INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES CLOUD MIGRATION ARCHITECTURE FOR TERRESTRIAL VSAT EDUCATION DELIVERY SYSTEM (WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ETHIOPIAN EDUCATION NETWORK (EEN))

Abstract

ABSTRACT Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are transforming existing realty in all aspects of human life activities. Ethiopia has made education as a key strategic sector to increasingly transform the country‟s education. In Ethiopia, Plasma satellite based education is used as one of the alternative medium to deliver the education in secondary and preparatory schools all over the country. This education delivery system works only on satellite based mechanisms which is „live‟. In this system students need to attend the class during broadcasting time only i.e. in live mode. In case of power cut/failure in a particular area, the TV/plasma display unit cannot broadcast the same education material when power resumes because it does not contain any video repository which can be accessed later. The existing system has salient challenges like anytime, anywhere over any computing device availability, scalability, all time accessibility, cost effective resource utilization, power availability/ consumption and sustainability etc. As a matter of facts, Cloud based technologies have gained worldwide popularities with new alternative paradigms and systems not only for educational delivery but also for the wide variety of communications and diverse computing capabilities. In order to cover wider spectrum of reaching to un-reaching far flung rural areas in anytime, anywhere manners, the country needs a faster and reliable systems that can serve in better and backup modes. This study aims to develop a Cloud Migration Architecture for Terrestrial VSAT Education Delivery System so that the students could be able to attend the classes in anytime, anywhere with backup modes over salient computing device (i.e. mobile, tablet and computers)irrespective of power status i.e. on/off. In the proposed architecture parameters considered are low cost, low maintenance, broader reach, zero signal dependence, offline, backup, resource utilization, low power consumption, economic sustainability, anytime, anywhere over any-computing device. These research outcomes open new doors for alternative delivery of educational to provide greater opportunities for Ethiopian secondary and preparatory school students to improve their learning‟s in modernized course/subjects with specialized teachers in wider reach that is lacking in case of Terrestrial VSAT Education Delivery System Architecture. Keywords: Cloud architecture, VSAT, Education delivery, Ethiopia, secondary and