2013 mitchell ical_021213
TRANSCRIPT
Computing Labs in the Cloud: A case study analysis of virtual computing in education
#ICAL2013, #cloudvcl
Erik MitchellAssistant Professor
College of Information StudiesUniversity of Maryland, College Park MD, USA
ScopeWhat is a “Virtual Computer Lab”?
What roles do VCLs play in education and are they important for libraries?
How does the cloud transform VCL uses?
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Computing labs in the cloud. . .
Computing lab types:Classrooms, Design studios, Meeting rooms / lounges,
General purpose, Technology suites (Herrick, 2012)
VCL approaches:Client VCL, Web-based specialized tools, Enterprise VCLs,
Cloud VCLs (Mitchell, 2013)
Key considerations:Network bandwidthDigital fluencyLocal vs. institutional infrastructureUp-front vs. ongoing costsTechnology-fatigue and scaffolded learning
(Locatis, Vega, Bhagwat, Liu, & Conde, 2008)
A broad VCL model - Apache VCL
https://cwiki.apache.org/VCL/
Scheduling / managementPatron access and use
IT infrastructure
Security, authentication
High IT fluency Lower IT fluency
Student infrastructureServer/school infrastructure
Web-based tools Cloud-based VCL
Client VCL Private cloud VCL
Lightweight cVCL management
Django framework Boto library
cVCL infrastructure
Security groups
Amazon Web Service EC2 cloud
Platform monitoring / configuration
“Gold” machine images
API / Web console Backups / Snapshots
Microserver
Microserver
Microserver
Microserver
Microserver
Microserver
Microserver
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rmAdmin VCL interface
Student VCL interface
VCL to AWS tools
AWS web-based tools
cVCL – “clouds all the way down”
Platform-as-a-Service deployment containerPaaS Lab management platform
Google Apps Engine environment Datastore
Administer Access Connect
Quick demo
Platform code at: https://github.com/mitcheet/vcl_1.1
How can VCLs facilitate learning?
Case study: LBSC670: Organization of information
“Understand representation and classification of information through cataloging, metadata creation, indexing and organization. .”
“Develop skills for analyzing and processing structured data”
“Create new information structures and services”
Course objectives and outcomes
Remember
Concepts / standards
Activities
Tools
Understand
Cataloging process
System design
Tool use
Apply
Metadata standards
Schemas / classifications
Tool functions
Analyze
Metadata content
Metadata functions
Tool output
Evaluate
Metadata quality
System suitability
Tool utility
Create
New metadata records
New information
systems
New information
services
Case studies
Fall 2011Client install: “What is java?” Cost: Student laptop costs
Spring 2012One cloud server System scale, securityCost: ~$260 US / 7 students = $37
Fall 2012cVCL, 63 servers Scalability, privacyCost: ~$450 US / 52 students = $8.66
cVCLs use casescVCLs broaden access to server technology and serve as contained experimental environments in Computer Science
cVCLs can pull on cloud-based data storage an other services to create a course infrastructure for cultural heritage resource sharing and computation
Datastore
How can we assess the impact of cVCLS?
Remote client using domain-specific tools saves instructional time / avoids “Tech-fatigue”
cVCLs created a level playing field for students, with a common and persistent environment
Technology is only an issue when it doesn’t work, satisfaction measures are insufficient
cVCL Unanswered questions
What are the regulatory and policy issues with using cloud-based VCLs?
Are there technical / financial models that help this type of lab scale?
How can this platform support research or dissemination of ‘actionable data’?
Thank You!
Computing Labs in the Cloud: A case study analysis of virtual computing in education
#ICAL2013, #cloudvcl
https://github.com/mitcheet
Erik MitchellAssistant Professor
College of Information StudiesUniversity of Maryland, College Park MD, USA