D3: New Initiatives To Support School Networking

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Construct Computerized Campus to Lay the NII Foundation

Tseng, Shian-Shyong ( sstseng@cis.nctu.edu.tw)

Lu, Ai-chin ( lu@moers2.edu.tw)

Yin, Ching-Hai ( yin@moers2.edu.tw)

Chen, Yu-Hsuan ( candy@moers2.edu.tw)

Abstract

At present, TANet is the largest computer network in Taiwan. It has connected more than 190 organizations, including all universities and colleges, 28 research institutes, several high schools, and some local education networks for K12 students using BBS, Gopher etc. The topology of TANet is basically a ring/mesh by using intelligent routers to interconnect high speed leased circuits/LANs where high speed T1 (1.544 Mbps) link installed among regional network centers. There are so far 11 regional network service centers which are run by 11 leading regional universities and provide internet access services for about 100,000 nodes and 300,000 users, and in average more than 100,000 users frequently use TANet everyday. A 512 kbps international link bandwidth between the MOECC and JvNCnet (Princetion University) replaced the original 64 kbps link in November 1992, which couples TANet with JvNCnet, NFSnet, and international Internet connection.

This article addresses the impacts of computerization on current campus, proposes some reasonable solutions, and visionizes the beautiful future. During the process of computerization, the current campus might have encountered the following impacts: 1) the interrelationship between teachers and students might be changed; 2) the current education, research and administrative procedures got to be reexamined and reengineered; 3) multimedia applications will bring revolutionary influences on education and research activities; 4) to establish and practice a reasonable strategic decision making procedure for campus democracy and campus problems will be an important issue.

According to the impacts mentioned above, our strategy is to establish promoting organizations and enlarge the functions of computer center on campus. Furthermore, we conduct project "E-mail to Secondary Schools" to prevail the Internet access for K12 students. Its main purpose is to make all teachers and students cultivate the information literacy and information applications by using network in their daily life; meanwhile, it will urge all schools to buildup their own campus networks to cope with the informational society in future. Right now, we have short-term, mid-term and long-term action plans in about ten years to fulfill its goal. Since the distance learning is also a very important application and will prevail in information technology education, Ministry of Education is currently setting a plan on this topic. At the beginning of this plan, the video conference and video classroom may be this first targets to setup, and it is likely to use video server and video on demand model to make a trial on distance learning and services.

We wish the information environment of campus networks in the future will provide the following services:

1. Provide a fundamental environment for fast access and information exchange to all teachers and students.
2. Provide a two way communication channel for campus interscholastic and international information exchange.
3. Provide the access of global information about various teaching and research resources to establish a multifacet self-learning environment for teachers and students.
4. Cultivate and utilize human resource and apply available information resources in teaching, research and administration, then establish the computerized civilization.