Introducing cloud computing to enhance the student experience: Amazon WorkSpaces & the Department of Engineering

To accommodate a growing new curriculum, the Department of Engineering partnered with Information Systems to introduce Amazon WorkSpaces to virtualize powerful and graphically demanding software. The WorkSpaces provided students a consistent experience, no matter the configuration or operating system of their primary computing devices.

Hear from faculty members in the Department of Engineering, Wake Downtown staff, and Information Systems to learn about the partnership that took place and the possibilities of leveraging cloud virtualization to enhance teaching and learning.

I. Introducing the virtual machine to support a growing curriculum

To meet the needs of a growing curriculum with robust software requirements, Information Systems partnered with Engineering Department faculty and Wake Downtown staff to evaluate possible computing solutions, which resulted in the introduction of Amazon WorkSpaces, a virtual machine (VM). The process included determining the ideal VM configuration, installing the desired software to build the desktop, testing the VM, and ultimately deploying the WorkSpaces to students and faculty.

II. Using the virtual machine in the classroom

AutoCAD, COMSOL, and MATLab are three examples of software being utilized through the VM to enhance the classroom experience. Faculty spend less time troubleshooting software issues with students leaving more time for class activities. The VM also provided a more equitable experience so all students. No matter device or physical location, they could complete their assignments and explore Engineering software all with the same interface. Utilization of the VM’s greatly eased the overnight transition to remote learning and allowed faculty to continue teaching without delay.

III. The future of virtual machines

The Engineering Department hopes to utilize virtual machines more in the future as they reflect on lessons learned after graduating the first Engineering class.

Virtual Machines have implications for departments across campus in the STEM and liberal arts fields. Other virtualization solutions are being actively considered and tested to prepare for future growing academic needs.

Contact Information Systems to learn more about Amazon WorkSpaces or other virtualization possibilities.

Presenter Information

Hunter Bachman

Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering

Dr. Hunter Bachman joined Wake Forest in the fall of 2020 after graduating from Duke University with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. Hunter is primarily focused on teaching at Wake Forest and has helped to teach courses across all years of the program. Specifically, he has been a faculty instructor for the inaugural class of seniors as they complete their capstone design projects. The real world focus of these capstone projects has allowed the students to apply the Amazon WorkSpaces through the deployment of several engineering software packages.

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AJcFTAEAAAAJ&hl=en

Sophia Bredice

Assistant Director, Client Experience and Digital Communications, Client Services, Information Systems

Sophia Bredice serves as an Assistant Director of Client Services. Sophia graduated Wake Forest in May of 2015 with a major in Biology and History to later earn her Masters from the University of Virginia in Management of Information Technology. During her IS tenure, Sophia managed the student laptop transition and program, served on the Project Management team of the Workday implementation, and works on IT-related program communication and change management activities.

Michael Greco

Assistant Director of Client Engagement, Client Services, Information Systems

Michael Greco has been serving the Wake Forest community since 2015. Prior to joining Wake Forest, Michael served as a Senior Desktop Administrator and has worked in higher education for nearly 20 years. His passion is the intersection where technology and people come together, ensuring voices are heard and pairing the proper technologies to meet users’ needs. Michael feels strongly that communication, trust, and partnership are the keys to successful technology engagements.

Lauren Lowman

Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering

Dr. Lauren Lowman is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Department at Wake Forest University and has served in this role since 2018. She received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus in Hydrology and Fluid Dynamics from Duke University, and a B.A. in Public Policy Studies from Duke University. Her research investigates how extreme events and affect overall ecosystem health, productivity, and sustainability using numerical models, geospatial data analysis, and field experiments. She is also passionate about developing and sharing inclusive teaching practices in STEM fields and received a 2020 Engineering Unleashed Fellowship from the Kern Family Foundation to support this work.

https://lowman.engineering.wfu.edu/

Pat Morton

User Technology Support Analyst IV, Client Technologies, Information Systems

Patrick holds a Masters Degree in American History and a MBA with an emphasis in IT Process and Operations from Wake Forest University. Patrick joined Wake Forest University Information Systems in 1997. Patrick's primary responsibilities are the building and maintenance of the Windows and Macintosh standard Images and administration of the Apple Mobile Device Management infrastructure for the university. He is also responsible for building and managing the Virtual Workspace environments for VMWare Fusion, BootCamp and Amazon Web Services. Patrick is also a certified Apple Hardware technician, IBM OEM integrator and A+ certified technician.

Tommy Murphy

Instructional Technologist, Wake Downtown

Shortly after graduating high school, Tommy Murphy enlisted in the US Navy as a Machinist Mate in the Nuclear Propulsion Program. After leaving the Navy, he remained in the mechanical field servicing boilers and then building, fabricating and servicing high speed production machinery. In the mid-nineties, Tommy switched gears and decided to attend college to pursue a degree in the computer science discipline. He earned an A.A.S. Business Computer Programming at Forsyth Technical Community College and a B.S. Computer Information Systems from High Point University. After achieving his degrees, Tommy worked as a Systems/LAN Manager for N.C. Baptist Hospital, an Academic Computing Specialist for Wake Forest University School Of Medicine and starting in 2001 an Instructional Technologist for the Reynolda Campus of Wake Forest University. Currently, Tommy is the Instructional Technologist for the Wake Downtown campus. Departments served in this role include Chemistry, Biology, and Engineering. His primary responsibility is to support faculty, staff and graduate students with technology with respect to teaching and learning.

https://plus.google.com/+TommyMurphy

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