Smart Campus versus traditional learning environment – Digital natives today expect more than a dusty library and a professor writing formulas on the blackboard in the lecture hall, and not just since the coronavirus pandemic. But how do traditional approaches and the latest technologies differ in terms of the learning experience? And what are the advantages of a smart university?
University life is constantly changing. It is not only the introduction of uniform Bachelor’s and Master’s systems that illustrates the generation gap when it comes to studying. In the past – and not so long ago – a typical day for Michael the student looked like this: His professor stands at the front of the lectern and teaches. He and his fellow students learn from used books and hand in their printed seminar papers or projects at the end of the semester.
A Smart Campus or smart university should offer more room for lateral thinking. Digital natives are all about social networking and being mobile. Students want to stay connected – with friends, family, lecturers or other university staff, digital curriculum, live lectures and much more. Thus, the expectations of the university are also changing. Potential first-year students who aspire to this new kind of campus life expect a great and digital university experience that makes learning possible even in exceptional situations.
What exactly makes a university campus ‘smart’? As with many other smart applications and experiences, it is about communicating and exchanging data with other systems, devices or the internet. A digital campus starts with ubiquitous, reliable and wireless connectivity – indoors and out: a digitally connected university that uses these digital applications in everyday life on campus in a wide variety of situations. The options range, for example, from preventive monitoring to individual room control and intelligent access control.
In a nutshell: A smart campus connects disparate areas such as devices, applications and people to enable new services and improve efficiency and the student experience.
Directions, electronic locks or lockers, mobile check-in in the student flat, automated book lending, intelligent parking, mobile booking of study rooms, ordering food in the cafeteria or checking the availability of fitness equipment via app… all these are examples of smart campus and building applications. Whether you are looking for the room number for the upcoming seminar, the lecturers’ offices or a particular book in the library, something is always changing on the premises. A network of Smart Campus applications gives you an overview, facilitates management, for example, as in a company head office. They show students, teachers and academic staff what is happening around them and guide them to their destination as quickly as possible.
In practice, a digital campus can be divided into three categories:
All areas can help to increase student engagement. This is important to ease their transition into university life and to help them use all the resources they need to succeed. Digital universities bring science to life.
A smart university building serves as an interface between Smart Homes and Cities. But what does it mean? Through an intelligently networked everyday university life, digital natives are offered new experiences that they already know and use from their private lives. At the same time, a progressive higher education organisation offers entirely new opportunities to increase operational efficiency, just as in a company, to save costs and to improve public safety. An example of a Smart City – where a smart university campus forms a sub-project – is the Smart City Eichenzell project funded by BMI.
A future scenario? No, all this can already be reality: when people, devices and applications use a common technological infrastructure, they can interact with each other and enable experiences that were not possible before. For instance, the digital student card is already being considered in many places – making traditional card handling superfluous in favour of mobile applications via smartphone.
Then add Internet of Things (IoT) networks, such as sensors or access technologies, to tie the campus infrastructure into the IP network – and you can throw in lighting, heating, cooling and power systems, as well as security monitoring, physical access systems and parking facilities.
In this way, your educational institution becomes a platform for innovation. Our goal at SAG Smart Access: to jointly create added value for operators and students with intelligent solutions.
The benefits are manifold:
In Germany, tuition-free universities have led to enrolment success for international students. Yet this also creates new challenges – such as a lack of revenue to fund research. A network of intelligent buildings could provide a remedy here. It reduces operating costs on campus while providing a platform for innovation and technology for both faculty and students.
The use of networked computer technology is creating new learning models that fit the lifestyle of digital natives. If every university student has access to audio and video conferencing tools at any time, they can initiate or participate in a collaborative work session in seconds. This also allows several students to work together on the same project without having to be in the same physical location. What’s more, neither the students nor the teachers suffer from the loss of physical presence in exceptional situations.
Digital portals are already widespread, not only in companies. Most universities already use digital learning management systems. This way, students can easily access the portals at any time and from any personal device. Grades, assignments, syllabus, documents – everything is available to students.
SAG Smart Access offers digital access solutions consisting of software and hardware – from stand-alone options to networked systems for doors and lockers and their integration into technology-controlled operating platforms – both on university campuses and for student housing. The goal is efficient organisation and automation of buildings and universities. For example, staff and students on a Smart Campus have secure access to doors, lockers and furniture, as well as the resources protected behind them. Access is possible from anywhere – directly from the smartphone, individual permissions, time-limited and provided in real time.
Our four solution concepts ‘Keyless Access’, ‘intelligent cabinet locking’, ‘Preventive Monitoring’ and ‘Individual Room Control’ are explained in detail on the following pages.
since 1833
SAG Smart Access belongs to Schulte-Schlagbaum AG. Since 1833, Schulte-Schlagbaum AG has been developing and marketing systems and solutions for organising access, storage and invoicing. Meanwhile, the focus has shifted to smart building and process organisation.
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Schulte-Schlagbaum AG
Nevigeser Str. 100-110, D-42553 Velbert
Telephone: +49 2051 2086-0
smart@sag-schlagbaum.com
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Four superior solution concepts for digital building organisation
Mobile organisation of access across locations, analytical recording of demand and usage data.
Ensure security on a preventive basis, monitor locking statuses in real time.
Manage utilisation rates and optimise capacities. Create new working models and services.
Offer customised convenience, protect resources in a sustainable manner, deliver compelling experiences.
Design the digitalisation of your intelligent building exactly according to your needs: with individual functions, licences and services.
Our team will be happy to answer any questions you may have about benefits and services, advice and planning. Find your contact person here. We are looking forward to seeing you.
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straiv, SAG Schulte-Schlagbaum and apaleo create the digital solution for check-in and check-out, digital guest directory, keyless entry and journey messaging.
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Telephone: +49 2051 2086-0
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Nevigeser Str. 100
D-42553 Velbert
