The ongoing pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives. Higher education is one of the most pivotal moments of one’s life. The prevalent health crisis has raised serious questions about the future of higher education.
While it may be a much easier decision to promote students of smaller classes, the same can’t be said about higher education. The knowledge one gains in this phase of life has direct applicability in the respective fields of students.
The Wait and See Approach
So far as the spring semester is concerned, most higher education providers have adopted a wait and see approach. Much of the time was consumed by designing and implementing preventive measures to curtail the further transmission of Covid-19.
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Unfortunately, this wait and see approach may not be feasible for providers of higher education anymore. These institutions will have to come up with a platform that can enable remote instruction and learning initiatives.
Proactive Approach to Impart Higher Education
On the flip side is a proactive approach towards the enablement of a remote learning platform. The proponents of this mindset have distanced themselves from speculating about the future and starting looking out for solutions if things remain as such.
Regardless of where we stand in the coming months, what would distinguish some higher education institutions from others is the preparedness for a scenario if things do not improve and restrictions around social distancing remain in vogue.
Higher Education and the Cloud – A Perfect Fit
The cloud presents immense potential for higher education institutions once viewed as a delivery vehicle amidst the present circumstances. Many such establishments are already in the process of adopting cloud powered solutions or in the final stages of prospecting.
If we analyze the compatibility of cloud based solutions with the challenges currently being faced by higher education providers and students alike, we would come to realize that the cloud is a perfect fit for their current and future needs.
Now, let’s focus on how the cloud is a very suitable mechanism for higher education institutions in the present circumstances and beyond. The factors listed below should result in rapid adoption of cloud providers like dinCloud for Higher Education.
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Distance Learning Capabilities
In the present circumstances, higher education providers desperately need a platform that can support remote classes for students. That’s not all, this platform should also be capable of handling other student workloads such as online collaboration etc.
Given the present constraints when it comes to upgrading on campus infrastructure, it is but logical to look for outsourcing these operations. The cloud, with its highly stable and instantly scalable capabilities is a very suitable medium for remote teaching.
With ample capacity at the disposal of top Cloud Service Providers (CSP) like dinCloud, higher education providers can support a remote teaching platform for the entire strength of their students, with even capacity to spare for new enrollments.
Cloud as a Cost Effective Medium
Whenever a higher education provider evaluates its options for remote instruction, the foremost question to answer is whether to set up on campus infrastructure or outsource the entire operation to a reliable cloud provider like dinCloud.
The on campus proposition is both difficult and costly. With global supply chains still disrupted, higher education providers can fall well behind schedule if they opt for on-campus architecture. They will also need to hire the requisite human resources.
The other critical aspect of any such deployment is costs. With student enrollments either stagnant or declining, higher education providers are low on cash. Their management may also feel reluctant to commit a large sum of investment amidst this high uncertainty.
Due to the above reasons and beyond, the cloud appears as a clear winner when it comes to the cost part. Firstly, this option will not require any long term capital expenditure to set up a large on campus data center. Secondly, you will pay only for what you use in the cloud.
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How the Cloud suits Faculty Members?
These are challenging times not just for educational institutions, but equally so for the faculty members. It is never an easy task for professors to acclimatize themselves with a totally new teaching platform overnight.
More importantly, this transition process on the part of faculty will take its toll on the already compromised quality of education. Instead of ditching an existing set of instructional tools, these very tools can be integrated seamlessly into a cloud solution.
By integrating the existing instructional tools under the faculty’s use into the cloud, education providers will be able be address the concerns of their faculty. This will also ensure that the quality of education does not take a further hit due to this transition.
Instant Scalability of the Cloud
It is very difficult to anticipate the levels of student enrollment during this high uncertainty. The financial impact of this global pandemic will also hamper the ability of higher education aspirants to enroll in various degree programs.
Due to these factors, it would not be a very prudent choice to commit a large sum of money over on campus I.T infrastructure. If your projections don’t work out as planned, you may have invested millions in hardware that wasn’t even used to it’s potential.
This is where the cloud really stands out. Top cloud providers like dinCloud have nearly limitless capacity in their global data centers. Once you move your instructional medium to the cloud, you no longer have to worry about fluctuating levels of student enrollment.
Your higher education institution will be able to instantly scale up or down, depending on the levels of student enrollment, without any long term financial commitments. This will immensely support your already strained finances.
Suitability of Cloud for Academic Research
Our higher education institutions are one of the major engines for research and innovation. Multi billion dollar enterprises were the result of an innovative idea that originated in the minds of bright college and university students.
Take the example of the ongoing global pandemic. Extensive research in being carried out in a bid to develop a reliable vaccine for Covid-19. Yet again, the cloud is a very suitable platform for carrying out academic research.
Firstly, you will have nearly limitless compute, storage and processing resources at your disposal in a cloud environment. Secondly, there are no geographical boundaries in terms of outside collaboration in the case of cloud.
One researcher may be sitting in Florida, while another research student may be in Seattle but the cloud connects them in real time. With the cloud at your back, your outreach in terms of access to research material is global.
Conclusion
No matter how we analyze the suitability of cloud for higher education, the answer will be in the affirmative. The only question that remains is when to initiate the transition to the cloud; and the answer to this is right now. We have already lost precious time.
If you are a higher education provider that’s looking for a robust and reliable cloud solution, look no further than dinCloud. Our highly skilled cloud professionals will design a cloud solution that’s best for both your students and faculty members.
