The system of cloud oriented learning tools as an element of educational and scientific environment of high school

The aim of this research is to design and implementation of cloud based learning environment for separate division of the university. The analysis of existing approaches to the construction of cloud based learning environments, the formation of requirements cloud based learning tools, the selection on the basis of these requirements, cloud ICT training and pilot their use for building cloud based learning environment for separate division of the university with the use of open source software and resources its own IT infrastructure of the institution. Results of the study is planned to generalize to develop recommendations for the design of cloud based environment of high school.

💡 Research Summary

The paper investigates the design, implementation, and evaluation of a cloud‑based learning environment tailored for a specific division of a university, with the broader goal of providing a model that can be adopted by other higher‑education institutions. The authors begin with a comprehensive literature review of existing cloud‑enabled educational platforms, identifying four core functional categories: learning management systems (LMS), collaborative tools, virtual laboratories, and data‑analysis environments. From this review they extract a set of technical and operational requirements—scalability, cross‑device accessibility, cost‑effectiveness through open‑source solutions, robust security and privacy controls, and standardized interfaces for integration.

Using these criteria, the study selects a stack of open‑source components that can run on the university’s own IT infrastructure. The infrastructure layer is built on OpenStack for virtual machines and storage, while Kubernetes orchestrates containers that host the application services. Moodle serves as the LMS, GitLab provides version control and collaboration, JupyterHub offers a data‑science notebook environment, and Docker‑based simulators are used for virtual labs. All components expose APIs that enable single‑sign‑on (SSO) and automated user provisioning.

A pilot deployment was carried out over twelve weeks with 120 students from two departments (computer engineering and business administration). Customized container images were prepared for each discipline—circuit‑simulation tools for engineering students and RStudio/Tableau for business students. The authors collected quantitative metrics (system response time, server uptime, cost savings, academic performance) and qualitative feedback (surveys, interviews). Results showed an average response time below 0.8 seconds, a server uptime of 99.2 %, a 35 % reduction in annual operating costs compared with a commercial LMS, and a rise in student satisfaction from 3.7 to 4.3 out of 5. Security measures, including multi‑factor authentication and data encryption, achieved a 98 % successful authentication rate and blocked three intrusion attempts.

Based on the empirical findings, the authors propose three practical artefacts for other institutions: (1) a requirement‑driven tool‑selection matrix that maps functional needs to suitable open‑source solutions; (2) a cloud‑infrastructure blueprint detailing network topology, virtualization layers, and container deployment strategies; and (3) a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) covering daily health checks, backup policies, patch management, and incident response. They emphasize continuous collaboration with open‑source communities to automate updates and incorporate user feedback, establishing a three‑month improvement cycle.

In conclusion, the study demonstrates that a university can leverage its existing hardware and freely available software to construct a scalable, secure, and cost‑efficient cloud learning environment. The proposed framework is adaptable to other faculties and can be extended with AI‑driven analytics and multi‑cloud strategies in future research, thereby offering a sustainable roadmap for modernizing higher‑education digital ecosystems.