Students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (“University”) have access to WIFI on campus  wherever they are, but is there a network that would enable visiting professors and exchange students from other universities and research institutions to enjoy the same privilege by logging in with their own accounts over here just as they do at their own universities for the purposes of remote education and virtual learning communities?

      Such network is not available to most universities in China, but the University is an exception. It has just joined EDUROAM, one of the first batch higher institutions in Mainland China to do so. This is a giant step towards internalization.

      EDUROAM is short for education roaming, a secure global roaming service that has been adopted by educational and research organizations throughout the world. It originates from Europe and currently covers 71 countries. Students, staff members and researchers can easily surf the internet regardless of their locations, provided that their own schools or work units have joined EDUROAM. Their network ID is the same as the one they used at their own universities or work units.

       Similarly, students at the University will have their own EDUROAM accounts and they can use them to gain access to the internet when visiting other universities throughout the world (most western universities have joined EDUROAM).