$6.5M Wi-Fi project nears completion - sheppard.af.mil

A $6.5 cardinal task to bring wireless net work to Sheppard grooming facilities is nearing completion, with afloat operational capableness targeted for aboriginal adjacent year.

The inaugural began with 9 facilities utilizing fiscal 2021 end-of-year funding, and with the enactment of further backing from 2nd Air Force and Air Education and Training Command, 48 areas of the grooming field are afloat operational, according to the 82nd Communications Squadron.

“Having Wi-Fi and mobile exertion readily disposable and integrated correctly successful the schoolroom is cardinal a student-centered learning model,” said 82nd Training Group Director of Training and Education Lori Wilson. “Students are capable to entree the astir up-to-date accusation from a assortment of sources quicker and easier than ever before.”

It’s not conscionable astir classrooms, either. The task includes outdoor grooming areas and dormitories arsenic well, which according to Eric West, Director of Training and Education for the 782nd Training Group, is captious to processing a broad grooming environment.

“We request to deliberation of Wi-Fi arsenic a basal utility, similar h2o and electrical service,” helium said. “It gives our students entree to the program anytime and anywhere.”

Campus-wide Wi-Fi entree not lone empowers students, said West, it besides allows the cadre to proceed the wing’s efforts to alteration method training.

“It opens the doorway for people developers and instructors to physique and instrumentality engaging digital

learning activities similar interactive acquisition games and simulations,” helium said. “With technologies similar virtual and augmented world improving exponentially, it's hard to ideate what grooming volition look similar successful 10 years -- but we present person the accidental to find retired acknowledgment to our leaders' committedness to

bringing Wi-Fi entree to our learning environments.”

Wilson agreed, stressing that Wi-Fi is champion seen arsenic a instrumentality to assistance instructors hole Airmen for their operational missions.

“The teacher volition ever beryllium the astir important portion of the method grooming experience,” she said. “It allows them to scope students of each learning styles successful a mode that’s interactive, collaborative, amusive and engaging. As a result, learning retention rates soar, and that’s truly the bottommost enactment for our ngo to bid the world’s champion Airmen.”

Pending instrumentality availability and imaginable proviso concatenation delays, the task is expected to beryllium afloat implicit by Feb. 1, 2023.