To fully use cloud computing resources for educational purposes, cutting costs for institutions while simultaneously offering stability and flexibility in their learning management systems.
THE CHALLENGE:
Anyone who has taken a post-secondary course within the last ten years has likely used a learning management system. This is the online service that allows you to interact with your professor, check your schedule, and see your final grades. Blackboard and Moodle are two of the most widely used learning management systems (LMS) in Canada.
Once a university or school has chosen one of these systems, thousands of students and faculty members log in using their web browser. Running systems like Moodle or Blackboard requires a large commitment of computing resources to meet demand at peak periods, and resources are often underutilized during off hours. The investment in maintenance and upgrading is costly and can be unpredictable.
THE SOLUTION:
By hosting in the cloud, the hardware, software and expertise are consolidated as a single shared resource. This cloud can be managed by an independent organization and shared with partner institutions to leverage economies of scale.
These on-demand resources can be accessed via a web interface, command line, or through automated scripts. And the budget for each user’s share, including maintenance and upgrades, is predictable and buffered by the cost-sharing involved.
Each partner can easily expand or contract computing power in response to changes in demand, minimizing costs while avoiding slowdowns during peak periods. With a dedicated team of experts managing the cloud, individual institutions can reallocate their limited resources.
MADE IN CANADA
The Learning Management Cloud has been set up, hosted, and managed by Cybera, the organization in Alberta responsible for ensuring advanced and efficient e-infrastructure — the system of networks, hardware and software that make the Internet possible. It represents one of the first cloud-based learning management software projects in Canada.
HOW THE LEARNING MANAGEMENT CLOUD AFFECTS YOU:
For institutions, the resources necessary to run LMS services independently can be cumbersome. The Learning Management Cloud allows for more stability when committing resources, more fluidity in resources, and a lower bottom-line. As more institutions opt in, the cost for each partner will remain predictable and affordable.
This project is expected to increase the knowledge and use of cloud computing in Alberta for educational services, and promote similar collaborations with other institutions across Canada.
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS:
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To find out how your institution can take part in the Learning Management Cloud, please contact us for more information.
