WITH the current development of science and technology, big data technology, Internet of Things, cloud computing and mobile Internet technology in Malaysia, it is time smart universities be established, and private universities should take the lead.
The smart university is the upgraded version of a digital university, which can provide a better academic environment to the lecturers and students.
A smart university enhances education, research, design and delivers high-level training modules dedicated to the latest advances in ICT technologies that can drive future growth and innovation of enterprises or organisations.
The smart university would have an integrated campus environment of work, study and living based on the Internet of Things. It uses different kinds of application service systems as the carrier, and mixes teaching, science research, management and campus life together.
In short, the smart university is to construct a secure, stable, environmentally-friendly and energy-saving campus.
With smart universities, the teaching environment for lecturers and students will change the way they interact with one another and in a campus where innovative resources are close at hand.
The characteristics of a smart university, include:
High-speed ubiquitous Internet;
Widespread use of intelligent terminals;
Convenient space for teamwork; and,
Reference centres for ICT materials, documents, etc for research and development of innovative ideas.
Colleges and universities are no longer “ivory towers”, a smart university must integrate with the community. In order to achieve the blending of physical and digital space, it is necessary to build a network, which takes the big data as the core, an intelligent solution system as nerve-endings to help solve web problems, the Mobile Internet as the nerve and the smart application as the support system.
Dr Nurkhamimi Zainuddin
Deputy director, GOAL ITQAN
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia