One of the biggest challenges faced outside of people being able to work, is the education sector. With the pandemic there was a shutdown of schools and colleges due to the sizes of classes and the close gatherings. With schools closing there are a lot of things that can be affected such as children’s meals, their accountability to do assigned lessons, instructional time, and being prepared for college. Cloud computing helps tons with having to learn from home. Here are some reasons why.
Virtual Classrooms and Training Labs
Having cloud computing would allow schools to create virtual labs and classrooms, and the teachers would be able to monitor the activity of the student and watch their progress as well as be there to answer any questions. With virtual labs, the instructor would be able to create virtual machine demos for the student to go through and complete different tasks while being monitored. Virtual classrooms have existed for a while but came with rather hefty price tags, as the software and hardware were rather expensive. The company Blackboard has started offering cloud-based services, making it more possible for students and schools to enroll. There are larger technology companies like Google, who have begun to develop cloud-based solutions and try to change the way students can attend school.
No More Software and Hardware
Schools and students spend a lot of money, keeping up with software and hardware requirements to learn and teach. With moving to the cloud, there is not much needed other than a computer or laptop and the Internet. This helps to reduce the costs of IT staff, the purchasing of software and continuously upgrading computers and laptops. In the last few years, ’ companies such as Google have provided schools with free access to comprehensive tools such as word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation applications. They also developed the technology, Google Docs, which is an interactive, easy way to collaborate on assignments without being in the same place.
Easier Access to Education and Technology
They are saying that by 2025 there will be approximately 200 million students globally demanding high education. With the demand almost doubling from the current market, it will make it harder for students to have access to actual classrooms as well as online classes. With the cloud, it will be easier to have larger class sizes and allow more students to have access to courses they need to fulfill the degree program they are seeking in a timely fashion. In 2012 Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller created a cloud platform called Coursera. This platform offers things like online courses, specializations, and degrees in various subjects that include Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Several universities are already using this technology; these universities include Princeton, University of Michigan, Penn State, and Stanford. As of 2017, there are more than 2,000 courses offered and more than 24 million users accessing the technology.