Broadband brings additional benefits to education and learning:
Online learning. Broadband provides a much better learning environment than dialup ever can. There's no clock watching involved so the requirement to be online for extended periods of time is not a problem. Online lessons and demonstrations load and play smoothly. Interaction is facilitated. And there are lots of course choices available now on a huge range of academic, professional and lifestyle topics.
Research. Without the frustrations of a dialup connection, barriers to online research are removed.
Online publications. Many publishers now provide books and magazines in an online format too. These usually work out cheaper and can be delivered as soon as they are published. There is the added benefit of being able to search through publications electronically to find specific information.
Internet phone calls (VOiP). Increasingly, a broadband connection can provide free or low-cost phone calls for contacting tutors, support staff or fellow learners.
Software evaluation. Try-before-you-buy versions of software are often provided online to allow a test drive prior to purchase. Without broadband the often very large downloads involved are impractical.
Video conferencing. A broadband connection provides smoother video and voice synchronisation. Some courses now include online lectures and tutorials delivered by webcast which can be "attended" from anywhere in the world.
Future skills. Using online tools and applications on the Internet (searching, instant messaging, newsfeeds, blogging, etc.) equips students with useful skills for the knowledge-based economy as it evolves in the workplace.
To succeed in our increasingly knowledge-based society the quality of research and teaching in universities is vital. Delivering excellence in UCC's dynamic university environment requires infrastructure that provides comprehensive and fast access to knowledge for students and staff. Quality, low-cost, widely available broadband is central to the required infrastructure.
