Connecting Your Campus with SMS

1
Connecting Your Campus with SMS

• Russell Lindell, Sr. Software Applications
  Developer,
• Texas AM University at Qatar
• Ravi Kallianpur, Director of User Services
  Instructional Technology, Texas AM University at
  Qatar

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Overview

• Texas AM University at Qatar
• Introduction to SMS
• Definitions and terms
• TAMUQs implementation
• Demonstration
• Implementation for your campus
• Questions

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What Is Texas AM University At Qatar?

• TAMU branch campus
• Doha, Qatar
• Fall of 2003
• Qatar Foundation
• College of Engineering
• Chemical
• Electrical
• Mechanical
• Petroleum

4
Our Students

• 185 students
• Planned enrollment - 600
• 40 International
• 27 countries
• Very high use of mobile phones

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Why Did TAMUQ Choose To Use SMS?

• Contacting applicants
• Voicemail nonexistent
• Lack of an email culture
• Unable to reach applicants by phone
• High use of cell phones in the local culture
• Decided to use SMS

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SMS Gateway Solution

• Originally used staff cell phones
• Ineffective for large groups of recipients
• Slow composition of messages
• CIO decided on web based interface for
  convenience of use
• Used existing authentication system for only
  staff and faculty

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SMS Vocabulary

• Short Message Service (SMS) A service for
  sending messages of up to 160 characters to
  mobile phones.
• SMS Gateway A web site that lets you enter and
  send an SMS message.

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SMS - Short Message Service

• Also Known As
• Texting
• Text Messages
• SMSes
• Texts

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Key Benefits Of SMS Technology

• Instant reception of communication
• Low bandwidth requirements
• SMS equivalent to 1 second of voice data
• Targeted audience
• Global reach

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When Should SMS Be Used?

• Time sensitive information
• Supplement to other forms of communications
• Low bandwidth situations
• Natural / Manmade Disasters
• Email inaccessible or impractical

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Possible Uses For SMS

• Emergencies
• Natural / Manmade disasters
• Jeanne Cleary Act
• Advisories
• Traffic accident / Unscheduled maintenance
• Weather advisories
• Instructor communications
• Room location
• Class time

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Possible Uses For SMS

• Reminders
• Library, Registration and Fees
• Appointments
• Campus news and events
• Sports scores highlights
• Student government elections
• Club news updates
• Contact during school holidays
• Find out what your students want / need

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Disadvantages Of SMS

• Limited in length
• 160 Characters
• Less than 100 participation among users
• Cell phone ownership
• Release phone number
• Potential for SMS SPAM
• Unverified receipt

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Things To Consider

• Policies
• Purpose of the system
• Who can use it
• Scope of use
• Cost to the recipient
• Procedures
• Under what conditions is a message sent
• Special conditions in an emergency situation

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Things To Consider

• Other considerations
• Language support
• ???????? (Arabic)
• ???? (Mandarin)
• ??????? (Thai)
• ??????? (Russian)
• SPAM Dont abuse the system

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TAMUQs Implementation

• Custom SMS Gateway
• Service provider for message delivery
• www.strikeiron.com
• www.abctext.com
• Development technologies
• ASP .NET
• C
• Active Directory
• SQL Server
• Web Services

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Features Of TAMUQs SMS Gateway

• Web based application
• Integration with Active Directory
• Authentication
• Address book
• Personal address books
• Group messages
• Message logging
• Message tracking
• Usage statistics

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SMS Gateway Infrastructure
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Demonstration

• Please turn
• ON your cell
• phones!

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Utilization

• Faculty use to notify students of assignments and
  exam reminders
• Admissions use to contact applicants
• Used to notify students of class changes
• Emergency notifications
• ITS helpdesk
• Removed aversion to text messaging

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Metrics Messages Sent By Month
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Metrics Total Recipients By Month
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Parameters Of Use

• Only faculty and staff have direct access
• Students go through the department of student
  affairs
• Both business and personal use
• Incidental use
• No cost to the recipient

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Third Party Solutions

• e2Campus
• www.e2Campus.com
• www.omnilert.com
• Rave Wireless - Rave Essentials
• www.ravewireless.com
• TXT4schools
• www.tonicdesigns.co.uk/html/txt4schools.html

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Summary

• What is SMS
• Benefits and Disadvantages
• Appropriate Use
• TAMUQs Custom Solution
• Third Party Solutions
• Slides on Educause website
• Comments / Questions?

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Contact Information

• Russell Lindell rwlindell_at_tamu.edu
• Ravi Kallianpur ravi_at_qatar.tamu.edu