E-learning systems usually require many hardware and software resources. There are many educational institutions that cannot afford such investments, and cloud computing is the best solution. This paper presents the impact on using cloud computing for e-learning solutions.

Paul POCATILU

English

Research Papers in Economics

Page 9  Oeconomics of Knowledge, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1Q 2010 
 
Cloud Computing Benefits  
for E-learning Solutions  
 
Paul POCATILU, PhD, Associate Professor 
Department of Economic Informatics 
Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania 
E-mail: ppaul[at]ase[dot]ro 
 
 
Abstract:  E-learning  systems  usually  require  many  hardware  and 
software resources.  There are many educational institutions 
that cannot afford such investments, and cloud computing is 
the best solution. This paper presents the impact on using 
cloud computing for e-learning solutions.  
Keywords: cloud computing, e-learning   
 
 
1. Introduction 
  Cloud  computing  allows  to  move  the  processing  effort  from  the 
local  devices  to  the  data  center  facilities.  The  software  is  seen  as  a 
service and the applications and data are stored on multiple servers that 
can be accessed from the Internet.  
  The current cloud computing architecture involves the existence of 
data centers that are able to provide services to the clients located all 
over the world. In this context, the cloud can be seen as a unique access 
point for all the requests coming from the customers/clients. 
 Page 10  Oeconomics of Knowledge, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1Q 2010 
 
2. E-learning Benefits 
  Many  education  institutions  do  not  have  the  resources  and 
infrastructure  needed  to  run  top  e-learning  solution.  This  is  why 
Blackboard  and  Moodle,  the  biggest  players  in  the  field  of  e-learning 
software,  have  now  versions  of  the  base  applications  that  are  cloud 
oriented. 
  E-learning  is  widely  used  today  on  different  educational  levels: 
continuous education, company trainings, academic courses, etc. 
  There  are  various  e-learning  solutions  from  open  source  to 
commercial.  There  are  at  least  two  entities  involved  in  an  e-learning 
system: the students and the trainers. 
  The students: 
  Take online course 
  Take exams 
  Send feedback 
  Send homework, projects 
  The trainers: 
  Deal with content management 
  Prepare tests 
  Assess tests, homework, projects taken by students 
  Send feedback 
  Communicate with students (forums) 
 
 Page 11  Oeconomics of Knowledge, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1Q 2010 
 
  Usually,  e-learning  systems  are  developed  as  distributed 
applications, but not limited to. The architecture of an e-learning system, 
developed as a distributed application, includes a client application, an 
application  server  and  a  database  server  (see  Figure  1),  beside  the 
hardware  to  support  it  (client  computer,  communication  infrastructure 
and servers). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 1— E-learning system  
 
The client hardware could be a mobile device or a desktop computer. 
The  client  application  can  be  a  simple  web  browser  or  a  dedicated 
application. 
  Even  with  the  current  hardware  and  software  limitations,  mobile 
devices  are  supporting  multimedia  based  applications.  Currently, 
compared  with  desktop  applications,  mobile  applications,  especially 
multimedia-based  applications,  have  serious  limitations  due  the 
processing  power  and  memory  constraints.  Due  the  fact  that  the  data 
processing is on the server side, the use of mobile devices for learning is Page 12  Oeconomics of Knowledge, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1Q 2010 
 
growing  fast.  Still,  the  mobile  applications  need  to  be  optimized  to  be 
used for e-learning. The e-learning server will use cloud computing, so all 
the required resources will be adjusted as needed. 
  E-learning systems can use benefit from cloud computing using: 
  Infrastructure:  use  an  e-learning  solution  on  the 
provider's infrastructure 
  Platform: use and develop an e-learning solution based 
on the provider's development interface 
  Services:  use  the  e-learning  solution  given  by  the 
provider. 
   
  A very big concern is related to the data security because both the 
software and the data are located on remote servers that can crash or 
disappear without any additional warnings.  
  Even if it seems not very reasonable, the cloud computing provides 
some  major  security  benefits  for  individuals  and  companies  that  are 
using/developing e-learning solutions, like the following: 
  improved  improbability  –  it  is  almost  impossible  for  any 
interested  person  (thief)    to  determine  where  is  located  the 
machine that stores some wanted data (tests, exam questions, 
results)  or  to  find  out    which  is  the  physical  component  he 
needs to steal in order to get a digital asset; 
  virtualization  –  makes  possible  the  rapid  replacement  of  a 
compromised  cloud  located  server  without  major  costs  or 
damages. It is very easy to create a clone of a virtual machine 
so the cloud downtime is expected to be reduced substantially; 
  centralized data storage – losing a cloud client is no longer a Page 13  Oeconomics of Knowledge, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1Q 2010 
 
major incident while the main part of the applications and data 
is stored into the cloud so a new client can be connected very 
fast. Imagine what is happening today if a laptop that stores 
the examination questions is stolen; 
  monitoring of data access becomes easier in view of the fact 
that  only  one  place  should  be  supervised,  not  thousands  of 
computers  belonging  to  a  university,  for  example.  Also,  the 
security changes can be easily tested and implemented since 
the cloud represents a unique entry point for all the clients. 
 
  Another  important  benefit  is  related  to  costs.  If  the  e-learning 
services are used for a relative short time (several weeks, a quarter, a 
semester), the savings are very important. 
 
Conclusions 
  The  development  of  e-learning  solution  cannot  ignore  the  cloud 
computing trends. 
  There  are  many  benefits  from  using  the  cloud  computing  for  e-
learning systems.  Also, there are some disadvantages  that have to be 
taken into account. 
  Using cloud computing for e-learning solutions influences the way 
the e-learning software projects are managed. There are specific tasks 
that deal with finding providers for cloud computing, depending on the 
requirements  (infrastructure,  platform  or  services).  Also,  the  cost  and 
risk management influences the way the e-learning solutions based on 
cloud computing are managed.  Page 14  Oeconomics of Knowledge, Volume 2, Issue 1, 1Q 2010 
 
 
References 
 
DeCoufle B.   The impact of cloud computing in schools, The 
Datacenter Journal,   
http://datacenterjournal.com/content/
view/3032/40/, July 2009 
Pocatilu P., Boja C.  Quality  Characteristics  and  Metrics  related  to  M-
Learning  Process,  Amfiteatru  Economic,  Year  XI, 
June 2009, No. 26 
****  Cloud Computing Incidents Database - 
wiki.cloudcommunity.org/wiki  
Cena F. 
Farzan R.  
Lops P.  
Web 3.0: Merging Semantic Web with Social Web, 
Proceedings of the 20th ACM conference on Hyper-
text and hypermedia, HT’09, June 29–July 1, 2009  
   

3.0: Merging Semantic Web with Social Web,

The impact of cloud computing in schools, The Datacenter Journal, http://datacenterjournal.com/content/ view/3032/40/,

Cloud Computing Benefits for E-learning Solutions

https://sites.google.com/site/oeconomicsofknowledge/v2_i1_1q_2010_pp.pdf

Cloud Computing Benefits for E-learning Solutions

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Research Papers in Economics