Using IoT Sensors to Keep Students Safe on Campus

Professors can use IoT technology to help support classes, mark exams, and adapt their approach to each student, increasing teaching efficiency.

Fremont, CA: In the face of a widening range of threats, college and university administrators need to make sure that students, faculty, and staff-and the physical environment-are protected. IoT (Internet of Things) technologies can help institutions protect people on campuses both proactively and reactively as the risks to health and well-being of students grow.

IoT technologies are already being used in higher education campuses to optimize energy use, monitor HVAC systems, lights, and other devices, and reduce the need for maintenance and repairs. For example, IoT technology is used in schools to check bookstore inventory, improve classroom teaching through whiteboards, and improve wayfinding. Additionally, universities and colleges are utilizing IoT technologies to secure facilities, such as smart door locks, building alarms, and video surveillance of common areas.

IoT has undoubtedly impacted higher education teaching and learning. With the aid of technology, students may study at their own pace and have an identical educational experience, no matter at home or in a classroom. In addition, professors can use IoT technology to help support classes, mark exams, for example, and adapt their approach to each student, which increases the efficiency of teaching.

Many IoT technologies get already utilized in higher education settings, and they use sensors to identify people in a certain location, cars in parking spots, and changes in indoor temperature. Advanced sensors, however, may now communicate with back-end technology to warn administrators and security staff of potentially hazardous circumstances before they arise or to find the presence of harmful or illegal substances. As per reserch claims that indoor air quality can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, causing immediate and long-term health issues for students and staff. Sensor-based systems can identify harmful indoor air quality.

Although the sensors themselves are highly advanced, it is IoT technology that makes magic possible. It enables the devices to connect in order to monitor threats in real-time and respond more quickly. Acoustic sensors, for instance, can record and recognize gunshots sound, which are then processed by machine learning algorithms. A device can inform emergency personnel for quick action if sounds that seem to be gunfire are detected.