Meserete Kristos College IT Service

In the 21st century, technology is integral to the delivery of higher education and entry into a wide range of professional fields. While MKC’s primary buildings surpass those at many Ethiopian public universities, its technology infrastructure has not kept pace with rapid technological change and rising expectations. While this is a short-term problem, it does create an opportunity to invest in newer technologies that will have a longer useful lifespan and enhance the college’s academic program and administrative functions. This technology plan will lay out goals and strategies for moving forward, identify priorities and define projects that can be funded and moved forward.

>span class="fontstyle01">for effective technology management: . Standardization and Consistency. . Fixed technology vs. one-off setups. Unmediated vs. Mediated technology to be built on the following foundational IT investments.

• Fiber optic Internet connection
• Wireless network infrastructure
• Virtual server infrastructure
• Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
• Integrated Administrative Systems

The problem that we are trying to solve is to enhance the technological infrastructure of MK College that has not kept up with the rapid technological change and rising expectations that an educational institution necessitates. The challenges for the work of enhancement are infrastructure development in the country and budget. 

We will lay the following foundation. 

1. The fiber optic Internet connection. The amount of value available to MKC students, faculty, and staff, in the form of free books, information and services, communications, participation in professional groups and communities of interest, etc., is beyond measure.

 3. The wireless network infrastructure. This is somewhat of a radical notion, to list the wireless network infrastructure as a foundational investment, because it was not the first network most organizations had, including MKC.

3. The virtual server infrastructure. This is relatively new technology, but it has become foundational.

4. The virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).

We will also raise funds to lay the foundations. 

The solution will serve to improve learning and provide students with new sets of skills, reach students who have limited or no access to digital economy, facilitate and improve teacher training, reduce costs associated with traditional instruction delivery, and provide other people who use our café with internet access. The students will take home the experience of using digital economy and they will benefits people in the rural areas. 

IT plays an ever-important role in increasing economic productivity through digital economies, enhancing the delivery of services, and achieving broad socio-economic goals in education, employment, and social development. Access to IT can help individuals to compete in a global economy by creating a skilled workforce and facilitating social mobility. IT in education has a multiplier effect throughout the education system. It underpins growth in a variety of socio-economic sectors and helps steer development and competition.

We cannot do this here and our access comes from Ethiopian telecommunication. 

Ethio Telecom appears ready to move on bringing fiber to the MKC campus. While 4G wireless (LTE) will likely arrive in the next 1-3 years, this would only be a stop-gap solution, so the fiber opportunity appears to be the right solution at the right time. It is a forward-thinking investment.

It improves the access to and use of information and communication technology at MK College and the community. It increases the flexibility of delivery of education so that learners can access knowledge anytime and from anywhere. It can influence the way students are taught and how they learn as now the processes are learner driven and not by teachers. This in turn would better prepare the learners for lifelong learning as well as to improve the quality of learning. It can improve the quality of teaching-learning and thus contribute to the development of the country at large. 

Developing countries have the chance to transform fundamentally through the arrival of the knowledge economy and society and the accessibility of cost-effective technologies. The ability and opportunity to access information relevant to them and strengthen the ability of the individual to communicate with the people around them comes from access. ICT is a per se conduit to the empowerment and the creation of opportunities which we have not fully used as an educational institution.

Developing countries have the chance to transform fundamentally through the arrival of the knowledge economy and society and the accessibility of cost-effective technologies. The ability and opportunity to access information relevant to them and strengthen the ability of the individual to communicate with the people around them comes from access. ICT is a per se conduit to the empowerment and the creation of opportunities.

Ethio Telecom has a history of extended outages and over-provisioning their bandwidth. While there are positive signs that corrective steps are being even a fiber optic connection needs to be viewed as a weak link, and steps taken to mitigate the impact of an extended outage.

The foundational technology behind the fiber optic connection should not change in this timeframe. Bandwidth will be purchased as needed and increased as demand requires.

Once the fiber is in place, there will be heightened

. A robust network infrastructure in the main building

. Expansion of the campus network to the classroom wing . WiFi access points in the library, classrooms, and common areas. . Expansion of the campus network to other buildings on campus. . More bandwidth.

. 500

. 1000

. 2500