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Using Cloud Computing for E-learning Systems

PAUL POCATILU, FELICIAN ALECU, MARIUS VETRICI
Economic Informatics Department
Academy of Economic Studies
6 Piata Romana, Secot 1, Bucharest
ROMANIA
ppaul@ase.ro, alecu.felician@ie.ase.ro, mariusvetrici@softmentor.ro

Abstract: - Cloud computing is growing rapidly, with applications in almost any area, including education. 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 positive impact of using
cloud computing architectures upon e-learning solutions development. It focuses on the benefits of cloud computing for
e-learning solutions and the e-learning project management challenges when this architecture is used.

Key-Words: - Cloud computing, E-learning, Mobile learning, Project management

1 Introduction unique access point for all the requests coming from the
During the last years, the nature of the Internet was world wide spread clients (see figure 1).
constantly changing from a place used to read web pages Cloud computing comprises of three layers [5]:
to an environment that allows end-users to run software
infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
applications. Interactivity and collaboration have become
platform as a service (PaaS)
the keywords of the new web content.
software as a service (SaaS)
There is no doubt the future belongs to the Web 3.0 Depending on the requirements, the customers can
(also called the intelligent Web) [1]. This new choose one or more services provided.
environment supports the creation of a new generation of
applications that are able to run on a wide range of
hardware devices, like mobile phones or PDAs, while
storing their data inside the cloud.
The need for education is increasing constantly and
the development and the improvement of the e-learning
solutions is necessary.
Also, the e-learning systems need to keep the pace
with the technology, so the new direction is to use cloud
computing.
There are several cloud computing services providers
that offer support for educational systems. Among them
are Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft etc.
In [2] are presented the main advantages of using
cloud computing in schools.
The following sections focus on cloud computing
concepts and the benefits of cloud computing for e-
learning solutions. Also, the impact on e-learning
solutions based on cloud computing project management
is analyzed. This is very important for the development
of e-learning solutions based on cloud computing.

2 Cloud Computing
The cloud computing term was derived from the way the
Internet is often represented in network diagrams. Due to Fig. 1 Cloud computing
the fact it involves the existence of data centers that are
able to provide services, the cloud can be seen as a Hardware devices (such as regular PCs, notebooks,
mobile phones, PDAs or any other similar equipments)

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or software applications (like web browsers, for example
devices with minimal hardware requirements
Google Chrome) can successfully play the role of a (mobile phones, for example) could be
cloud client (see figure 2). The customers are renting or successfully used as cloud clients;
simply accessing the needed processing capacity from
in order to become part of the cloud, there is no
the data center using the above mentioned client need to download or install a specific software,
applications. The quality of the service becomes a only the Internet connection is required;
crucial factor of the cloud computing success.
the cost of licensing different software packages
is moved to the data center level, so there is no
need to upgrade the local system when new
service packs or patches are released;

crash recovery is nearly unneeded. If the client
computer crashes, there are almost no data lost
because everything is stored into the cloud.
Some of the main cloud computing disadvantages are
the following:

the Internet connection speed may affect the
overall performances;

on a long term basis, the data center subscription
fee may be more expensive than buying the
hardware;

the service quality is crucial and the need of the
backups is critical when speaking about data
security.
The major players in the field of cloud computing are
Fig. 2 Cloud computing clients Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo and some legacy
hardware vendors like IBM and Intel. Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is by no means different from grid applications are mainly intended to help companies and
computing. The later tries to create a virtual processor by individuals to stretch resources and work smarter by
joining together a cluster of computers. The aim of a grid moving everything to the cloud.
computing architecture is to solve large tasks by using One of the biggest promoters of the cloud computing
the advantage of concurrency and parallelism, while the is Google that already owns a massive computer
cloud is focused on collaboration. infrastructure (the cloud) where millions of people are
Cloud computing becomes very popular because it connecting to. Today, the Google cloud can be accessed
moves the processing efforts from the local devices to by Google Apps [6] intended to be software as a service
the data center facilities. Therefore, any device, like an suite dedicated to information sharing and security.
Internet connected phone, could be able to solve Google Apps covers the following three main areas:
complex equations by simply passing the specific messaging (Gmail, Calendar and Google Talk),
arguments to a service running at the data center level collaboration (Google Docs, Video and Sites) and
that will be capable to give back the results in a very security (email security, encryption and archiving).
short time. In these conditions, the security of data and Microsoft is developing a new Windows platform,
applications becomes a very major issue. called Windows Azure, which will be able to run cloud
Cloud computing is widely accepted today due to its based applications [7].
key advantages: In 2006, Amazon extended its AWS (Amazon Web

the cost is low or even free in some cases. Also, Services) suite with a new component called Amazon
there are no costs (or very small ones) for Elastic Compute Cloud (or EC2), that allows to the users
hardware upgrades; to rent from Amazon processing power to be used to run

for some applications (like spreadsheets) it can their own applications [8]. The EC2 users rent out from
be used even in the offline mode, so when the Amazon virtual machines that can be accessed remotely.
client goes back online a synchronization The cloud is an elastic one just because the user can
process is refreshing the data; start, stop and create the virtual machines through the

the strong connection that exists today between web service. There are three predefines sizes for the
the users and their personal computers can be virtual machines that can be rented: small, medium and
completely broken because a customer can reach large, depending on the physical hardware performances.
the same result by using any Internet connected
device having minimum software requirements;

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3 Cloud Computing Benefits for E- desktop computer. The client application can be a simple
web browser or a dedicated application.
learning Solutions Even with the current hardware and software
limitations, mobile devices are supporting multimedia
Many education institutions do not have the resources
based applications. Compared with desktop
and infrastructure needed to run top e-learning solution.
applications, nowadays mobile applications, especially
This is why Blackboard and Moodle, the biggest players
multimedia-based applications, have serious limitations
in the field of e-learning software, have now versions of
due the processing power and memory constraints. Due
the base applications that are cloud oriented.
the fact that the data processing is on the server side, the
E-learning is widely used today on different
use of mobile devices for learning is growing fast. Still,
educational levels: continuous education, company
the mobile applications need to be optimized to be used
trainings, academic courses, etc.
for e-learning. In [3] and [17] the m-learning
There are various e-learning solutions from open
applications characteristics were analyzed.
source to commercial. There are at least two entities
The e-learning server will use cloud computing, so
involved in an e-learning system: the students and the
all the required resources will be adjusted as needed.
trainers.
E-learning systems can use benefit from cloud
The students:
computing using:

Take online course

Infrastructure: use an e-learning solution on the

Take exams
provider's infrastructure

Send feedback

Platform: use and develop an e-learning solution

Send homework, projects
based on the provider's development interface
The trainers:

Services: use the e-learning solution given by

Deal with content management
the provider.

Prepare tests
A very big concern is related to the data security

Assess tests, homework, projects taken by
because both the software and the data are located on
students
remote servers that can crash or disappear without any

Send feedback
additional warnings.

Communicate with students (forums)
Even if it seems not very reasonable, the cloud
Usually, e-learning systems are developed as
computing provides some major security benefits for
distributed applications, but this is not necessary so. The
individuals and companies that are using/developing e-
architecture of a distributed e-learning system includes
learning solutions, like the following:
software components, like the client application, an

improved improbability – it is almost impossible
application server and a database server (see figure 3)
for any interested person (thief) to determine
and the necessary hardware components (client
where is located the machine that stores some
computer, communication infrastructure and servers).
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 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
Fig. 3 E-learning system belonging to a university, for example. Also, the
security changes can be easily tested and
The client hardware could be a mobile device or a implemented since the cloud represents a unique

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entry point for all the clients. management comprises of the following process groups
Another important benefit is related to costs. If the e- (see figure 4):
learning services are used for a relative short time
Project initiation
(several weeks, a quarter, a semester), the savings are
Project planning
very important.
Project execution

Project monitoring and controlling

Project closing
4 Project Management Challenges Subsequent sections of this article will go into great
This section deals with the impact of employing cloud details of the project management process groups.
computing architectures in the field of e-learning
software systems development. We analyze the 4.2.1 Project initiation process group
individual influence of the cloud computing model The initiation of an e-learning system development
characteristics on the project development process. project using cloud computing architecture comprises of
developing the project charter and the development of
the preliminary project scope statement.
The project charter represents the document that
4.1 Definitions formally authorizes the development project and endows
A project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create
project manager with the authority to employ
a unique product, service, or result” [10]. In [11] we find
organizational resources to project activities.
that “a software development project is a temporary
Preliminary project scope statement defines what
endeavour undertaken to create a unique piece of
needs to be accomplished, i.e. the functional
software.” Considering the two former definitions, we
specifications of the future e-learning system.
state that a cloud computing based development project
is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique
4.2.2 Project planning process group
system (both hardware and software) that will be
The very nature of a cloud computing business model
running on a cloud computing architecture. High quality
and of its technical architecture makes the planning of a
cloud computing based development projects deliver the
cloud computing based project different than any other
required product within scope, on time and within
IT development project. Considering the cloud
budget. It is the project manager’s duty to skilfully
computing infrastructure will be rented from the service
balance the competing demands for project quality,
provider, the project manager’s focus moves from
project duration and cost of resources in order to be able
choosing the right technology to choosing the right
to deliver the system as planned.
vendor. Instead of concentrating on the computing
power of the architecture and the costs of scaling up the
e-learning system, the project manager will be looking at
4.2 Project management for cloud computing such parameters as service availability, data security,
system development backup and contingency plans the cloud computing
At the top level view, cloud computing based vendor offers, etc.
development of e-learning systems follows the same The more business oriented and less technical nature
pattern as any other software development project. of the cloud computing based project activities can be
immediately observed in the project scope planning,
project work breakdown structure, activity identification
and sequencing, activity duration estimation and
schedule development. This is because the service
provider takes on this initial burden and then offers on-
demand virtualized processing power. For project
activity duration estimation, one or several of the
described techniques [12], [13] can be successfully
employed.
Cost estimation and cost budgeting project processes
are highly biased because of the cloud computing
architecture. The service supplier absorbs up-front costs
Fig. 4 Cloud computing project management process and spreads the costs over a longer period and over
groups several cloud computing customers. Thus, the initial
capital expenditure of the project is converted to ongoing
Namely, cloud computing development project operational expenditure of the e-leaning system

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maintenance. Table 1 shows the average fees for cloud and/or security certifications.
computing services.
Data location, does the provider allow for any
Google App Engine includes a free quota. After this control over the location of data.
quota is exceeded, the rates from table 1 apply [14].
Data segregation means making sure that data
Amazon EC2 services are charged based on the encryption is available at all stages. Also this
required resources (small, medium or large) [4]. implies making sure that the encryption schemes
Microsoft Azzure services are not yet commercially are designed and tested by experienced
available [6]. professionals.

Recovery, means discussing what happens to
Table 1 Average fees for cloud computing services data in the case of a disaster, and whether the
Provider Average Average Average vendor offers complete restoration. If so, how
CPU cost bandwidth storage cost long does that process will take.
(per hour) cost (per (per
Investigative support means making sure that the
GB/month) GB/month) vendor has the ability to investigate any
Amazon 0.11$ 0.12 0.15$ inappropriate or illegal activity.
Google 0.10$ 0.11$ 0.15$
Long-term viability, what happens to data if the
Microsoft 0.12$ 0.125$ 0.15$ company goes out of business. Also this implies
making sure that the date will be returned in an
Using cloud computing instead of investments in appropriate format.
datacenters (hardware and software licenses) will result
Data availability means asking what are the
in a shift from capital expenditure (CapEx) to procedures of moving the data onto a different
operational expenditure (OpEx). environment, should the vendor decide to do
Quality planning project process involves creating that.
test plans for the future e-learning system. The tests
should take into consideration both intrinsic system 4.2.3 Project execution process group
features and performance testing on the cloud computing Executing the project means directing and managing the
architecture. project development and performing ongoing quality
Human resource planning entails allocating both assurance. For a successful cloud computing based e-
legacy software development personnel and cloud learning system to be developed, legacy software
computing engineers that are aware of the peculiarities development techniques can be successfully employed.
of these platforms. That is source control software, build scripts for building
Communications planning means deciding what the deployment package and automated tests for
project processes and tools will be used for timely and regression testing. Project criticality analysis techniques
appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage [16] can be easily employed in order to enhance the
and retrieval of project information. More exactly, this project development quality.
means setting up the reports that have to be generated,
their content and frequency. Also, this implies setting up 4.2.4 Project monitoring and controlling process
a bug tracking system for recording all the issues that group
arise during e-learning system development. The monitoring and controlling processes are performed
Risk management planning project processes need during the entire project lifecycle in order to take
special attention when working with cloud computing preventive and corrective actions so as to meet the
infrastructure. It is true that the cloud computing established project performance goals. Continuous
maintenance burden resides solely within the monitoring gives the project management team insights
responsibilities of the provider. Even though there are regarding project health and identifies any areas that
service level agreement items in the contract with the might need special attention.
vendor, still Gartner analysts advices us [15] to discuss The cloud computing based e-learning systems are no
the following items with our future cloud computing different than other software development projects. More
vendor: exactly, monitoring and controlling processes are

Privileged user access, means asking who has concerned with:
specialized access to data and what are the
Assessing project current performance.
procedures regarding hiring and management of
Comparing planned and actual project
such administrators. performance.

Regulatory compliance, means asking whether
Analyzing, tracking and monitoring identified
the vendor is willing to undergo external audits project risks.

Provide accurate information regarding project

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status report. Computers in Business and Economics (MCBE'09),

Provide updated project costs and schedule Prague, Czech Republic, March 23-25, 2009, ISSN:
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and performing the acceptance and delivery of the final Communications of the ACM, vol. 52, no. 8, august
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