In today’s digital world, there is a significant need of shaping modern education with advanced technology. Cloud computing is one such technology which is booming in numerous industries, with education being one of them. The cloud-based platforms are transforming education by redefining the methods of teaching, learning and operating in the institutions. It has transformed learning process by making it more accessible, flexible and scalable. It has empowered both educators and students by bridging the gap between theoretical and practical implementations. This blog further explores how different services of cloud computing has impacted and reshaped the computer science education.

Significance of Cloud Computing in Education

Cloud Computing has become a cornerstone for recent technologies. It ensures educational institutions to store and access data, applications and services through computing services like servers, databases, networks over the Internet (cloud). It provides scalable, flexible, on-demand services from any device instead of local service requests. It offers several advantages like providing services and platforms with significant computational power, large scale storage and real-time collaboration. The idea to integrate cloud-based platforms into the curricula will help educators and teachers with real-world collaboration and service access. Examples of such cloud based platforms are Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, LMS, Moodle, and Resource Libraries etc. Figure below shows some of the drivers which showcase a significant role of cloud computing in education.

Cost-Effectiveness:

Traditional resources are costly and difficult to maintain by institutions. This needs to be eliminated by cloud-based platforms by offering cost-effective services where educational institutions can pay for limited resources in use by adopting pay-as-you-go pricing models, thus overall reducing the overall expenditure. Some platforms help to overcome financial barriers for students by providing free credits to them and can access to high-end computing services.

For example, free credits and resources are provided to students for accessing no-cost cloud services through AWS Educate and Google Cloud for Education. Free services and credits to students for experimenting with cloud services with no investment through Microsoft Azure. The curriculum of NCU which is one of the best private engineering colleges is designed in a way where course delivery with hands on practice is offered to students on AWS and Google cloud platform.

Accessibility:

Through the use of cloud based services, students and educators can access resources remotely i.e. from anywhere and at any time. This flexibility is beneficial since COVID-19 pandemic, which is crucial for remote learning in hybrid classroom. Thus, whenever the natural calamity or any adverse situations like rise in AQI due to pollution or COVID-19, NCU provides an opportunities for students to take online classes.

Scalability:

Scalability is another advantage offered by cloud services which is required at several instances by educators and students. For example, accommodating more staff during admissions, examinations etc. helps institutions in dealing with fluctuating demands. Additionally, teachers can allocate resources also to the students during assignments submission etc.

Real-time Collaboration and Communication:

Cloud-based tools and services such as GitHub and Google Colab offer opportunities to students by collaborating themselves by sharing code, applying changes, software development etc. With this, the students can also manage their repositories, track changes and work on projects. Thus, collaboration and communication is enhanced through incorporating shared documents, virtual classrooms with an interactive learning environment.

Data Security and Backup:

Cloud services also offers the capability of securing data, by maintaining encrypted data storage and backups at regular intervals, thus preventing the loss of data.

Real-World Industry Experience:

Providing the cloud-based services in classroom, students can gain industrial experience for example, they can get exposure to DevOps Practices which helps students to gain practice on development workflows i.e. integration and deployment tools. Tools such as AWS and GCP help students to process and analyse big data. Since, cloud-based platforms work in serverless environment, with which students can build their applications without explicitly managing the infrastructure.

Access to Advanced Tools and Technologies

Cloud-based platforms give students access to cutting-edge tools and technologies without the need for expensive hardware or software installations. Some of the most widely used cloud services in computer science education include:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS offers a wide range of services, including computing power, storage, and machine learning capabilities. Through AWS Educate, students and educators can access a variety of resources that support cloud-based learning and development.

• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

GCP provides tools for building and deploying applications, processing data, and performing machine learning tasks. GCP also offers hands-on labs and sandbox environments for students to learn cloud infrastructure and data management.

• Microsoft Azure

With Microsoft Azure, students can experiment with virtual machines, databases, and containerized applications. Azure for Students offers free credits to give learners practical exposure to enterprise-level cloud technologies.

Examples of Cloud Computing in Education

The figure below illustrates different platforms which can be utilized for specific feature enhancement.

How Teachers and Students can enhance Teaching and Learning process through Cloud Platforms

Conclusion

Cloud computing is revolutionizing the field of computer science by offering the advanced tools and resources to students and educators. It helps to bridge the gap between theoretical aspects and practical learning by providing them hands-on experience on the tools. In future, the role of cloud computing in education will expand by integrating tools with AI, by enhancing education through engaging course with immersive technologies and further provides multiple students to collaborate themselves for some innovative projects.

Author

Dr. Manvi Breja
Assistant Professor (Senior Scale)
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
The NorthCap University, Gurugram, Haryana