£140K worth of new computer equipment will boost learners’ knowledge and progression prospects

Computer Science and Information Technology students at Brockenhurst College can look forward to equipping themselves with even greater knowledge and strengthening their progression prospects thanks to £140,000 worth of new computer equipment.

That was the verdict of Head of Curriculum for Computer Science and IT, Kevin Marshall, who welcomed news of the pending investment.

The funding was secured through the Department for Education’s Strategic Development Fund following a bid by Brock alongside several other Hampshire colleges.

Among the upgrades will be the creation of a new dedicated computer science lab to help Computer Science and Information Technology students practise their hardware trouble-shooting skills.

The lab will feature 20 new dual-boot PCs with 24in monitors, which will enable learners to run different operating systems.

New CISCO equipment will also be purchased, including data switches, integrated service routers, a firewall and wide area network cards.

As a result, students will gain experience of running networks for clients and providing cyber security services.

All this will be complemented by a dedicated new server that will enable learners to practise client/server networking.

Elsewhere, there will be a dedicated gaming lab thanks to eight new high-specification PCs for game development, each with high-end graphics cards, gaming monitors and gaming headsets.

In addition, the College will buy 30 Raspberry Pi 4 devices and 30 Arduino Uno devices, which are essentially mini computers.

These will help facilitate wider online integration, known as the Internet of Things (IoT), boosting connectivity and familiarising students with setting up IoT devices. But that’s not all…

Three 86in and two 75in UHD touch-screen displays will be purchased to give lecturers the ability to deliver even more dynamic and interactive lessons.

Meanwhile, Media students will have access to 64 new Apple iPads, and Computer Science students and IT learners will benefit from 48 new Samsung android tablets.

Kevin Marshall said: “Strengthening already excellent progression prospects for our Computer Science and IT students, this investment is a welcome boost. Importantly, it will help ensure our learners are equipped with the most up-to-date knowledge and understanding, as well as the transferable employability and academic skills they need to enter work or to study at a higher level.”