Providing testimony to the rapid developments the South African Higher Education system has seen in recent years, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is a modern, forward thinking institution that places great emphasis on learning through the use of technology.

However, as the University have discovered, providing students with easy access to a computer is one thing but ensuring it is used for the intended purpose can sometimes prove difficult!

ICT Services Manager Garth Smit explains how NetSupport have helped improve the effectiveness of computer based teaching at the University; “Computers play a part in so many areas of the syllabus but with the internet so readily available there was a temptation for students to be distracted away from the task in hand. Providing a classroom management system that would resolve these issues became a necessity.”

“We’d heard that NetSupport School was a leader in its field and the free 30-day trial gave us ample opportunity to put it through its paces across our ICT labs. Lecturer’s were immediately impressed with the familiar Windows feel to the user interface and the various computer monitoring components were easily accessible with just one click of the mouse, the crystal-clear student thumbnails providing an instant overall view of classroom activity.”

“Keen to see how we could limit the use of the internet for ‘non-relevant’ activities, NetSupport School soon proved its worth. While we prefer to treat the students as adults, if needed we can quickly introduce internet restrictions, limiting students to only authorised sites. As a last resort we can even put a total block on web usage!”

“Since deciding that NetSupport School was the solution for us we have had our eyes opened to the full power of the product and, having recently upgraded to version 10.5, the fact that NetSupport are continually looking to improve on the features it offers.”

“Of particular use to me as network manager is the Technicians Console which provides a dedicated group of features that enable me to centrally support the computers across the whole campus. I would also highlight the new Audio Monitoring component as a particularly worthwhile addition given the use we make of multimedia. Being able to monitor students audibly as well as visually is of particular benefit in our language labs.”

“There is so much more I could say about the benefits NetSupport School has brought to NMMU, suffice to say, the investment has been well worthwhile.”

About Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Established in its current form in January 2005, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is located in the beautiful coastal city of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, and George in the South Cape.

NMMU is the largest higher education institution in the Eastern and Southern Cape, with some 25 000 students enrolled at six different campuses, five located in the Nelson Mandela Metropole, and one in the city of George. The multi-campus structure enables NMMU to be closely involved with, and geographically closer to, the communities it serves.

The main campus of NMMU is situated in Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth. The faculties are spread across the six campuses, and in some cases programmes are duplicated on more than one campus.

http://www.nmmu.ac.za/default.asp?bhcp=1