondal, a student of Mass Communication and Journalism Department, said introduction of Wi-Fi in the campus has facilitated large numbers of students to have an alternative source of learning and making assignments instead of using the library.

Students in the past used to go to the libraries to collect
information for their given assignment, course presentations and study, but now Wi-Fi technology has eased these academic tasks.

Since introduction of the Wi-Fi technology at TSC, students are seen always busy with browsing the internet as they get connection in their laptop or mobile phone free of cost.

Some students browse informative websites, some download rich lecture notes, some search information in Google and some are busy with facebook and in chatting with their friends.

"Internet offers us a great assistance in our research, study and other regular activities," Nadia Islam, a student of Health Economics Institute, said adding the DU has only two on- payment cyber caf, with capacity of nearly sixty seats, which is insufficient for an institution like Dhaka University.

Moreover, she said the two cyber centres can provide a very poor service to the students from academic point of view as students are not allowed to take data from the computers through USB. "But the introduction of Wi-Fi technology in the campus has unlocked the doors of information," she observed.

Nipun Nirjhar, a student of Department of Management Information System, urged the DU authorities to extend this free Internet zone over the whole campus while Razib Biswas, a student of Department of Zoology, said the Wi-Fi technology has paved the ways to be introduced with a cyber world and get information from the whole world.

Vice Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique said Wi-Fi technology eased the expansion of information and helping the students getting information easily as well.

"Information is not confined in particular area and it's open for all due to information technology like Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi technology has been introduced in TSC area to ensure more access of the DU students to the information and communication technology. We are working for expanding this technology in the whole campus, all the halls, institutes and faculties soon," said Prof Siddique.

He, however, observed that on-line learning can not be the substitute of library.

"Importance of library can not be ignored because printed books are more enjoyable than the computer based on-line learning," he said advising the students to spend at least one hour everyday in the libraries.
News Source: BSS

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