Resource Review #7 Above-Campus Services: Shaping the Promise of Cloud Computing for Higher Education

Wheeler, Brad and Waggener, Shelton. "Above-Campus Services: Shaping the Promise of Cloud Computing for Higher Education". EDUCAUSE Review, 44.6 (2009): 52-67.

This article focuses on how cloud computing can improve university services. I had not yet read an article about cloud computing from this perspective, and so learned quite a bit from it. The authors believe that cloud computing in a university setting can create completely new capabilities and opportunities. For it to work best and provide the maximum benefit to everyone, universities need to be active participants in the scholarly community. Wheeler and Waggener envision the cloud as becoming a "framework of open materials and platforms on which much of higher education worldwide can be constructed or enhanced." If universities use the cloud to collaborate, everyone will benefit from the shared resources and cost savings. They use the HathiTrust as an example, a book digitization project launched by the University of Michigan and Indiana University. They point out that it would not make much sense for every university to digitize the same books. By making these books available for others to see, either through public domain or with copyright regulations, all universities can benefit.

For me, an interesting aspect of the article is that it does not label the cloud as being either dangerous or essential. The tone is positive, and there are no warnings about either becoming too dependent on the cloud or not using it enough. Wheeler and Waggener focus on power of the universities to choose how they use the cloud. They list ways cloud technology can further university goals, but the results are largely dependent on how collaborative universities wish to be. I really like the emphasis they place on individual university choice. The way they discuss cloud computing in their article reminds me that it is in fact a tool that can be used in various ways to fit our needs. I think the topic of cloud computing often elicits strong reactions, and it is seen as the new technology that is taking over the world and there is nothing we can do about it. There are more options than just to swallow it whole or dig a hole to hide from it. Wheeler and Waggener do a great job of framing cloud computing in a way to show that there really are more than just these two options.

One of the main strengths of this article is that it explores cloud computing in the light of the university setting, not universities in the light of the cloud computing setting. Wheeler and Waggener describe the positive characteristics of academia and how cloud computing can best compliment those. Their article is a reminder that, for universities, there is already an adequate framework in place for incorporating new technology. I think this approach removes much of the fear and uncertainty that can surround cloud computing, and is a great guide for universities thinking about pursuing it.