The Intelligent Campus

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The Intelligent Campus

• Mark Deegan, Dublin Institute of Technology,
  Ireland
• Mike Jackson, UCE Birmingham, UK

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Face to Face Education

• Distance Learning is good
• BUT
• Face to face
• Instant response to questions
• Deployment of specialist equipment
• Live discussion

3
The Classroom Experience
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Todays Campus
Is always short of space!
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Space pressure

• In the past
• Over-provision of space
• Some rooms always empty
• Rooms always available
• Now
• Expect space efficiency
• Push up occupancy rates
• Never a room when you want one!

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Teachers Ideal

• Flexibility
• Sessions timed as needed
• Variable session length
• Switch between session types
• Respond to differing student needs
• Balance theory and practical

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Successful Teaching
Balance delivery with need
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Balance criteria

• Deliver
• The right amount of material
• At the right time
• With the best available support
• In the best accommodation
• For as long a time as necessary
• But
• Almost impossible understrict timetabling regime

9
Student Concerns

• Need timetable to schedule off campus life
• Need to know where things will take place
• Need access to teaching materials as and when
  they are required

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Standard Supply Problem

• Fixed provision vs. variable demand
• Inability to respond quickly to need
• Solved by Just In Time (JIT)
• Solutions needed underpinning by new technology

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The Intelligent Campus

• Larger than the geographical location of the
  physical campus

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Technologically Rich
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Mixed provision

• Institution provision
• Servers
• Network infrastructure
• Student provision
• PDA, Laptop, Mobile phone
• Flexibility
• Delivery adapts to receiving capability
• Intelligent tailoring of material

14
Life at the Intelligent Campus
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Review Schedule

• Via
• PDA
• Home computer
• Mobile phone

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Signal Attendance

• Decide if session is worthwhile
• Indicate attend or not attend
• Room not yet allocated

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Travel to Campus

• Changes in arrangements sent by mobile phone
• Campus may be able track student s progress
• Continue home session

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Enter Physical Campus

• Richer communication environment
• Location sensing
• Active badges

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Attend Session
Deliver Notes etc.
Notify Students
Monitor
Allocate Resources
Session
Relocate
Alert Teacher
Prepare Presentation Material
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Unscheduled events

• Informal meetings
• Student group meetings
• Provide resources and facilitate communication

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System Architecture

• Sensory Network Management System
• Bluetooth module
• RFID module
• Session Mobility Module
• Location based services module

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System Overview
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Intercomponent Communication

• XML
• Each component communicates via a language
  described by an XML schema
• SNMS speaks all languages

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SNMS

• Sensory Network Management System
• Hub which receives and processes messages from
  other components
• Not all components may be present SNMS has to
  reconfigure
• Decides what action to take on receiving data
  from other components

25
Bluetooth Module

• Bluetooth a promising technology for identifying
  and communicating with individuals
• Can be used to determine location
• On certain devices can be used to obtain
  additional information via interaction

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RFID

• Used to track individuals
• Tracking information sent to SNMS
• Active badge system

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Session Mobility Module

• Student starts session on home PC
• Travels to the university and interacts with the
  same session via mobile phone
• At university resumes session in PC lab
• Module supports migration of user sessions

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Location Based Services Module

• Determines where an individual is
• Identifies significant groupings of individuals
• Uses a variety of clues to locate the individual
• Must deal with contradictory evidence

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Progress

• Prototype constructed
• Each module a final year project at Dublin
  Institute of Technology
• Projects supervised by Mark Deegan

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SNMS

• Combination of inference engine and sensor data
• Directs a dialogue with a lecturer
• Correlates timetable with location of classes
• Issue session redirect instructions

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Session Mobility

• Uses VNC and X Windows
• Currently able to move session between PDA,
  Macintosh, Windows, PC Linux and Solaris
• Suitable phone platform has been identified

32
RFID Module

• Acquire and filter RFID data
• Makes use of both short and medium range RFID
• Connects to database via JDBC to match signal and
  subject

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Location Based Services

• Bluetooth Assassin game
• Players communicate via IP over GPRS, IP over
  WiFi or Bluetooth
• Type of connection used to infer location
• Demonstrates feasibility of using Bluetooth to
  determine location

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Bluetooth Module

• Client application which implements clarification
  dialogues
• SNMS uses this to ask questions when it cannot
  determine an action
• Symbian phone
• SNMS sends XML query to phone
• Phone asks user and replies to SNMS

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Summary

• Intelligent Campus is a challenging concept
• Makes use of a variety of pervasive technologies
• Is realisable today
• Could incorporate new technologies as they arise

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Acknowledgements

• Ciaran ODriscoll
• Dan MacCormac
• Barry Hendrick
• Seamus Rooney
• Patrick Lindstrom
• Darren Jackson

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Questions