Intel to mobilise wireless adoption in academia

Intel Semiconductor Ltd has announced the Intel Mobile Initiative for Learning in Education' to accelerate the adoption of mobile computing and wireless technologies across more than 300 universities throughout Asia Pacific. The program aims to help tertiary educational institutions across the region to deliver a mobile infrastructure so that students, faculty, and administrators can learn, teach, research, and manage anytime, anywhere by 2006.

The Intel Mobile Initiative for Learning in Education is designed to remove the boundaries of traditional classrooms, accelerating collaborative, anytime, anywhere learning through the deployment of mobile technologies such as wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) and Intel Centrino mobile technology.

"The Intel Mobile Initiative for Learning in Education promotes the usage of wireless technologies to help transform traditional university campuses into roaming, all-access research libraries," said Anand Chandrasekher, Intel vice president and general manager of the Mobile Platforms Group.

"We are working with other major players in the mobility ecosystem, ranging from software and hardware to systems integration and services companies, to provide better, more agile and cost-effective solutions for universities."

The Intel Mobile Initiative for Learning in Education will include various activities such as wireless connectivity pilot programs, engineering and deployment support, blueprint development for broad scale deployment and verification of interoperability with Intel Centrino mobile technology.

Intel will also provide education seminars and notebook purchasing and financing programs to students and teachers.

"The effective integration of information and communication technology in education is critically important for development of skills for the knowledge economy. With the help of wireless technologies, difficult concepts are made easier to understand, and students can benefit from interactive learning, where they can learn-by-doing," added Mr.Chandrasekher.

The combination of Intel Centrino mobile technology and wireless connectivity facilitates engaged learning, enhances collaboration and communication, and enables space conservation and more flexible class layouts. It also allows for faculty and school administration to provide more reliable and timely distribution of materials and easier student administration.