With the transition to online classes, trying to maintain a similar learning environment from the classroom to the computer can be difficult, but this especially holds true for programs that depend upon being on campus to complete work. Students in 3D Animation, Digital Visual Effects, and Game Development require the use of the high-end labs on campus in order to effectively create and export their work, something they are now unable to access due to the campus closure. Rob Hart, one of the IT technicians at the Story Arts Centre, says, “The courses require highly specialized software such as Maya, Substance Painter and Nuke, to name a few. The software requires specialized, powerful PC workstations with a lot of processing power, memory and powerful video cards.”
When it was announced that classes would be moved online and the campus would be closed, ensuring these students would be able to finish their semester at home while still being able to create and design effectively, was a top priority. Rob says, “When the quarantine first occurred, we quickly mobilized to make these labs available to students at a distance. We first tried setting up the PCs for access using Microsoft Remote Desktop (RDP). This worked for some of the applications, but some essential applications won’t run over RDP due to Open GL video requirements.”
As a result, TeamViewer software was considered, seeing as how it is used outside of the lab and in the classroom by instructors to share their screens with students. Gillian Edwards, Manager of Media and Technology Facilities on campus, says that TeamViewer would “allow students direct access to their desktop so that they’ll be able to have the experience at home.” Thankfully, Rob tested it out remotely, and it worked with all of the applications! Rob adds, “Over a few days, I logged into every computer in the labs remotely and configured them for remote TeamViewer access. We created computer groups for each lab and created TeamViewer accounts for over 100 students and staff. Then I added the students and staff to our main Centennial TeamViewer account. I’ve been corresponding with students and staff the last few weeks and getting them hooked up and the bugs worked out.”
Having access to this software from home is a huge step forward in virtual learning. Rob says, “We have students from all over the world, some have gone home during this time and they are continuing to work remotely. Once this is over and students once again have physical access to the labs, the remote access will still be of great benefit. Instead of sitting in the labs at all hours, starting a render at 2 am, for example, they can be logging in from home on their laptop, to access these computers. Then they can come in for classroom instruction time. Also, if the labs don’t open in May, international students can begin the new semester safely from home, anywhere in the world, without having to return to Canada. We believe constant and ongoing remote access will be highly beneficial to these students even after the physical labs are open again.”
Gillian also believes moving forward that this will reach more students. She says, “A year ago the college invested a lot of money in those labs and we purchased brand new computers and Cintiq tablets. Now, with this new investment and the ability to virtualize these labs, students can access it from outside the college, which is a great advantage for our students and faculty.” Gillian says that having this in place drastically increases opportunities for students. “We attract students from around the world for these programs, and in a pandemic situation, where maybe certain countries will open up and others won’t, this software will allow students to access these computers to do their work.”
This entire process brings many exciting opportunities for students and will provide a range of new possibilities that we can’t wait for our talented students to take advantage of.
By: Alexandra Few, Communications - Professional Writing Student