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The computer science department at Saint Paul College in Minnesota offers a range of programs in the technology field. Programming students, who learn the Java programming language running on the OpenSolaris Operating System, are also learning about the significance of open-source computing. "The goal with our programming students is to help them achieve certification as Java programmers so they can go out and get jobs," says Warren Shaeffer, chairman of the computer science department at Saint Paul College.

The computer science department has full-time students and part-time students, some of whom attend class remotely. "Our challenge was to find a consistent teaching platform that would accommodate a geographically dispersed student body," says Shaeffer. The department wanted students to have access to the computer resources they needed anytime, anywhere, from any computer. A traditional PC-based computer lab couldn't provide that, and the cost to equip and maintain it was prohibitive. "On average, computer hardware and software need to be replaced every two and a half years. When you need 100 seats in a lab, the hardware and software licensing costs make that kind of solution completely out of reach for us," says Shaeffer. "And we just couldn't maintain all of those systems; it's too complex and time consuming."

The college chose a thin client model with Sun Ray 1 and Sun Ray 2 virtual display clients for its 100-seat computer lab. All applications reside on a Sun SPARC Enterprise T2000 server, which runs the Sun Java Desktop System as the primary teaching platform. Students access all applications, for example, NetBeans, an integrated development environment for Java, and other computer resources from Sun Ray thin clients using a smart card and a password. All of their work is stored on the server, and all assignments are turned in online. When working from home, students use Sun Secure Global Desktop Software to access their personal files and a variety of lab operating environments (Windows, Solaris, or Linux, for example) from a simple Web browser. This highly secure solution ensures data integrity and expands the range of client devices to nearly any kind of desktop or laptop computer. It gives students the flexibility to work outside the lab whenever and wherever it is convenient for them, and they can access both Windows and Solaris or Unix operating environments from their client devices.

Saint Paul College and the computer science department began using Sun Ray 1 display clients ten years ago because they were affordable and reliable. After ten years, they still work as reliably as ever with the latest software updates. "In a traditional PC computer lab, the IT department is doing well if 19 out of 25 computers are working. With the Sun Ray 1 and Sun Ray 2 clients, that isn't the case. We have 100% of them working all the time," says Shaeffer. "The Sun Ray thin client solution costs about a third of what it would cost for hardware, software, and maintenance of a PC lab. Add to that the savings in power and cooling costs with Sun, because power consumption for the Sun Ray thin clients is 95% less than a PC."

Recently, the computer science department launched an ambitious project that Shaeffer describes as "mixed immersive reality teaching and learning" using Sun's Project Wonderland, a Java and open-source toolkit for creating collaborative 3D virtual worlds. Within those worlds, users can communicate with audio and share live desktop applications and documents. The computer science department is also integrating streaming video from the classroom. Students, represented by avatars, can attend class from anywhere. "We're challenging the whole notion of concrete, sequential learning by offering a rich learning environment that allows students to communicate with remote learners and experiment in virtual worlds," says Shaeffer.

Another innovation that Sun has helped make possible is the college's textbook-free curriculum. "Using Sun's thin client approach to distributing software and content, we will be able to displace the textbook," says Shaeffer, who adds that all students have laptop or netbook computers. "We estimate that this approach will save students between 20% and 25% of their total cost of education."

Saint Paul College uses OpenSolaris as a teaching platform. It integrates OpenSolaris with a UNIX distribution, such as Ubuntu, to deliver a platform that is based on Open Source solutions. Currently the school offers a course titled Linux Systems Administration, as an introduction to Linux. Beginning in the Fall of 2009, the course will be converted OpenSolaris as the primary operating system.

Shaeffer sums up the value that Sun's open-source solutions have brought to Saint Paul College and to education as a whole. "Sun's commitment to open source has done wonders for education," says Shaeffer. "By making these open-source tools available, Sun has made the opportunity to learn available. That's not insignificant in my view, and that's one reason I am such a fan of Sun."

 
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