Update 9 from ucisa - additional Microsoft webinars and update from AWS

27 March 2020 - Update 9 from ucisa - additional Microsoft webinars and update from AWS

Additional Microsoft Webinars

The webinars that Microsoft have been offering have proved so popular with our members that Microsoft have added two more to the series. Members asked for “hands on” sessions and so Microsoft are offering sessions focussing on the role that OneNote (webinar 1) and Video (webinar 2) can play in successfully delivering remote learning. Both will be delivered by practicing lecturers – using live and real-world examples and scenarios. They hope that these will be particularly useful to all those getting their heads around remote learning for the first time.

The OneNote webinar is on the 30th March at 4.00 pm with Esam Baboukhan, from City of Westminster College, and Elaine Topham, from the Grimsby Institute – along with Mike Tholfsen from the Microsoft Global team in Redmond
Register via: aka.ms/OneNoteWebinar

The Video Webinar is on 6th April at 4.00 pm with Elaine Topham, from the Grimsby Institute and Esam Baboukhan from the City of Westminster College. This webinar will be introduced by Ignacio Davila, from Microsoft’s global team in Redmon.
Register via: aka.ms/StreamWebinar

Update from Amazon Web Services (AWS) re:support for UK universities during this time

As part of our response to the current situation, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is providing funding and tools to support research, remote learning, and teaching. This includes providing institutions around the world with technical support and AWS Promotional Credit to help quickly deploy or extend remote learning and working into the home. 

AWS has recently updated its Remote Work and Learning page with information and offers to help with adjustment to remote working and delivery of course content, including some of the following services:

  • Amazon WorkSpaces lets you launch virtual Windows and Linux desktops that can be accessed anywhere and from any device for remote work, remote training, and more. Beginning April 1st, we are offering Amazon WorkSpaces for up to 50 users at no charge for new WorkSpaces customers, offer available through Amazon Web Services (AWS) support for UK universities during the COVID-19 outbreak
  • As part of our response to COVID-19, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is providing funding and tools to support research, remote learning, and teaching. This includes providing institutions around the world with technical support and AWS Promotional Credit to help quickly deploy or extend remote learning and working into the home.
  • Amazon AppStream lets you deliver desktop applications to any computer at scale, including educational apps and those requiring GPUs for computation or 3D rendering. As part of the AWS Free Tier, you can use Amazon AppStream 2.0 free for 40 hours per month of the stream.standard.large instance type when using Image Builder.
  • AWS Client VPN lets you set up secure connections to your AWS and on-premises networks from anywhere. You can give your employees, students, or researchers the ability to “dial in” to your existing network.
  • Read more here about the work AWS is doing to address the global challenges that educational institutions, educators, students, and parents face.
  • For research institutions the AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative (DDI) provides support for innovation in rapid and accurate patient testing, and other diagnostic solutions to mitigate future outbreaks. AWS is committing $20 million over the next year to accelerate research, innovation, and development to speed our collective understanding and detection of the disease. Funding will be provided through a combination of AWS in-kind credits and technical support to assist accredited research institutions harness the cloud to tackle this challenge.

Additional information and resources: