21st-Century Education in Singapore: Temasek Polytechnic and Cisco Transform Learning in the Digital Age

SINGAPORE – 16 November 2011 – Temasek Polytechnic today announced that they are using the network as a platform for education in the digital age through the use of virtualization to cater to the millennial generation.  Transforming higher education with the Cisco Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS™), Temasek Polytechnic has implemented a ‘Virtual Desktop Infrastructure’ on a foundation of a Green Data Center. This will offer anytime, anywhere learning to a generation of students who expect schools to offer learning via the same consumer technologies they use every day.

Key highlights:

• Established in April 1990, Temasek Polytechnic (TP) is an institute of higher education that caters to the field of para-professional education in Singapore with 53 full-time and part-time diploma courses in applied sciences, business, design, engineering, humanities and social sciences, and informatics and IT delivered to 15,000 students.
• Digital technologies have become critical to educational institutions like Temasek Polytechnic as they find new ways to deliver and manage information, learning content, rich-media and provision academic and administrative services.
• Using the Cisco UCS™, Temasek Polytechnic is able to provide a virtual desktop for students, available anywhere on campus and easily accessible through a Web browser.
• From a business perspective, the virtualization of the data center also provides highly secure, mobile, and flexible access to data, while the infrastructure delivers economies of scale and a smaller carbon footprint.

Cisco Unified Computing helps Temasek Polytechnic achieve:

• Economies of Scale: The virtualized environment provides cost-efficiencies, increased productivity due to reduced IT manpower to manage the systems as well as consolidated management for updating software and upgrading application patches, which are now directly updated in the data center. Temasek Polytechnic also uses fewer servers.
• Mobility: Having a virtual desktop infrastructure allows students and teachers to access the teaching content anytime, anywhere and on any device.
• Flexibility and business agility: School administration changes can be easily managed when updating records of a new cohort or curricula. With consumer technology becoming outdated at a pace that makes IT departments nervous, the business value of using virtualization to deliver learning resources means that current infrastructure can continue to be used in classrooms because access is through a Web browser.
• Security and Intellectual Property Protection: Access to data is restricted based on user profiles, and the intellectual property created by lecturers is kept secure.
• Green: Temasek Polytechnic was awarded the Eco Office Label certification by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) in Mach 2011, demonstrating the institution’s commitment at the highest levels of management, as well as the environmental awareness of its staff.

Industry trends:

• Demonstrating the increasing role of the network in people’s lives, the 2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report revealed that one in three college students and young professionals considers the Internet to be as important as fundamental human resources like air, water, food and shelter.
• Two-thirds of students (66%) and more than half of employees (58%) cite a mobile device (laptop, smartphone and tablet) as “the most important technology” in their lives.
• In the same report, one in five students (21%) have not bought a physical book (excluding textbooks required for class) in a bookstore in more than two years – or ever.
• 19% of college students consider smartphones as their “most important” device used on a daily basis, compared to 20% for desktops – an indication of the growing trend of smartphone prominence and expected rise in usage by the next generation of college graduates upon entering the workforce.
• These findings fan the debate over the necessity of offices compared to the ability to connect to the Internet and work anywhere, such as at home or in public settings. In the 2010 edition of the study, three in five employees globally (60%) said offices are unnecessary for being productive.
• More than three-quarters of top education officials around the world believe technology can play a major role in how students learn and how teachers educate, according to a global survey commissioned by Cisco and conducted by Clarus Research Group, a Washington, D.C.-based research firm.
• A large majority of education officials across the Asia-Pacific region shared that improved communications with students is a top priority. Investing in improved research infrastructure and capabilities is key as education officials in this region believe technology will play a critical role in preparing the workforce of the future.

Spokesperson quotes:

Boo Kheng Hua, Principal and CEO at Temasek Polytechnic

“Digital technologies are rapidly changing how we communicate and connect with people. They are transforming the way we engage students, offering them exciting opportunities to enhance their learning experience beyond borders. At Temasek Polytechnic, we are building a 21st Century digital campus which leverages advanced technologies to enable students to learn anywhere, anytime and on any device. The Green Data Centre and Virtualization Project will help us to realize this vision.”

Irving Tan, managing director for Asia South at Cisco

“The world of education is evolving to embrace demand from our millennial generation for access to learn anytime, anywhere. We are excited to collaborate with Temasek Polytechnic, as we share a vision for an e-campus that will truly change the way we connect and develop our future-ready workforce. Congratulations on being awarded the Eco Office Label certification for a Green Data Center. Together, we will transform learning in Singapore.”

Supporting links:

• Read more about Cisco’s solutions in education
• Visit Temasek Polytechnic online
• View Cisco Unified Computing website
• Read Cisco Data Center Networks blog
• Read Life at Temasek Poly blog
• Follow Cisco APAC on Twitter
• Follow Temasek Polytechnic on Twitter
• Join Temasek Polytechnic on Facebook
• Download Temasek Polytechnic mobile apps from iTunes

About Temasek Polytechnic

Temasek Polytechnic (TP) is a significant contributor to the field of para-professional education in Singapore. TP currently offers 53 full-time diploma courses in the areas of applied science, business, design, engineering, humanities & social sciences and informatics & IT. It also offers over 40 part-time courses, up to the advanced diploma level. TP students undergo a holistic learning system that combines hands-on experience, character education and relevant life skills, in an enriching learning environment. The Polytechnic has also infused global realities into its programmes and developed a mindset on campus that embraces socio-cultural diversity. These approaches ensure that TP graduates are economy relevant, future relevant and life relevant. For more information, please visit www.tp.edu.sg.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO, news, filings) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco products are supplied in Singapore by Cisco Systems International, BV.

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