Alaska Communications Works to Increase Higher Education Opportunities on Alaska’s North Slope
October 02 2018 - 4:05PM
Business Wire
Partnership with rural college expands learning
opportunities for rural residents
A new relationship between Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK)
and Iḷisaġvik Tribal College is advancing educational opportunities
for the North Slope educational institution. College
representatives say the high-speed internet services provided by
Alaska Communications is allowing them to increase their course
offerings and provide enhanced multimedia lesson plans. In turn,
the college says, the technology infrastructure improvements are
driving increases in enrollment and allowing them to improve the
level of services offered to both students and staff.
The relationship is made possible through the Arctic Fiber
project which significantly increases bandwidth opportunities in
the Utqiagvik community, formerly known as Barrow, and drastically
reduces consumer costs.
Prior to the contract, the rural college’s internet users faced
a 600 millisecond delay before any data could transfer; now it’s 20
milliseconds, similar to that of urban cities. Users can now
download large files, watch videos and open multiple tabs at the
same time – all REGULAR activities that previously weren’t possible
in the rural area.
“This is allowing our faculty to use multimedia in their courses
and access state-of-the-art learning content,” said Ezra Lockhart,
Iḷisaġvik Tribal College’s Director of Information Technology. “It
feels like we’ve moved from standing in front of a chalkboard and
teaching to students seated in the room to being able to serve
students connected via live streams.”
This summer, thanks to the improved infrastructure, the college
hosted a tech camp for middle and high school students which they
wouldn’t have been able to do without high-speed internet.
Lockhart said the online capabilities have expanded their
distance education opportunities which has led to increases in
enrollment from nearby villages, where people can sign up for
online courses without having to leave their home villages and
travel to Utqiagvik.
“The ability to put the Learning Management Software in the
cloud essentially means students gain the capability to access
quality courseware, which gives equal access to all students, on or
off campus,” he said.
Additionally, the cloud-based solution and the Voice Over IP
data phone network are generating substantial cost savings for the
college.
“Alaska Communications is pleased to partner with Iḷisaġvik
Tribal College to further educational opportunities in rural
areas,” said Bill Bishop, Senior Vice President, Customer and
Revenue Management. “Our company places significant value on
education, and helping the remote college improve connectivity to
the rest of the world, whether rural or urban, is incredibly
meaningful to our work.”
Lockhart said the access to technical support and customer
service provided by Alaska Communications helps the college focus
on its mission to provide quality post-secondary opportunities for
students.
“Alaska Communications has demonstrated it can provide the level
of service which is really important for us to deliver courses,
address staff needs and continue running the college,” said
Lockhart.
About Alaska Communications
Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) is the leading provider of
advanced broadband and managed IT services for businesses and
consumers in Alaska. The company operates a highly reliable,
advanced statewide data network with the latest technology and the
most diverse undersea fiber optic system connecting Alaska to the
contiguous U.S. For more information, visit
www.alaskacommunications.com or www.alsk.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181002006047/en/
Alaska CommunicationsMedia ContactHeather Marron,
907-564-1326Manager, Corporate CommunicationsorInvestor
ContactTiffany Smith, 907-564-7556Manager, Board and Investor
Relationsinvestors@acsalaska.com
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