When creating a new lab template, there are some common tasks that should be considered at least once after completing the Lab Template Wizard.  These techniques will help make the lab more useful and intuitive to students.

NOTE:  If the template was created by copying another lab template, most of these steps might have already been performed.  In fact, it is often a good idea to create a new Base Image that already incorporates these ideas.  In that manner, you may not need to repeat much of the work when building new templates.

The default lab name for new templates is simply "server".  While this works just fine, seeing a generic name like "server" may be a little confusing for students.  Instead, use Edit Template Resources to rename the template resource to something more meaningful to your students.  

For example, if you are teaching students how to use video editing software you might name it "video-editor-lab".  Keep in mind the template resource name will become a virtual machine name so spaces and most special characters are not allowed.

NOTE:  If a template has already been published, you will have to Unpublish it before making any resource changes.  You can immediately Publish the template again once the desired changes are saved.

Unlike for desktops and laptops, Microsoft's default behavior for servers disables most internet browsing and downloads.  Since all OrasiLabs lab templates run as Amazon AWS server images, these features are disabled in new lab templates.  

To enable internet downloads, open the Windows Server Manager and select Local Server properties to disable the IE Enhanced Security Configuration option for both administrators and users.

For templates based on Microsoft Windows, automatic system updates are disabled, by default.  This avoids any updates automatically being applied during a class and disrupting the student.  Instead, the template creator should run Windows Update from the Windows Settings in the template.  This isn’t something you need to do often, but it’s a good idea to run Windows Update at least once after creating a new template and then once every few months to get incorporate Microsoft security and stability improvements.

By default, the time zone for new templates is set to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).  This might be confusing to students if the lab time zone doesn't match their local time zone.  While it may not be possible to match the local time for all students, it's a good idea to set the time zone in the lab template to the most representative time zone possible.  For Microsoft Windows, use Windows Settings to change the Time and Date property.

If you have basic “key” information that a student might need while using their lab, one option is to use the lab template Custom Data option.  You can add any number of these entries in Edit Template Resources under Data.  Then, students will see these entries listed in Information (“i” button) on the Thumbnail and Expanded views and can quickly click a button to copy the value to the lab clipboard.  

For example, if student's will need your company's URL during the course of the class, you can add a custom data entry for “Our Corporate Website” with the value “http://ourwebsite.com”.  This is just a slightly more elegant alternative to adding a text file with the same information on the template's Desktop, for example.

When creating a new class, here are some common tips you might consider.  These techniques will help the instructor manage the electronic classroom more easily.

Custom notifications can be added to a class during either the Create Class Wizard or through the Edit Class page.  These notifications automatically generate emails to students and/or instructors with a customizable email subject and body.  Using a custom notification is a great way to send automatic reminders for upcoming sessions or automatic thank-you/follow-up messages after a session.  Emails are sent on a schedule relative to the class start and end times (1 hour before class, 1 day after class, etc.) so that participants receive them at the appropriate times.

Although the instructor's Class Delivery page closely resembles the Student Portal, there are subtle differences (in addition to the obvious extra functionality).  Also, custom notifications are often only defined for the students.  So, it is often a good idea to add the instructor a class as a student too.  With this technique, instructors will get the same notifications that a student will get and can verify exactly what the students are seeing in their labs.

When delivering a class, here are some common tips you might consider.  These techniques will help the class to run more smoothly.

It's helpful to make sure students have run the Connection Check prior to attending class.  There are very few instances where a student connection doesn't work, but occasionally a corporate firewall or an outdated browser can cause delays in the classroom.  So, to avoid lost training time, remind students to run the Connection Check from their invitation email prior to class time.

One easy way to do this is to create a scheduled notification (either in the Create Class Wizard or with the Edit Class page) that automatically goes out to students one day before class.  You can also review the Students section of the Edit Class page to see which students have already successfully run the Connection Check (specified by a green checkmark in the Connection Check column).

Once you’ve created the class, another technique is to let your students get familiar with the technology BEFORE class start using something like an “Open House”.  An Open House is a trial class, usually within a week before the actual class starts, where students who’ve never used the tool can login and make sure they understand it.  It familiarizes everyone and helps identify any network issues in advance.

An Open House normally runs for several hours, with each student logging in at their convenience for a 5-10 minute review.  Spacing it out like this keeps the instructor from having too many people to work with at once.  The instructor can stay logged into the class the entire time but would still be free to do other work when there aren’t any students online.

Doing something like this helps avoid wasting valuable class time because the students don’t know how to login.  Also, trying to help 20 students at once not only burns time, but it also means a lot of students are sitting idle while the instructor helps the others one at a time.  So, it’s a simple idea but could save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Another simple technique is to add a few slides with screenshots of the OrasiLabs environment to your class content.  By spending a few minutes up front introducing the OrasiLabs terminology and explaining the important controls (e.g., Start/Pause, Expand/Full Screen, Request Help, Clipboard), you can save a lot of confusion during the class itself.

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