Swiss German University goes wireless
Swiss German University goes wireless
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Situation normal in most universities across the country: The
students enter the lecture theaters with bags on their shoulders
full of books and papers. In the tutorial rooms, they use pens
and paper to take notes of what their lecturers say. In breaks
they form groups and chat to each other on campus parks or are
found in the university computer rooms searching the internet.
However, for well-heeled students at the Swiss German
University (SGU) in Serpong, Tangerang, Banten things are about
to change starting in August this year, as a result of the
institute's ambitious plan to go completely online.
High-tech portable tablet PCs will replace pens and paper in
lecture theaters. In the campus parks, students via a wireless
connection will be able to use their tablets to find more
information about the topics discussed during classes, send e-
mails to friends or even submit examination papers to their
lecturers.
"Wireless technology will become standard in the campus. We
will start it in August this year," unversity rector Prof. Dr.
Peter Pscheid said in an interview with The Jakarta Post
recently.
The computer room will no longer be needed, as the entire
university will be connected, with university students and
lecturers able to access the internet from any corner of the
campus using their tablets.
The SGU has signed a cooperation agreement with computer
producer Hewlett Packard, under which all students and lecturers
will be able to buy tablet PCs from the company at a discount
price. Currently, the university that started operation in 2000
has about 700 students and dozens of lecturers.
Most of the students graduated from several exclusive private
high schools of the country, such as Jakarta's Santa Ursula,
Pangudi Luhur, Al Azhar and Lab Schools.
Pscheid, who was former rector of the Institute of Technology
St Gallen in Switzerland, is confident the students would not
find it difficult to adjust to the university's new system.
"Actually, many of our students already have their own PC
tablets. So there will be no difficulty applying the wireless
technology," Pscheid said.
He said that the implementation of the system was expected to
improve the results of the education at the university, but would
also depend on whether the students were willing to avail
themselves of the new system.
"So the responsibility is now on the students," Pscheid said.
The SGU will be among the few universities in Indonesia to
implement wireless technology.
Located in the BSD City housing estate in Serpong, the SGU has
four faculties: Information Technology, Engineering, Business
Administration and Life Sciences.
The university, which is sponsored by the governments and
private sectors of Germany, Austria, Swiss and Indonesia, is the
first in the country to conform to European standards.
Fifty percent of the university's lecturers are foreigners
while the remaining are Indonesians who got their PhD or masters
degrees from foreign universities.
The university's curriculum is based on the German model with
students receiving not only theory but also balanced practical
experiences. The students will attend internship programs in
companies at home and abroad, such as in Germany.
SGU's bachelor's and masters' degree students have an
opportunity to continue their education in Germany after two
years of studying at the university.