Babock University Deploys TCR Academic Technologies

Babcock University, Ilesan Remo, Ogun State has raised the bar in education technology by becoming the first university in Nigeria to embrace a Total Classroom Revolution.

TCR will wirelessly connect all undergraduates, post graduates and Certificate students; lecturers, School Administrators and Parents to classrooms, Chapel, Halls of Residence, Library, and Cafeteria in a campus-wide Platform.

When completed, the project will help to accelerate students learning, research and social collaboration using a combination of some of the latest and best- in- class advanced education technologies that can only be found among the top universities in the world.

The projects sits well with Babcock  trademark of continuous  pursuit of academic excellence so that  both lecturers and graduates of Babcock university are exposed to the same cutting- edge education technologies like their counterparts in Europe , Asia and American universities.

The technologies will connect both lecturers and students in real time live for collaboration, learning and problem solving.

The technology also ensures, through the use of a special tool, the fastest route possible towards content creation, authoring and publishing capacities for lecturers.

Besides, parents are integrated into the world of real- live education development of their wards. All lecturers of the university will undergo Technology appreciation training to enable them optimize the full potential of the package.

Babcock university working  with  a consortium of six companies from Canada, Israel,  Germany, USA , France, and India  will  ; with effect from next academic session ; provides each student of the university with  an educational- purpose- built 10.1” Babcock Learning Tablets ( BLT)  that comes with a special browser that allows students to SURF -FOR -FREE for the duration of their academic session both on and off campus. 

The BLT comes each with a solar charger that also serves as keyboard designed to double the life span of the battery of the tablet.

The BLTs are products of a Canadian company with eighteen patents for its peerless education Learning Tablets that have revolutionized education in the UK, Canada and India.

The  special Tablets built for Babcock  students come a new technology that compresses bandwidth to ensure students have free  access to  basic internet facilities meant for education purposes only not only while they are on campus but even while at home during vacation.

The package also integrates In- Motion- Identification Biometrics (IMID) which is the latest and most advanced biometrics in the world today.

IMID is an Israeli patented innovation that allows for identification and authentication of students while in -motion from a distance without the usual delay and health challenges that are associated with legacy biometrics technologies.

The biometrics can identify up to eight students at once – using their behavioral, voice and facial   characteristics.

The technology will be deployed at Babcock university Halls of residence, Cafeteria, and Chapels in the first phase.

Third on the list of TCR component is the implementation of Advanced Learning Management system (ALMS) which allows seamless recording of the video and audio lectures delivered by lecturers and archiving of those lectures to make it easier for students to review time and time again.

Babcock university lecturers will benefit immensely from its content creation and authoring tool that puts them at the driver seat of converting their content to books and hand-outs at the speed of light.

Thus, Babcock has become the first university in Africa to join the league of the Top Global 100 universities that use the Germany solutions to drive both students and lecturers productivity. Furthermore Babcock will have access to over twenty features on ALMS such as student attendance and participation in classroom, Social Jam ,etc

The software components of the Total Classroom Revolution are sourced from four countries –   Nigeria, USA, France , India.

The software includes but not limited to a robust schoolApp , anti- theft for all the students Tablets, PUSH Communication and APPLICATION technology using Firmware Over the Air( FOTA), Student Management System etc

Two topmost Nigerian banks are providing the financial power to the Consortium handling the project.

In addition, each lecturer of the university will get one laptop that connects them to their fellow lecturers and students on campus. Each of the five hundred classrooms will be fitted with one wireless projector; U- POINTER and Inverter to support the Total Classroom Revolution.

A combination of U-Pointer and wireless projector will replace the expensive legacy white interactive board, thereby reducing the capital expenditure of the university.

A 360 degree Internet Security will also be provided to protect the hardware and software from virus, malware, ransom ware, worms and other cyber threats.

“The ALMS helps students/lecturers interact seamlessly in a way that students can connect to their lecturers laptop using the software on their Tablets and if for any reason they are not able to be in class they have an option of participating in the “live”class activities, receive lectures via telephone/video feed. Students can form online study group/discussions on different subjects,” according to the Consortium managing the project.

 The project will see the deployment of 12,000 customised Babcock Learning Tablets (BLT) for students with 32 Gigabit android powered 10.1 inch tablets.

According to Mr. Akin Akintayo, IVETEC -WiniGroup project manager the company coordinating the six consortium of companies  ” An ALMS  Control Room and Hardware maintenance and service centre will be established on the campus by the consortium  to drive technology skills transfer, servicing and repairing of tablets , laptops and other hardware development. The Center will be manned by qualified, experienced Hardware and Software Engineers drawing from among Babcock university graduates of Computer Science department.

Professor J Kayode  Makinde, Vice Chancellor of the university, sees the Total Classroom revolution as ”Another evidence of the  Babcock University  Management’s unwavering  commitment towards  the  continuous achievement of academic excellence that Babcock is known for  since its inception.”

Professor Kayode Makinde believes that “This new project will further consolidate the leadership position of Babcock as a pacesetter and the best in the league of private universities in Nigeria’.