The Usage of Cloud Computing in Education

Mohammed W. Nofan Amar A. Sakran

Department of Computer Science Information Technology Center
College of Computer Science and Mathematics/ Tikrit University of Information
University Technology & Communications
Tikrit, Iraq Baghdad, Iraq
Moha_wn@yahoo.com amarabedrba@yahoo.com

Abstract — Cloud computing-based technology has become email, contact list, calendars, document storage, creation and
in many modern organizations concerned with education sharing document and the ability to create website[2].
institutions. It will likely have a significant impact on the
educational environment in the future. Universities take II. DEFINITIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CLOUD
advantage of available cloud applications offered by service
COMPUTING
providers and enable their own users/students to perform
business and academic tasks.
A. Cloud Computing Definitions
In this paper, reviewing what the cloud computing Cloud computing is not always clearly defined is a
infrastructure will provide, a literature review providing the subscription-based service where you can obtain networked
context from the infrastructure, application and services aspect storage space and computer resources[3].
of cloud computing, it was also look for the answers of its
benefits to higher education institutions and different The easy way to understanding of cloud computing is to
educational uses. Also introduce cloud computing to educators consider the experience with email. The email client (Yahoo,
and help them to gain a better understanding of the conception Gmail, Hotmail, etc…), When you want to access your email
of cloud technology and its impact on teaching and learning in you open your web browser, go to the email client, and log
institutions. in. The most important part of the equation is having internet
access.
Keywords—Cloud computing; educational institution;
SaaS; PaaS; IaaS The emails are not stored on the physical computer, it can
be accessed through the internet connection and can be
I. INTRODUCTION access it anywhere. The email is different from software
installed on the computer, such as a word processing or PDF
The future we facing a future where the majority program. Creating a document using word processing
educational services will be hosted in the cloud and the software, that document stored on the used device to make it
institutions will no longer host their own data centers with physically move. An email client is similar to how cloud
expensive hardware, power bills, staff salaries and computing works. Except instead of accessing just the email,
computing resources which are rarely fully utilized? it can be choose what information that have access to within
the cloud.
The highly Evolution of cloud computing are likely to
mean an increasing farther away from existing institutions
system services. These services are increasingly provided B. Characteristics of Cloud Computing
using Internet technologies to staff and students and accessed There are various definitions of cloud computing but
from web browsers. The services are offered cheap or free most commentators agree on several key characteristics:
for education, often with much higher availability than can
be provided by the educational institution[1].  Remote data centers 

The Term of "Cloud Computing" become an important Cloud services are delivered via the Internet from high-
term in the world of Information Technology (IT). Cloud specification data centers in locations remote from the end
Computing is a kind of computing which can use virtual user and their institution. The server farms have features
resources that can be shared with the other users. Users do such as the latest cooling systems and service optimization
not need a lot of information or any background knowledge techniques which individual educational institutions are
of the services[1]. unlikely to be able to afford. The data centers are often
located near cheap sources of electricity. Their locations are
Cloud computing is currently one of the new technology. not necessarily knowsn to the user, though in some cases
That will likely have a significant impact in teaching and users
learning environment.
Today, Microsoft and Google are providing free services
to students and staff at educational institutions which include

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 require services to be located in specified countries due and can reaching the data stored in the cloud and the
to data protection legislation[4]. applications too.
 Pooling of resources 
Resources such as data storage, processing, memory and
bandwidth are shared between multiple customers and can be
allocated dynamically depending on demand. Individual
hardware components can be replaced without impacting on
performance or availability. Resources may even be spread
across multiple data centers to provide better security and
resilience[5].
 Infinite scalability 
Fig.1: Cloud Computing Types
A key feature of cloud computing is its rapid elasticity,
allowing for sudden peaks in demand and giving the
customer the impression that the services are infinitely IV. CLOUD COMPUTING IN EDUCATION
scalable. If the institution wishes to increase use suddenly A new topic in the rapidly evolving technology world,
there is no need to purchase additional hardware which could made the cloud computing has a significant impact onto the
take weeks and may later be underutilized[6]. modern education sector.
 Pay per use  Most people do not have the knowledge and still find the
concept of cloud computing very confusing, educational
Customers simply pay for the services they use while
institutions all around the world have embraced the new
providers bear the costs of hardware and software provision.
technology in most processes such as admission,
Pricing may vary depending on the time of day due to peaks
collaborative, teaching and learning [8].
in demand or varying electricity costs and institutions may
therefore carry out certain activities when costs are cheaper.
However distributed cloud networks may enable providers to A. How educational institutions use the cloud
smooth out demand globally and offer uniform pricing The cloud has already demonstrated its impact on
strategies not dependent on timing[6]. different industries and is now set to take over the education
sector. Over the last few years, educational institutions all
 Self service  over the world have started using and turning to cloud
Customers can decide what resources they wish to use, technologies.
and increase or decrease these without discussion with the In 2012, surveys revealed that only 6% of the institutions
provider. Reporting facilities are provided so that customers were using the cloud in the past two years. Today, we see a
can monitor resource usage[5]. great number of schools and colleges using servers or
applications provided by Microsoft, Google or Amazon [9].
III. TYPES OF CLOUD COMPUTING
The three trends that seem to have emerged with the
Cloud computing services are generally regarded as development of web technologies are mobile learning,
falling into three separate categories or levels. The lowest massive open online courses (MOOCs) and online language
level is sometimes known as infrastructure as a service learning.
(IaaS). Here customers can rent basic computing resources
such as processors and storage, and use them to run their B. The challenges of using cloud computing in education
own operating systems and applications. Amazon’s Elastic
Compute Cloud is a one example; organizations can use this Often a school will have competent IT technicians and a
infrastructure to run Linux servers on virtual machines and vision of IT requirements, but the gap is the strategic vision
scale up usage as required [7]. and understanding of available technologies versus budgets
available to deliver on that vision.
Platform as a service (PaaS) is the next level up. This
enables customers to install their own applications using a The head teacher sits much like a chief executive at the
platform specified by the service provider. An example here top of the tree. But unlike a public limited company (PLC)
is the Google Apps Engine where developers can write and chief, the head teacher has very little or no real interest in
install applications using the Python language. systems. This is where the gap lies.

● IT vision must reach to the top

Old teachers have little IT Knowledge and vision which
could help guide their IT deliverables. IT does not command
The highest level of cloud computing service is known as the same importance as other more traditional areas of school
software as a service (SaaS)[7]. life; it is largely ignored[8].
Currently this is the most interest topic in education. The
users required only a web browser and internet connection

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 There must be a fundamental shift in thinking, so that came from replicated the files during the students shared and
there will be an opportunity for technology to be useful in saved their work[10].
Education
Deduplication do not depend the block level, or number
Technology vendors and service providers must work to of files, it has huge role within the educational institution
reposition IT within the mind-set of the professionals because it can maximize available storage and to prevent
working in the education sector[9]. losing the capital investment in more storage devices and
space.
IT departments or county IT advisers must promote the
head teachers by demonstrating the tangible benefits of IT
into the Education, that the ways it improves the educational  Convince in-house IT staff to work together 
experience for students, teachers and parents. Prevailing belief that there is not enough collaboration
between various IT staff members for educational institute.
 Build IT and services curriculums  There is a few readiness for IT expert to working from the
various institution in the educational field with the other to
The challenge that faced the educational institution that find ways to improve.
traditional outcomes of both a curriculum and administration
network remain within the institution system. One of the with the developed resources and skills of the IT staff,
challenges are how to delivering data outside of the secure this new technology was successfully introduced which was
network and allow the student and researchers to access the remarkable, If the institutes’ IT collaboration today, swapped
information and data from anywhere. this is the meaning of best practices and experiences, and sought collaboration
private cloud, but these clouds provide just the required data through combined cloud services, this would lead to more
without the required application[9]. creative and efficient use of IT funds and expertise[10].
Microsoft and other providers are starting to position
their cloud offerings to the educational institute, but there are V. THE ADVANTAGES OF USING CLOUD COMPUTING IN
difficulties. For example, Office 365 does not currently give EDUCATION
the teaching staff easy access to completed work uploaded
by pupils. A. Potential Cost-savings
Moving to the cloud usually means moving away from a
 Partner with expert solution providers  CAPEX model (physical assets that depreciate) to an OPEX
model (pay per use). Cloud services could be a cheaper
The educational institute needs to look beyond its own IT
option, yet still have to invest in IT technology to improve
staff for assistance. Selecting a service provider has
knowledge and experience that can provide both initial and learning standards[10].
ongoing assistance[9]. If a educational institution that currently save its software
This may lead to a new age of education supplier or IT and data in a local server, moving to the cloud will allow
offerings which acutely fit the specific needs of the them to spread out IT costs through flexible subscriptions.
educational institution and communicate with learning Such software as a service it can shared that software with
systems in a language that is not alien to them. other institute that is a cheaper alternative to the large costs
associated with upfront license.
In these days, service providers that can help the IT
professional to succeed is to use modeling and simulation Google and Microsoft’s cloud productivity applications
and cloud computing in education are few and far away. allow institute to pay for their cloud programs on demand.
For example, Google Apps for Education takes Google’s
The support of service providers will become more existing cloud-based productivity apps (such as Calendar)
important for the educational institutions consideration the and focuses them around collaborative study.
wider impacts such as data protection.
B. Pedagogical Benefits: Increase Engagement and
 Develop the existing infrastructure  Productivity
For sizable institution that have large infrastructures on- Cloud services complement what research has discovered
site, transition to cloud computing services may be difficult about those benefits: how their mobility and flexibility leads
or far away. to

greater collaboration and engagement. With cloud

computing, the programs used to create and share become
So the challenge will be to update and enhance the even more mobile and less tethered to a particular device,
computing, networking and storage resources that the exponentially increasing the pedagogical benefits.
institution already has.
In the SafeGov.org, which is a forum for cloud,
for the storage as an example, if some of the education computing industry experts and decision-makers to discuss,
institution started to use the video camera for recording the promote, and advance trusted and responsible solutions for
lecture and stored the video conferences, the IT administrator the public and private sectors. SafeGov.org report, 51% of
that the video files was take a lot of space and that file size

07
staff surveyed envisioned benefits such as better exam advantages to companies who are currently competing for
results[6]. market share.
The portability of mobile helps remove barriers to Software has always been provided cheap and discounted
learning by enabling ease and speed of use. to the educational sector and service company (providers)
seek to build relationships with the institutions which
This led to increased engagement and collaboration since provide their future employees.
students were able to continue working and studying at home
or during movement. In addition they are building brand awareness and loyalty
which may lead to the selling of other or premium services to
The gap between institute and home was shortened. institutions and users in the future.
Cloud computing would increasing shorten this gap.
A student seeing the benefit of these tools may persuade
C. Privacy and Security Concerns a future employer to invest in this commercial field which
provide a more incomes source to the cloud providers.
the very features that make cloud computing perfect
choice for education (the ability to collaborate, ease of Educational institutions are also beginning to use lower
accessing homework files) hosting companies being able to level cloud services for specific purposes such as data
control communication between the institute and the student. storage. This may be interesting where data security is of
Continuous access to student data raises privacy concerns. lower concern such as where video and audio is provided as
SafeGov.org found that 74% of teachers saw threats to open educational resources.
privacy as the top risk, followed by security breaches
(70%)[11]. Another use of cloud computing which is beginning to
emerge in education is for the hosting of institutional
Not only allow companies monitor student data, but the learning management systems (LMSs) in the cloud.
possibility of data mining (extracting user information). Outsourcing the provider of LMSs such as Blackboard that
makes the institutions who cannot justify the costs of
According to SafeGov.org, 81% of teachers would reject
purchasing, maintaining and supporting hardware and
cloud business models that allowed providers to mine data
from emails and documents. software themselves.

Instead of decide against cloud computing, institute could VII. BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING
ensure using privacy protections. Solutions could include FOR INSTITUTIONS AND STUDENTS
cryptography or using multiple cloud providers.
Despite all the benefits that has cloud computing, many
VI. STARTING CLOUD COMPUTING IN EDUCATION educational institutions fight to overcome potential
difficulties. These are mostly related to the fact that not all
Many the necessary application run in the cloud, security risks
associated with the cloud, standards commitment, and the
educational institutions have begun their movement to like[12].
cloud computing by outsourcing their student email
provision. Email is a basic, somehow standardized service, In Tikrit University over recent years provided IT
can be provided easily by third parties, it's not core to the knowledge and services to support the onsite IT team such as
educational mission. Both Google and Microsoft offer email using E-learning technology, online exam, Ibn-Sena center
services for free to the educational sector in many countries for virtual learning, online lectures and virtual science
[11]. library, E-Management and online register for student. The
relationship has seen the successful introduction of
These two companies provide email as a part of larger
virtualized servers and desktops bringing resilience and clear
application which are usually made available to students
Side-by-side with email. operational benefits for staff and student alike. introducing
new curriculum software applications into the classroom is a
Google Applications for Education and Microsoft simple and speedy process. When the teacher sees IT as an
Live@edu contain other communication tools such as instant integral element of teaching
messaging along with contact management and calendar
software. There are also document creation applications
allowing the production of word-processed documents, then the way towards using cloud computing in education
can be led to high knowledgeably of IT and cloud
concept[7].
spreadsheets and presentations as well as the ability to
create websites[11].
It is clear that the mobility and flexibility offered by
These can all be edited collaboratively with other users.
Significant storage space for documents of all types are cloud to enhance learning. In addition to potential cost-
offered to users who can continue to use these once they savings, making it an attractive option for educational
leave the institution. institution. Many teachers and educators has poor knowledge
about “cloud” and what it really means. Below a quick
Her became the question: Why are the services provided review to the benefit of cloud computing and how it
for free to educational institutions? There are a number of enhances the education procedure. it will be clear that there

07
are some major potential benefits to institutions deploying  End user satisfaction 
cloud services[11].
For end users, apart from better availability, there are
 Economies  other clear benefits of cloud services, particularly evident
with the range of new applications being provided. These
The economic is the primary advantage for many contain the latest tools and features from companies such as
institutions. This is particularly clear where services such as Microsoft and Google. Students can use office applications
email are offered for free by external providers. for such for free without having to purchase, install and keep these
services can be deployed or removed, potentially the applications up to date on their computers. Possibilities for
increasingly valuable at a premium in settings such as city collaboration are greatly enhanced. They do not have to
center university campuses. Personnel costs can be cut or worry about backing up or losing data as it should be safely
staff redeployed. The fact that institutions pay per use stored in the cloud - with large storage capacity provided for
instead of often underutilized hardware is appealing. free. Their data is accessible to them from any location or
from a range of devices such as their mobile phone.
 Elasticity 
VIII. RISKS OF CLOUD COMPUTING
A second major benefit is the elastic facet of cloud
computing discussed earlier. This allows institutions to begin Cloud computing is a new paradigm which is threatening
with small-scale services and build them up gradually to some individuals in institutions. It challenges computing
without significant up-front investment. It also allows for service personnel who may fear the consequences of their
rapid escalations in demand at times such as at the start of roles being outsourced. Senior managers may feel
the academic year or during exam periods. There is therefore uncomfortable about transferring the hosting of business data
no need to plan usage levels in advance. and services outside the institution. Thus some risks may be
more to do with perception than reality[11].
 Enhanced availability 
Data security: A major concern is around the security of
A further benefit is that availability may be higher with less data. Institutions may consider that their data is more secure
downtime due to the superior resources and skills available to if it is hosted within the institution. Transferring data to a
cloud providers. Whereas a university computing service third party for hosting in a remote data center, not under the
department may aim to achieve 99.5% availability for its control of the institution and the location of which may not
educational services such as the LMS, Google offers 99.9% be known presents a risk.
availability for its educational application suite and appears to
outperform this target. Students increasingly dependent on Some cloud providers now provide guarantees in their
online services for learning and assessment should be given the contracts that personal data will only be stored in particular
best possible availability. countries. The primary risk here is that there will be a breach
of confidentiality
 Lower environmental impact 
In some countries there are now “green” targets for IX. FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING
reductions in power usage by organizations. Cloud
The lateness development of educational institutions and
computing enables educational institutions to reduce their
their risk averse nature means that they are to be slow to
own electricity consumption and, in theory, cloud providers migrate services to the cloud.
should be able to optimize power usage over a group of
customers. However it is not easy to obtain figures for power As bandwidth increases globally and increasing numbers
usage from cloud providers and it is likely that their power of students have adequate access to the Internet, they will
consumption worldwide is growing significantly. become more comfortable with using rapidly evolving web-
based applications and storing their data online rather than
 Concentration on core business  on their own storage devices which are more likely to be lost
Another claimed advantage of cloud computing is that it or damaged. Demand for cloud applications may therefore be
allows institutions to concentrate on their core business of driven by users rather than by institutions.

education and research. Schools and universities do not The increased use of lower level cloud services in
normally have their own sewage plants and power stations; education such as for data storage seems certain, particularly
for services where security is not the main issue such as for
repositories of learning content. While some universities will
wish to maintain their expertise in hosting computing
resources for research and teaching purposes, this may
similarly it can argued that computing services are
becoming commoditized and are handled better by
organizations with specific expertise and economies of scale.
increase costs which most educational institutions prefer
to do without.

conclussion

07
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over the world, and eventually contribute to equipping

future generations with skills and competencies necessary for
international career advancements.

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