Modernising university computer labs: meeting the demands of today's and tomorrow's students

Why traditional labs need reinventing

However, the landscape of higher education is rapidly evolving, driven by student preferences for hybrid learning, the rise of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and increasing pressure on university budgets and resources. This shift sparked a re-evaluation of campus labs, moving beyond a "set and forget" approach to embrace modernisation and future-proofing. 

Year on year, in every student experience survey around the world, whether it’s Jisc’s Digital Experience Insights (UK) or EDUCAUSE’s Student and Technology Survey (US),  calls for an easier way for students to navigate the labyrinth of resources, software and websites. A centralized software hub is on every student’s wish list and will be a non-negotiable for future students. 

Our Generation Alpha research shows that the next generation of students, more than the current ones, will expect seamless performance and speed, above anything else. To meet those expectations, IT teams need to simplify and centralize operations for better efficiency, and the sooner they act, the more prepared they are to attract and retain students. 

Many factors are compelling universities to rethink their campus lab strategies:

• Underutilised lab space and BYOD demand: Despite dedicated computer labs, many are found to be underused, with students often preferring to use their personal laptops, even plugging them into lab monitors. For instance, the University of Western Australia (UWA) observed that only about 10% of library computers were used at any given time, while students were primarily on their own devices. Wheaton College also noticed many computer labs were empty, with students opting for mobile learning with their laptops.
   
• Student needs and flexibility: Modern students require on-demand access to software, unconstrained by traditional lab opening hours. Many balance studies with part-time work or family commitments, making fixed schedules impractical. As Lynne Wood, Director of IT at Georgian College, highlights, "Student expectations are that they get the software they need when they need it. They don’t have regular schedules, they’re not 9-5, they’re up all hours, they have jobs, we have a lot of students who have families, so for their experience to be the best, they need to be able to access software at home, at any time!".
   
• Hardware maintenance and sustainability: Maintaining large fleets of lab computers is costly and labour-intensive. Tasks like reimaging computers every summer used to take weeks of intense effort at Middlesex University. Michigan Technological University faced a similar challenge, where reimaging all Windows computer labs took weeks for their 40-strong IT Operations student workforce, often requiring manual intervention over 24 hours for each machine. The transition to newer operating systems, like Windows 11, can also pose significant challenges for older hardware, leading to substantial upgrade costs.
   
• Maximising physical space: Universities are increasingly seeking to repurpose valuable real estate, transforming traditional computer labs into vibrant collaboration spaces, VR facilities, or flexible teaching rooms.
   
• Access, updates, and requests: Servicing software updates or new requests during teaching hours is nearly impossible with traditional setups, disrupting learning progress. Even five minutes lost to technology issues during a 50-minute class means 10% of valuable instruction time lost. At The University of Manchester, academics in the “Faculty of Science and Engineering were booking twice as many computer cluster spaces as needed, expecting half of them would not be working” admits Peter Green, Interim Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
   
• Shrinking budgets and resources: Universities globally face reduced financial and human resources, pushing IT teams to seek greater efficiency and standardisation. Wheaton College, for example, had to become more efficient due to staff and funding reductions, moving away from custom solutions to more standardised and automated processes.

What are the options?

Until recently, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) was seen as a great solution for supporting these changing needs, but has now become part of the challenge, following steep price increases, that many institutions can no longer afford. And the end user experience no longer meets students’ expectations, particularly when it comes to performance and usability. The truth is, in most cases students don’t even need a VDI. 

Innovative technologies like AppsAnywhere offer higher education a welcome alternative to relying on VDI, and an answer to what students have long asked for: a better lab experience.

Higher education presents the most complex, challenging and expensive environment for application access, delivery and management, but there is a simpler, more effective alternative. Hundreds of universities around the world have been delivering software at scale, both on and off campus, while providing a seamless digital end-user experience for students and staff. AppsAnywhere’s unique technology provides a combination of multiple software delivery methods, smart device detection and prioritization and better control and data analytics.

Here’s how universities use AppsAnywhere to modernise their computer labs and meet evolving student needs:

1. Optimise lab usage and provide flexibility

AppsAnywhere allows universities to gain a deep understanding of how labs and software are being used, through comprehensive analytics. This data-driven approach allows for optimisation, revealing patterns of usage and allowing to better manage resources for optimal support. Middlesex University discovered that their peak software login periods were October and February, not September and January, as previously thought. They also leveraged the AppsAnywhere Analytics usage data to reduce paid licenses on underused software and replace it with open source alternatives where possible. 

It provides more flexibility in software access, enabling students to use applications anywhere, on any device, with a consistent experience. This flexibility and seamless experience is possible because IT are equipped with modern delivery methods that helps them prioritize efficiency and performance, while right-sizing costs. 

This is why universities like Purdue, Manchester or Western Australia chose AppsAnywhere to provide its students with easy, secure, and seamless access to all necessary software tools from one central online platform, irrespective of location, device type (Windows, Android, Apple), or operating system. This facilitated synchronous teaching across multiple campuses and statewide outposts.

2. Control costs and extend hardware lifespan

By enabling students to access software on their own devices (BYOD) through AppsAnywhere, universities can significantly reduce investment in renewing and maintaining hardware and redirect savings to improve Wi-Fi access, add more charging ports or monitors. 

AppsAnywhere also extends the lifespan of managed devices. By deploying most applications through AppsAnywhere, it allows for lighter images with fewer applications. Devices are not constantly working at full capacity, leading to better performance for longer. 

Middlesex University extended the optimum performance of their computers from three to five years by using thinner images and delivering most applications through AppsAnywhere, also reducing hardware and software related complaints. The university estimated significant savings on labour, hardware and licensing costs.

Similarly, Michigan Tech increased the lifespan and performance of their existing high-performance desktops, avoiding large upfront investments in VDI solutions or extra graphics cards.

3. Increase efficiency and productivity for IT teams

AppsAnywhere dramatically reduces manual and repetitive work for IT teams, such as reimaging, packaging, and updating applications. With over 150 pre-packaged applications ready to install, in-place updates and automated licensing, universities can improve the efficiency of their IT operations. 

The new fully managed Cloud Delivery service is a more efficient alternative to resource-heavy VDI, allowing resource-poor universities to take efficiency to a whole new level.  It removes the need for complex workloads to deliver Windows applications to non-Windows devices, by making them accessible through the browser. This also means fewer software-related support tickets and quicker troubleshooting, which frees up IT staff to concentrate on mission-critical tasks.

Michigan Tech reduced the time to reimage lab computers from over 24 hours per machine to just 30 minutes, despite increasing the number of managed applications from 250 to over 300. Their IT team's focus shifted from reimaging to packaging and servicing requests, with 30% of their capacity being spent on strategic projects to increase process automation and team efficiency.

Middlesex University saw the biggest gain in time and effort saved on reimaging their estate each summer, allowing their IT team to become more agile and focus on cybersecurity and end-user support.

Purdue Engineering also eased the burden on support staff and saw a reduction in troubleshooting tickets. The “single pane of glass” admin dashboard simplified application management and made it easier to make small amendments to existing packages rather than start from scratch.

The York University central IT team leveraged AppsAnywhere’s scalability to develop a distributed IT model, enabling the team of five people to manage a growing and complex university environment supporting nearly 141,000 Windows devices and 18,000 macOS machines.

4. Better use of valuable real estate

With physical space at a premium, especially in city center campuses, universities can’t justify empty computer labs when trying to cut costs. Rows upon rows of fixed computer stations no longer meet the needs of modern teaching and learning and can also be a blocker in expanding high demand courses to allow more students to study the course of their choice. With AppsAnywhere, any space can be a teaching space or a specialized lab. Faculty and students can access any software from their AppsAnywhere portal, from any location. 

UWA freed up over 3,000 sqm of floor space, by equipping 300 rooms with video cameras and Teams connectivity and moving software access to AppsAnywhere Cloud. 

In their split from Indiana University, Purdue used AppsAnywhere to separate digital access for students, while still sharing a physical campus.

5. Data and insights for evidence-informed decision making

AppsAnywhere provides data and insights on software usage, which are crucial for making informed IT strategy decisions. This includes optimising licensing costs, coordinating purchasing, and repurposing underused lab spaces.

UWA's IT team used AppsAnywhere analytics to remove 40-50 applications that were no longer in use, saving money on cancelled licenses and time on packaging and support.

Middlesex University used AppsAnywhere Analytics to identify an app used for only 75 hours a year, leading to its removal. This policy was then applied to other low-usage apps.

York University used AppsAnywhere analytics to identify duplicate software licenses across faculties, leading to better coordination of purchases, cutting redundant licenses, and adopting a pooled licensing model, which saved money and efforts.

6. Future-proofing and scalability

AppsAnywhere provides the room to easily scale in the future, allowing universities to grow successful courses and meet both today's and tomorrow's student expectations. 

Purdue Engineering leveraged AppsAnywhere to support the rapid growth and expansion of its engineering programs, including setting up 3000 seats across new STEM programs at a new Indianapolis campus, while delivering courses across multiple locations.

York University has strategically scaled its IT operations to support a new campus in Markham (with 4,000 students) and a future School of Medicine campus, all while maintaining a small central IT team.

Flexibility is not just about managing changing demands and expectations but also being able to support the latest technology, especially when it comes to student devices. AppsAnywhere can automatically detect ARM architecture and deliver compatible applications to those devices, ensuring a seamless experience for users.

7. Equity and access for all students

AppsAnywhere helps bridge the digital equity gap by supporting students who need it most, ensuring seamless access to digital learning and fewer technical issues, which ultimately leads to better academic outcomes and higher retention rates. It ensures that all students, regardless of their device's power, can run the applications they need to succeed.

UWA adopted a holistic approach to student equity, offering free loan programs for laptops and providing vouchers for students experiencing financial hardship, innovatively funded by recycling old computers. AppsAnywhere was central to enabling this widespread, equitable access and the wider digital transformation the university went through over the last few years.

Middlesex University invested in 1,500 laptops to lend out to students experiencing digital poverty during the pandemic, leveraging AppsAnywhere to ensure continuous learning.

Purdue University ensures that students with less powerful personal computers are automatically redirected to GPU-backed servers, guaranteeing they have the necessary computational power for demanding applications like SolidWorks and NX.

Towards a new lab experience

The traditional computer lab is not disappearing, but it is certainly evolving. Technologies like AppsAnywhere enable universities to embrace this evolution, transforming fixed, resource-intensive spaces into flexible, collaborative, and highly effective learning environments. By optimising space, extending hardware lifecycles, boosting IT efficiency, providing critical usage data, and ensuring equitable access, AppsAnywhere supports over 300 institutions to deliver a new and improved computer lab experience that meets the changing needs of their current and future students. This strategic investment ensures that IT infrastructure becomes an enabler of innovation and student success, fostering a resilient and adaptive higher education experience for all.

About AppsAnywhere

AppsAnywhere is the student-first application delivery platform built for higher education. Serving more than 3 million users across 300+ institutions in 22 countries, AppsAnywhere empowers colleges and universities to deliver any software application to any device, anywhere - on or off campus. Purpose-built for the needs of modern learners and IT teams, the platform simplifies access, supports hybrid and BYOD environments, and removes the technical barriers that can limit student success. By combining powerful delivery technology with a seamless digital experience, AppsAnywhere helps institutions create more flexible, accessible, and scalable learning environments. Learn more at www.appsanywhere.com.