Virtual lab allows students to log on from anywhere
924151486@gsc.edu
Jaime Munoz
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: News
Tired of driving to school to access a school computer just so you can use Microsoft Suite 2007?
That should not be a problem for students anymore because the Gainesville State College Virtual Lab is here. Actually, it has been around since last semester but the majority of GSC students have not used it yet or fully taken advantage of the online application.
The GSC Virtual Lab application allows students to access any school programs from home with an internet connection. There are daily peak hours in the school library and ACTT center which often make it very difficult for students to find a vacant computer. It can become even more of a strain driving between work and school just to access Microsoft Word to do homework just because you don't have it installed at home.
Although still in its beta testing phase until early March, the Virtual Lab is up and running 24 hours a day. That means no more driving from Jefferson County or any other corner in North Georgia just to access and use one of many software applications found on a GSC computer. Virtual Lab also appeals to students taking online courses who may need to access unique software applications only found on the school computers.
Rest assured that students are still able to access their own Home Folder and Shared Class Files and save documents as they are working within the Virtual Lab. Even USB flash disk drives function within the application.
There are a few minor problems so far that students are currently experiencing with the new technology such as lag while logged into the Virtual Lab and random disconnects from the server. According to Hundt, no Macintosh support until March is another downer for some students.
According to Lance Hundt, GSC student and IT Virtual Lab manager, GSC is one of two campuses nationwide in the U.S. to have an online virtual program such as this. Top schools such as the University of Georgia or Georgia Tech do not offer something similar to this.
"I hope more students take advantage of the Virtual Lab in the future because as of right now around 50 unique students are logging into the lab at peak hours and which I still consider a low number compared to the currently enrolled GSC students on both campuses," Hundt said.
Installation is simple and easy. It takes less than a minute to install the program from a personal home computer. Students can find tutorials and helpful information on using the Virtual Lab by looking under the Current Students section on the GSC Home Page and then clicking on GSC Virtual Lab. Students with questions and comments pertaining to the Virtual Lab should contact Lance Hundt at lhundt@gsc.edu.
That should not be a problem for students anymore because the Gainesville State College Virtual Lab is here. Actually, it has been around since last semester but the majority of GSC students have not used it yet or fully taken advantage of the online application.
The GSC Virtual Lab application allows students to access any school programs from home with an internet connection. There are daily peak hours in the school library and ACTT center which often make it very difficult for students to find a vacant computer. It can become even more of a strain driving between work and school just to access Microsoft Word to do homework just because you don't have it installed at home.
Although still in its beta testing phase until early March, the Virtual Lab is up and running 24 hours a day. That means no more driving from Jefferson County or any other corner in North Georgia just to access and use one of many software applications found on a GSC computer. Virtual Lab also appeals to students taking online courses who may need to access unique software applications only found on the school computers.
Rest assured that students are still able to access their own Home Folder and Shared Class Files and save documents as they are working within the Virtual Lab. Even USB flash disk drives function within the application.
There are a few minor problems so far that students are currently experiencing with the new technology such as lag while logged into the Virtual Lab and random disconnects from the server. According to Hundt, no Macintosh support until March is another downer for some students.
According to Lance Hundt, GSC student and IT Virtual Lab manager, GSC is one of two campuses nationwide in the U.S. to have an online virtual program such as this. Top schools such as the University of Georgia or Georgia Tech do not offer something similar to this.
"I hope more students take advantage of the Virtual Lab in the future because as of right now around 50 unique students are logging into the lab at peak hours and which I still consider a low number compared to the currently enrolled GSC students on both campuses," Hundt said.
Installation is simple and easy. It takes less than a minute to install the program from a personal home computer. Students can find tutorials and helpful information on using the Virtual Lab by looking under the Current Students section on the GSC Home Page and then clicking on GSC Virtual Lab. Students with questions and comments pertaining to the Virtual Lab should contact Lance Hundt at lhundt@gsc.edu.
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