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2 | Nov 2012 .
THINK IT . UITS NEWSLETTER
M
obile Technology is evolving rapidly and continues
to drive much of the futuristic thinking for aca-
demic institutions. New generation devices, smart
phones and tablet computers, have revolutionized com-
munication and transformed the way information is deliv-
ered, accessed and made available at our fingertips. In its
endeavour to be at the forefront of educational excel-
lence, UAEU is strongly committed to a teaching and
learning process that actively engages students and teach-
ers.
Back in spring 2012, and in line with the vision of His
Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan, Minister of
Higher Education and Scientific Research, the three feder-
al institutions of higher education in the United Arab
Emirates jointly embarked on an ambitious project to in-
troduce the use of iPads for UAE students in higher educa-
tion. The integration of iPad in academic institutions can
enhance productivity beyond the basic social networking
& communication tools by mobilizing a series of academic
and business applications.
Preparing UAEU for iPad implementation was an extensive
process. The integration of smart phones and tablet de-
vices like iPad into the UAEU enterprise infrastructure
prompted a number of challenges for University IT ser-
vices to overcome within a limited time period. The major
challenges were:
empowering this new technology to deliver contents
to students.
ensuring access to academic data over mobile devices
without jeopardizing security and compliance.
mobilising, managing and distributing academic appli-
cations, messaging and collaboration tools that are
already available on campus.
developing a multi-client environment that accommo-
dates all types of computing and mobile devices avail-
able in the market.
creating an interactive smart classroom environment
to fully utilize the functionality of mobile devices.
building and maintaining the infrastructure that sup-
ports future technology advancement.
The initial objective of the project was to equip UAEU
foundation students and faculty members in UGRU with
iPad devices and relevant academic materials, Later,
based on learned experiences and feedback from the ini-
tial stage, the project would be expanded to cover the
remaining colleges and administrative units.
Smart technology initiatives to support
mobile computing