Students learn by virtual server lab

Stevenson College in Edinburgh has become the first establishment in Europe to adopt Microsoft’s Virtual Server Lab.

The system allows 13,000 students to achieve Microsoft-certified qualifications away from the constraints of the college.

Michael Smith, programme leader for the college’s computer networking courses, says in the past students were tied to a single set of equipment in the college’s computer labs.

‘If students missed a class it was really difficult for them to catch up because they had to be able to get into one of our computer labs and have direct access to our network to complete their tasks,’ he said.

The virtual server lab allows students to work off campus and access the college’s systems from any internet-linked PC, giving them more time to complete tasks.

The college hopes the system will make working towards Microsoft-related qualifications easier and cheaper for students, says Iain Milne, head of Stevenson’s business and computing faculty.