Abstract:

As internet speeds become more reliable, consumers are using cloud computer virtualization more than ever to gain access to powerful hardware from anywhere. This also creates new possibilities for educators and educational institutions to leverage high end computing hardware in a scalable and cost-efficient way.

This study will consider how the technology can be used for digital media production in education and whether latency limitations make a significant difference. The services used for testing were Paperspace and Parsec. Some latency tests were conducted using NVidia's Reflex Monitor, while others were done using a high-speed camera.

In these tests we found that when virtualizing a computer outside of the Philadelphia area, an average of about 66ms of added latency was present. Strong wired connections were used by both the client and host computer. When connecting overseas an average of about 400ms of latency was added. In this scenario the host had a strong wired connection while the client had an average Wi-Fi connection.

Finally, when virtualizing a computer on the same network within Drexel University, one using Wi-Fi and the other using a wired connection, there was an added latency of about 20ms. All the results varied depending on which service was used as well as how strong the internet connection was at the time. The greater the average latency, the greater the range in results.

These results show that virtualization does not necessarily lead to extreme latency, especially when connecting to a server on the same network as the client. While connecting overseas comes with obvious limitations, the average latency was still useable. The virtualization setup remained a viable solution for anyone without access to a high-power workstation. This also proves that online courses which require access to high end computing can be offered without the need for students to purchase expensive equipment.

In conclusion, virtualization options available today provide a substantial amount of flexibility to administrators, faculty, and students. Those who would have previously needed to work in an in-person lab can connect remotely and work from anywhere. They can do this with the same power they would have on a workstation or even more. This can be used to create a computing infrastructure for online or remote students that is both highly scalable as well as cost efficient.

Keywords:

Digital Media, Educational Technology, IT Infrastructure, Online Education.