Founded as the Arba Minch Water Technology Institute in 1986, Arba Minch University (AMU) offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, with academic areas structured in Technology, Agriculture, Business & Economics, Natural Sciences, Medicine & Health Sciences, and Social Sciences & Humanities. It still retains its reputation as a center of excellence for water technology in Eastern Africa.
As one of the oldest Universities in Ethopia, AMU has four large campuses with a community that has more than 30,000 members (including staff and students), more than 50 programs in undergraduate and postgraduate programs, mainly focused on Engineering and Science.
The Challenges
The University’s aim is to provide quality education and training; research and community services. One of its main challenges was the high staff attrition especially in the Medical science and Engineering streams and managing talent.
According to Yosef Shiferaw, ICT Director at AMU, “To continue to provide quality education and training, we were looking for high definition video conferencing infrastructure that could support the traditional teaching-learning process and link its four campuses. Until that point, we had standard definition terminals, which received videos; the screens were small and unclear. In general, we couldn’t achieve our goal.”
The team clearly needed to upgrade its dated video communications infrastructure to a state of the art system that would support current protocols and offer a high definition experience.
The Solution
Arba Minch University evaluated several vendors including RADVISION and VCON but selected Polycom from FVC because it provided a comprehensive solution. The University selected Polycom RMX 1500 RealPresence Collaboration Server, connecting 100 devices using Polycom (Converged Management Application) CMA 4000. The system is supported by Polycom RSS 4000 recording and streaming solution and firewall.
In each of the four campuses, one video conferencing classroom was set up with Polycom HDX 8000 system with two ceiling microphones and a touch control linking it to the server system. To automate the solution, the system includes a Vaddio AutoTrak tracking system, which ensures that the camera tracks the instructor around the classroom. The Vaddio video whiteboard is integrated with the solution, so that the instructor’s notes on the whiteboard are seen in all locations.
AMU also deployed a dedicated virtual LAN to handle the video traffic generated by the installation. The implementation took four and half months and was completed in October 2011. The team working on the project and supporting the infrastructure on an ongoing basis were trained by FVC as the Polycom authorised training partner in the MENA region.
The Benefits
The combination of high definition and ‘real presence’ technology means that the instructors can teach in the same way they would in a real world environment, regardless of the student’s location.
Two Masters programmes in Hydraulics and Civil Engineering Department are now fully conducted using the new system. The medical students at the University are using it for classes and discussions with Johns Hopkins University in the USA once a week.
“For the 2012/2013 academic year, many other departments within the University are planning to use it for different courses from other Universities,” added Shiferaw. “It is very useful, particularly for the courses that we couldn’t get specialized instructors for.”
On completion of the project Shiferaw said, “We appreciate FVC’s support for this project, from the design phase up to its commissioning.”
Currently, Arba Minch University is in the process of procuring the Polycom Practitioner Cart for its operation theatre, so that surgeries can be broadcast to students in the conference room and other universities.
