Running a Shared Labs Class

Shared labs allows students to participate in the shared lab environment for Activities like cyber-range, collaborative learning, or role playing.
Shared labs classes have a lab the Class shares, working in it at the same time, and participant labs for the students to access the shared environment lab.

Qualities unique to shared environment labs

Participating in a class using shared labs operates differently than other classes with labs, please read the article to be aware of restricted availability for using the labs, launching of the shared environment lab, set up of access to participant labs, and appropriately saving or cancelling labs.

Lab access limitations

Lab environments in a shared labs class can only be used while the class is in session.

• Lab access is limited to days and times of the scheduled Class Sessions, for example, if class is scheduled Monday through Wednesday from 8:00am – 12:00pm, no labs can be launched until 8:00am or after 12:00pm on class days.

• No post-class lab access is given for classes with shared or participant labs.

The shared environment lab

The shared environment lab is not displayed as a class activity.

• The shared environment lab launch link is only accessible to the instructor.

• By default, the shared environment lab is only launchable by the instructor.

• The shared environment lab’s settings may be set to allow for the shared environment lab to be launched when a student launches their participant lab.

• Instructors may use the disable class activities feature to control when students can launch their participant labs.

Instructor launch of the shared environment lab

When an instructor wishes to launch the shared environment lab:

1. From the Class profile page, select the Monitor Labs link, to open the class's lab monitoring page in another tab.

   

2. Under the class information on the monitor page, select the link beside the rocket icon displaying the shared environment lab's name to give access to the shared environment lab to your students.

   

Student launch of the shared environment lab

A shared environment lab can have a setting enabled allowing students to launch it. When this is enabled, if the shared environment lab is not launched yet, when the first student launches their participant lab then both the participant lab and shared lab are launched. If this setting is enabled, an awareness notice stating "TBD" displays to the instructor on the class page.

As the instructor, you can control when students have access to launch their activities through the disable class activities feature. This feature must be enabled on the Course to be available in a class. When used the class activity has a View Activity Access link, which allows you to see, add, and remove students who can access the activity. Activity access automatically resets for students in approximately 30 seconds.

Student labs

Participant labs are in the class for students to access the shared environment lab. There may be one or more participant labs depending on the course objectives.

• Participant lab(s) are consumed by students.

• Instructors teaching a class with multiple participant labs can assign each student access to a lab(s).

Participant labs are launched by students by selecting the activity's Launch button. Opening the participant lab gives students access to the shared lab environment when it is running.

Having multiple participant labs available to all students may lead to mishaps if a student(s) launches the wrong lab. You have the ability to assign each student to the participant lab they should use and prevent students from seeing the labs they should not access. Using the assign access to class activities feature, each activity enabled for assignment will only be seen and accessed by students assigned to it. This feature must be enabled on the course to be available in a class. When used the class activity display a link is disabled and displays a message stating the activity is disabled by the instructor. Access is disabled by unchecking the Enabled checkbox on a class activity and re-enabled by checking it again; activity access automatically resets for students in approximately 30 seconds.

Saving and Closing Labs

Shared environment labs and participant labs can be saved and closed as normal to preserve work or complete a lab. Shared lab networks are still available, even when a share environment or participant has saved their Lab.

Cancelling Labs

Work in a lab is lost when a lab is cancelled.

• A Participant can reset their participant machine(s) by using the lab menu to choose Exit Lab and then select End Lab in the lab window. Cancelling a participant lab does not affect any other participant labs or the shared environment lab.

• If the instructor exits the shared environment lab by cancelling it, it also cancels all the labs in the shared environment, including the participant lab instances.