Cloud Based Environment for Higher Education Institution in Developing Countries

Current modern technologies are playing a key role in the development of the higher education sector by providing multiple modes of learning delivery, collaboration and communication. Cloud computing is an emerging paradigm that plays an important role and has major impacts on higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries. It enables users to access diverse software applications, share data, collaborate more easily, and keep their data safely in the infrastructure. Despite the intensive use of cloud computing, limited research has been conducted regarding the use of cloud-based environments by HEIs in developing countries. The purpose of this work is, first, to provide a coherent understanding of cloud computing models used in HEIs. We distinguish the various opportunities and challenges emerging from using different cloud computing services. Second, we propose a cloud based-environment where several cloud services and deployment models are orchestrated in order to create a coherent environment containing the necessary tools. This environment puts into practice several expertise fields and deepens the knowledge of both students and instructors. In addition, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed environment through the experience and findings of a Tunisian School of Engineering, where our cloud-based environment is implemented. This school is a private higher education institution founded in 2003, it employs around 500 people and hosts more than 8,000 students. Finally, findings from this study will helps academics, instructors, and researchers understand the potential of using cloud computing environments from an engineering school's perspective.