Oaklands College reinvents learning with integrated IT and new campus

Customer challenge

Oaklands College is planning to revolutionise the learning experience for its 10,000-plus students with the opening of a new campus in 2011. Since its poor Ofsted Inspection in 2003, the college has been transformed and with £100 million worth of investment at stake the success of the project is vital. Technology will be at the heart of not only the new building but also the college's approach to education, which combines virtual, distance and blended learning with more traditional teaching methods.

Computacenter solution

To ensure it could translate its vision into reality, Oaklands College called on Computacenter to help scope out the technology requirements of the project. Computacenter provided expert advice on almost every aspect of IT for the new campus – from the datacenter and underlying infrastructure to audio-visual solutions. The plan involves equipping all 150 classrooms and workshops with electronic whiteboards and video cameras, and extending wireless connectivity to outdoor spaces, such as sports fields.

Results

Oaklands College now has a clear IT strategy and budget for its new campus. Once completed, the new college will offer students an inspiring learning environment based on exemplary IT. This will not only help the college attract more students but also meet its goals for being recognised as a provider of excellent education.

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Customer profile

Providing an exemplary learning experience
Oaklands College is attended by 3,200 full-time students between the ages of 16 and 19 as well as around 8,000 adults undertaking further education. It currently has four sites in St Albans, Borehamwood and Welwyn Garden City. The college offers a comprehensive range of courses, from beauty therapy and floristry to equine studies and engineering.

Oaklands College is committed to delivering stimulating, high quality learning and training in a vibrant environment. Following a less than satisfactory Ofsted inspection in 2003, the college has transformed its educational approach and internal administration with the goal of achieving an Ofsted 'excellence' rating by 2011.

Technology will play a key role in this transformation, and has already enabled Oaklands College to develop a blended learning strategy, which supplements face-to-face interaction with e-learning or distance learning.

Using digital technologies is central to the college's vision for the future and developing a reputation for learning success – both with students, local businesses and education regulators.

Business challenge

Harnessing the full potential of IT
To deliver on its vision, the college needed to enhance its existing physical facilities, which are no longer fit for purpose. It has therefore embarked on a massive capital build project, which will cover 30,000 square metres and cost in the region of £100 million. Mark Dawe, Principal of Oaklands College, comments: "We have a one-off opportunity to create a modern learning environment from a completely clean sheet. Learning is changing rapidly and our college environment must reflect this. We need to be offering the same technologies that students have at home, so they can blend both the location and method of their learning."

As a result, technology will be integrated into the very fabric of the new campus, which is due to open in early 2011. Based on the Cisco Connected Real Estate concept, the IT network will be core to this new 'intelligent building', and will provide an integrated platform for e-learning, communication systems, audiovisual tools and physical security.

The new college campus, which is based on a main hub and three smaller spokes, will also be designed to minimise environmental impact. Based on a central atrium that will be open to the public for events, the main building will have three wings incorporating 150 classrooms and workshops for all areas of study. Richard Everett, Director of e-Learning at Oaklands College, comments: "The entire site will have wireless connectivity, including outside areas such as sports fields and the equestrian stables. The building will have no computer rooms, as we want to provide every student with access to a laptop computer."

To help make these ground-breaking ideas become a reality, the college needed to bring in specialist skills to support its internal IT team. "We were looking for a partner that could work closely with the building design consultants and electrical teams during the planning stages to identify the best technology solutions and strategies," comments Richard.

Computacenter solution

Devising a strategy for integrated IT and intelligent buildings
Oaklands College investigated three different companies before deciding to work with Computacenter. "Computacenter has the breadth of skills and resources needed for such an all-encompassing project," adds Richard.

Over the course of four months, Computacenter provided consultancy on almost every aspect of IT for the new campus – from the datacenter and underlying infrastructure to building management systems and audio-visual solutions. As well as helping to scope the IT specifications for the new college, which includes 2,400 data points, 900 wireless access points and four specialist equipment rooms in the main building, Computacenter also identified the key technologies that will enable a blended and efficient learning environment and the costs involved.

Richard comments: "Computacenter provided more value within the first two weeks of working with us than our previous providers have for years. The knowledge and ability they brought to the table in our first workshop demonstrated that they would be an excellent ally and a partner that could help us deliver the vision."

Audio-visual technologies will be one of the biggest IT components of the project, accounting for £2.7 million of the proposed overall £9 million budget for IT and creating integrated buildings.

Each of the 150 classrooms and workshops will be fully equipped with an electronic whiteboard and cameras to record lessons. The recordings will then be made available as part of the college's Virtual Learning Environment for absent students. "Computacenter's advice was indispensable when it came to audio-visual equipment," comments Richard. "We weren't sure how much we would need to spend to create a multi-media educational environment, but Computacenter provided us with 'bronze', 'silver' and 'gold' options for each classroom based on cost."

Although Oaklands College needed to work within a finite budget, the main challenge associated with defining the IT for the new campus was the stage at which Computacenter came on board. "One of the most important lessons learnt from this project so far is that IT needs to be incorporated into the design process much earlier. Although we followed current best practice guidelines, IT has now become so integral to any educational institution that it needs to be considered at the very outset and not several months, or even years, into planning," comments Richard.

This need to integrate building design with IT is perhaps best demonstrated by the college's plans for using card swipe systems throughout the new campus. As well as helping to provide a safe learning environment by governing access to college facilities, the cards will be used to automate the collection of student attendance details, which are critical for funding purposes.

"Throughout the entire consultancy project, Computacenter was very good at explaining complex technical concepts in layman's terms – whether it involved a system for controlling windows or creating a resilient network," comments Richard.

In addition to the new build project, the college has also partnered with Computacenter as part of a separate 'green' initiative. The joint team has received an energy grant from the Learning and Skills Council that will enable Oaklands College to replace power-hungry CRT screens with more efficient LCD monitors and improve print management to minimise environmental impact.

Results

Turning an innovative vision into reality
By working with Computacenter, Oaklands College has been able to access the specialist skills it needed to devise a cost-effective and exemplary IT infrastructure for its new campus. "We have embarked upon what we hope to be a long-term partnership with Computacenter," comments Richard. "I would highly recommend the company – it has transformed our vision into a reality that can be purchased in the marketplace. We expect our plans to come fully into fruition over the next few years."

Computacenter's role in the defining the technology requirements for the new campus will help Oaklands College:

Enhance the learning experience for students: The new campus will provide students with a more motivating and inspiring educational environment. By moving away from a traditional classroom-based approach, the college will also be able to make further education accessible to a wider audience.

Improve college performance: By improving the learning experience the college will be able to retain and attract more students. It will also be well on its way to achieving an excellent Ofsted evaluation.

Minimise environmental impact: The new campus, its management systems and IT infrastructure have been specially designed to reduce power consumption.

"IT is critical to the vision for Oaklands College and the new campus – I'd rather lose one of the building's wings than forgo on technology," comments Mark. "Having Computacenter on board as a partner has helped us maximise our investment in IT and devise a learning environment that will not only be inspiring for students but also efficient to manage for our staff."