科技投资“改变游戏规则”

When broadband internet recently arrived at the University of Idaho’s Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center, Kyle Nagy said the technology became an instant “game-changer” on expanding distance education opportunities.

“之前, 当刮风或有厚厚的云层覆盖时, 我们会在一天中偶尔断网,纳吉说。, 该中心的负责人兼果园运营经理说.

Not having to attend a class in person on a set day and time has allowed me to thrive in all aspects of my life without feeling overwhelmed or like I couldn’t accomplish my goals. 杰西卡·霍尔，365滚球官网考德威尔分校毕业生

当农业与生命科学学院 center 靠近施韦策山的山脚下 遗产果园会议 before the pandemic, perhaps 100 people attended the in-person event.

现在, 多亏了去年冬天安装的宽带, 多于1,200名研究人员, gardeners and orchardists from nearly all 50 states and 18 countries were enrolled in the webinars last spring.

纳吉说:“我们接触了更多的人. “No doubt, the broadband and having the bandwidth to reach that many people has been a game-changer.”

爱达荷州商务部农村宽带拨款410美元,000资助该服务, which provides public-accessible wireless internet to the center as well as Extension offices in Boundary, 邦纳和库特奈县.

的 project is among a flurry of recent initiatives designed to help U of I meet students and community members where they are across the globe.

学生杰西卡·霍尔, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in criminology but is continuing her education by pursuing a bachelor’s in psychology, said she is thankful that U of I offers online options and is expanding such delivery because she needs flexibility to study from her home in Caldwell.

Our investments in connecting our people and locations with the rest of the world broadens the reach of our collective knowledge, 研究和资源，帮助我们的学生实现他们的目标. 丹·尤尔特·格莱斯顿, vice president of information technology and chief information officer

“I was a 28-year-old wife and mother of two when I decided to go to college,”她说。.

Without the online option, Hall said she’s not sure she would have attended college.

“Not having to attend a class in person on a set day and time has allowed me to thrive in all aspects of my life without feeling overwhelmed or like I couldn’t accomplish my goals,”她说。.

丹·尤尔特·格莱斯顿, U of I’s vice president of information technology and chief information officer, said access to knowledge is core to achieving the university’s mission of innovative thinking, 社区参与和变革教育.

“Broadband provides that access and allows U of I to both impart and develop that knowledge,埃沃特说. “Broadband can bring people together in ways unheard of just a few years ago. Our investments in connecting our people and locations with the rest of the world broadens the reach of our collective knowledge, 研究和资源，帮助我们的学生实现他们的目标.”

最近扩大365滚球官网在线覆盖范围的其他努力包括:

• A $404,596 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to improve internet access and communication technology at 28 sites in 27 counties statewide was granted. 这笔资金将用于升级设备 用户界面推广办事处 in 21 counties, five research and Extension centers, the university’s Rinker Rock Creek牧场 在海莉和莫斯科校区附近.
• A U of I 在线教育工作小组 recommends investing $1 million annually over the next several years to build strategic programs and support services for online and distance learners. It recommends an additional $666,000 for technology upgrades statewide.
• 的 爱达荷州区域光网络, a broadband consortium in which U of I is a founding charter associate, 是否将其州宽带网络扩展到另外12个县. 的 goal is to offer distance education delivery from all 42 U of I Extension offices and nine research and Extension centers.
• 国家教育委员会的 爱达荷州在线 Program provides statewide partnership opportunities with a digital course-sharing campus.
• 我大学收到993美元,000 from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief fund for digital infrastructure and hardware for classrooms statewide during the COVID-19 pandemic. 关于 140 faculty laptops and 50 student laptops were purchased along with technology to equip 21 classrooms in research and Extension centers. U of I employs 130 faculty at research and Extension centers throughout Idaho.
• 我大学花了400多美元,000 last summer to outfit 50 classrooms with technology that enabled the university to reach students at a distance.

Ewart said such initiatives put technology at the hands of U of I instructors that allows for student connections in areas that may not otherwise be available.

While U of I will always deliver an unparalleled in-person education, 就像130多年来一样, 这个世界需要远距离访问. 斯科特·格林，伊利诺伊大学校长

“Students can come to these locations for face-to-face interactions or to connect wirelessly at high speeds to resources throughout the world,他说.

U of I President Scott Green said investments in technology and broadband, 大流行加快了速度, can ensure Vandals now and in the future have access to learning environments in any subject, 不管他们在哪里.

“While U of I will always deliver an unparalleled in-person education, 就像130多年来一样, 这个世界需要远距离访问,格林说. “We can provide that access to every corner of Idaho — and around the globe.”

文章由布莱恩·沃克，大学传播与营销.

照片由365滚球官网摄影服务中心提供.

2021年5月出版.