reduce pressure on students and it services via software-vendor programs and hosting
Supporting computer science and computer application courses requires spending many resources on specialized software. Courses, such as database concepts and applications, depend upon hands-on experience with software to help students understand important principles. Both the university computer labs and students need to install software for homework assignments. Problems include software availability, cost, installation, platform compatibility, and configuration. While academic licensing provides software to students at significantly lower prices, the price may still be too high for some students. Installation and configuration on client/student side may also be a problem. Further, IT departments face the challenge of installing, upgrading and patching the software in student labs. An inexpensive alternative exists to reduce the burden on both students and IT departments. Several software vendors provide either free software or free centralized hosting with web access. Service, technical support, and upgrades are also provided. Typically, client-side setup and configuration is minimized. Advantages include reducing platform dependence, providing prompt professional helpdesk support and account management, and training for instructors. We have implemented two variations of vendor provided software or hosting. This paper will share our experiences in using this approach to support our computer science courses, especially in our database related courses. We will describe these technologies and explore the implementation process including problems encountered.
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