Collaborative Learning in Cloud-based Virtual Computer Labs

在计算机实验室中，学生使用专门的软件和/或硬件完成作业，在计算机教育和STEM教育中发挥着关键作用。传统上，由于需要专门的软件和/或专用硬件，这些计算机实验室一直在校园的计算机中心进行。协作实验室帮助学生：(1)通过体验学习，(2)利用学习伙伴的感知，(3)通过社会建构主义形成自己的观点。到目前为止的证据是，协作实验室一直显示出对学生成绩、自尊和学习态度的积极影响。云计算和虚拟化技术的进步使学生能够通过互联网远程完成关于虚拟资源的实验。然而，尽管虚拟计算机实验室提供随时随地按需访问专门的软件和硬件，但分配给学生的虚拟工作空间缺乏对共享的支持，导致学习的协作方面丢失。该项目通过开发和评估基于云的虚拟计算机实验室支持协作学习的环境，服务于培养高素质STEM劳动力的国家利益。该项目的目标是将三种虚拟协作模式集成到一个协作实验室软件工具中：共享远程协作、虚拟学习室和虚拟辅导中心。该环境将允许学生预订有多个参与者的虚拟计算机实验室，并将支持参与者在实验期间进行远程实时协作。将在计算机科学和其他STEM学科课程中对学习环境进行评估，并将开发一个虚拟辅导中心进行评估。协作实验室环境有可能显著增强学生在基于云的虚拟计算机实验室中的协作学习，并使在教育中使用虚拟计算机实验室的广泛大学和学院受益。预计它将利用虚拟计算机实验室支持许多STEM学科的协作学习，使传统本科生以及在正式和非正式环境中返回的成人和远程学习学生受益。协作实验室软件工具将作为开放源码项目分发，所有材料、设计和源代码都可以在公共网站上广泛传播。

Computer labs in which students work through assignments using specialized software and/or hardware play a critical role in computing education and in STEM education in general. Traditionally these computer labs have been carried out in computer centers on campus due to the need for specialized software and/or dedicated hardware. Collaborative labs help students to: (1) learn through experience, (2) leverage the perceptions of their learning partners, and (3) form their own opinions through social constructivism. The evidence to date is that collaborative labs consistently demonstrate positive effects on student achievement, self-esteem, and attitude toward learning. Advances in cloud computing and virtualization technologies enable students to complete labs on virtualized resources remotely through the Internet. However, while virtual computer labs provide anywhere, anytime, on-demand access to specialized software and hardware, the virtual workspaces to which students are assigned lack support for sharing, causing the collaborative aspect of learning to be lost. This project serves the national interest in producing a highly-qualified STEM workforce by developing and evaluating an environment that supports collaborative learning in cloud-based virtual computer labs.The goal of this project is to integrate three models of virtual collaboration into a collaborative lab software tool: shared remote collaboration, virtual study rooms, and a virtual tutoring center. The environment will allow students to reserve virtual computers labs with multiple participants and will support remote real-time collaboration among the participants during a lab. The learning environment will be evaluated in computer science and other STEM discipline courses, and a virtual tutoring center for evaluation will be developed. The collaborative lab environment has the potential to significantly enhance students' collaborative learning in cloud-based virtual computer labs and benefit a wide range of universities and colleges that use virtual computer labs in education. It is expected to support collaborative learning in many STEM disciplines using virtual computer labs, benefitting traditional undergraduates as well as returning adult and distance learning students in both formal and informal settings. The collaborative lab software tool will be distributed as an open source project with all materials, designs, and source code available on a public web site for wide dissemination.