As you know, I am a big fan of the Virtual Classroom since it saves us time, energy and money. It also keeps us out of the airports and off the roads. It’s a big part of education for the future. It’s very green. So what is Microsoft doing in this area? Let’s look at their Virtual Labs.
Recently, I tested out the TechNet Virtual Lab for PerformancePoint Server 2007. It was easy to register and only took a couple minutes to setup the lab environment through a browser. The objectives were clearly stated at the beginning: Create a Scorecard, Create a Dashboard, Publish Content etc. The lab manual could be downloaded in PDF format or interactively viewed in a sidebar next to the lab window. Very nice to have the choice. Both are electronic versions that save trees. I could have chosen to download the PDF and open it on a second monitor. However, the sidebar was fine since you could follow instructions with your eyes focused on one display. Screen shots were embedded as thumbnails within the instructions so if you needed them they were a click away. That’s a nice compromise so the sidebar can remain slim and in view.
The lab machine is actually a virtual machine running on a remote server much like we run our own remote labs environment. All thin client architecture. The lab VM is displayed within a browser-based portal named the Microsoft Virtual Labs Console. The guest OS is Windows Server 2003 R2 EE SP2 running with 1GB RAM. The VM behaves as a regular Windows machine with a little bit of minor “latency” in the form of screen refreshes but this is dependent on your internet bandwidth. Windows features like mouse-overs and info-tips work as they should so it’s a good experience. The instructions are brief and accurate so again, it guides you through a good learning experience. From time to time there is a more detailed explanation of what is being achieved to supplement the instructions.
In general, there is a useful place for this type of asynchronous self-paced e-learning. The Virtual Lab technology complements the synchronous instructor-led Virtual Classroom that I am involved in. Both technologies have their strengths and both offer green benefits.
There is also Virtual Lab Chat where you can chat with other people doing similar labs, a nice touch. Yes, you can block users if someone gets annoying. You are given 90 minutes to do the lab but I was able to complete in less time. I could also re-register and try again anytime. At the end of the lab you are encouraged to take the Virtual Labs Satisfaction Survey.
“OVERALL, how satisfied were you with this event?”
“a) Very satisfied”
Cheers
Brian
