Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Community Colleges Pilot Virtual Labs as a Service

student working on laptop

Three community colleges in California's Inland Empire/Desert region are rolling out virtual, cloud-based labs to give students any time, anywhere access to the computing tools they need to hone job-ready skills, all in one place. The pilot program is aligned with the goals and metrics of the Strong Workforce Program, an initiative out of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office aimed at increasing enrollment and completion as well as exposing underserved students to career opportunities throughout the region.

The colleges partnered with Practice Labs to implement its virtual lab platform as a service. Rather than being constrained to a physical lab on campus or limited virtual lab appliance at their college, students will be able to access a virtual lab environment and gain hands-on experience with real-world tech tools from anywhere with an internet connection. The service includes 24/7 help desk support for both faculty and students.

The virtual labs will be used for courses in subjects such as information technology, cybersecurity, software development, business office technology and more. Planning, design, vendor selection and implementation for the project are being coordinated by SynED, a nonprofit organization focused on the development of "new models of curriculum, industry alliance, service and delivery." While the initial pilot is limited to three colleges, more colleges are expected to join in the coming year.

"Our region is committed to serving local business by preparing the 21st-century workforce needed to support economic growth," said Melody Graveen, dean of instruction, career and technical education at Moreno Valley College, in a statement. "We are excited to participate in regional projects of this type that are designed to support equitable access to high-quality educational pathways and resources for our students.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Digital cyberspace with particles and Digital data

    Report: AI Is Moving Faster than Data Trust

    AI agents are already in use or pilot at most organizations, but data visibility, governance and precision recovery capabilities have not kept pace, according to Veeam's new Data & AI Trust Gap report.

  • Glowing route lines merging into single gold pathway

    Microsoft Merges Copilot Apps Into a Single User Experience

    Microsoft recently announced it is consolidating its consumer Copilot app and Microsoft 365 Copilot app into a single destination, addressing a fragmented product strategy that has required users to navigate separate applications for AI chat and productivity tools.

  • CIS Sandbox Tutor Eli Blouin at Bentley University imagines a future technology learning partner that supports curiosity, critical thinking, feedback, and personalized learning.

    Student Voices: Technology as a Future Learning Partner

    A data analytics and marketing major at Bentley University and a distinguished lecturer at the university explore the future of "technology learning partners" — technologies that participate in the learning process by asking questions and giving feedback, not just information search results.

  • Silhouettes of business professionals stand against a blurred futuristic city skyline at night, with a glowing digital network data connection

    It's Time for Higher Ed to Get Serious About AI Strategy

    Without a coordinated strategy that involves multiple academic and administrative units across the entire campus, colleges risk wasting resources, duplicating efforts, and ultimately failing to deliver on the promise of deploying technology to improve learning and operations.