How-To Choose Hardware For E-Learning

Computer hardware and networks are the foundation of e-learning. They provide the infrastructure on which software and content depend.

Hardware and networks are the most difficult aspects of technology to change once they
are in place.

They may be under the control of learners or your own information technology department.

Yet it is important for you to understand the potential and limitations of hardware and networks when you have to choose hardware for e-learning

You must speak the vocabulary to deal with those who control these technologies and to
understand their concerns about e-learning.

Sometimes you have no choice over what hardware and network you or your learners use
for e-learning.

If you are selling e-learning packages to a wide market, you may have no choice but to design the packages to run on the hardware and networks learners already have - or limit your market to those who have hardware and networks meeting your requirements.

There are, however, some cases where you can influence the hardware and networks used to access or create e-learning.

Creating, hosting, and accessing e-learning requires vast amounts of software.

That software runs on hardware.

The processor is the most important component of the computer.

Every instruction given, either by an application or the operating system, is processed by the processor.

Within a processor family (Intel and AMD, for instance) faster is better.

Processor speed is especially important in tasks that involve intricate calculations.

Recalculating enormous spreadsheets, editing large scanned graphics, or transforming digital video sequences are all tasks that tax even fast processors.

However, unless e-learners are viewing lots of animation and video or navigating
virtual-reality worlds, processor speed is seldom the crucial factor.

More often, performance is limited by network speed.

Multimedia developers, however, may need a very fast processor for creating and editing multimedia, especially digital video.

Although faster is better, faster is also much more expensive.

A top-speed processor may cost 10 times as much as a processor of half that speed.

While you do not want your computer to become obsolete too soon, you also do not want to pay too much for it.

If learners will be viewing lots of rich media, such as video or three-dimensional, virtual-reality worlds, you need to consider the latest-generation processor at about 80% of the top available speed.

Authors of e-learning need more powerful workstations, especially if they create multimedia or editing video.

As a rule, get the latest-generation model that is 80% of the top available speed.

Also, check the required processor speed for the operating system and all the authoring programs producers will be using.

Make sure the processor is at least twice the minimum required speed.

Increasing the amount of memory is probably the most performance-enhancing upgrade you can perform. When you purchase a computer it comes with memory.

Adding more storage space to a computer can certainly extend its usefulness.

Computers with larger cases usually have multiple bays where you can add an additional hard drive, optical drive, etc.

For those taking e-learning, make sure there is enough disk space for all their programs and data-beyond the space required for the operating system and other purposes.

Do the math. Add up the disk-space requirements of all the programs that will be installed on the computer.

Reserve space for work files and personal data the learner will store on the system.

Then, include the browsers, viewers, and players needed to view e-learning.

Finally, add some extra disk space to cache the last 100 pages the learner viewed with their browser.

Other factors in picking hardware for e-learning

When specifying computer hardware, you need to consider factors beyond technical
capabilities.

These factors include warranty, support, service, and upgrade-ability.

The needs of server machines to host e-learning are different from the needs of computers for authoring and accessing e-learning.

The purchase of server machines is a strategic decision best made with ample involvement by IT specialists.

Once you have made your software decisions, you can discuss hardware requirements with your organization's IT staff or hardware vendor.

No doubt they will want to know the answers to the following questions, which can guide
your discussions on what server hardware to purchase.

How much content must you host? What is the number and sizes of files to reside on your server?

What file formats must you serve? Are most of your files text and simple graphics?

Or, do you need to deliver video and audio as well?

What will be the rate of access? What load will e-learning impose on the server? At what rate will learners request files from the server?

How will your requirements grow? What will be your needs next year and the one after that?

Will the server need to run programs, such as Perl scripts, Active Server Pages, or Java-Server Pages?

Do you have special reliability concerns? What would be the consequences if a server drops out in the middle of a final exam?

These are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing hardware for e-learning.




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