Whether you’re planning to return to in-person instruction, extend remote classes or utilize a hybrid model, computer monitoring should be part of your return-to-campus plan.
Everyone’s talking about return-to-campus plans, but once you have one, how do you know if it’s effective?
How do you know if students are actually using your socially distanced labs? With plexiglass dividers, sanitizing stations, directional signage, and any number of creative solution price tags, can you afford not to?
With LabStats’ usage data, you can see when, where, and how long students are using computers on campus—whether they’re accessing them in person or remotely. Plus, you can compare remote and in-person usage, so you’re ready to adapt your plan throughout the semester according to actual demand.
What’s the key to getting actionable usage data in LabStats?
Getting groups right before students return to campus. “Groups” in LabStats are groups of machines, usually organized by physical location.
How to Set Up Groups
Each station in LabStats should be organized into a group. Groups are usually set up to reflect physical spaces, like computer labs and classrooms, and allow you to run reports based on location.
You can nest groups by building names (and campus names if you have multiple campuses), which helps you stay organized and compare usage data across those larger categories.
Example of group hierarchy by location
Most organizations set up groups during the initial install of LabStats, but it’s a good idea to go back and ensure all of your groups represent physical locations and fit into the correct hierarchy.
Remote stations may fit nicely into one room, or they might be mixed into different physical locations. To support physical distancing requirements, some schools are converting every other computer in a room to be “remote use only” by utilizing lock screens and screensavers.
Whether your remote access computers are in a single location or dispersed throughout campus, it’s important to create the right groups in LabStats so you can track their usage over time. For remote labs, simply add “Remote” to the name of the group.
For each dual-purpose lab, create two new groups—one for remote stations and one for in-person stations. These new groups should be created under a parent group that holds all the machines in one location (whether remote or not) so you have the ability to compare overall usage over time.
If you’re using LabStats’ Remote Access Dashboard, separate groups for remote machines are essential.
The dashboard displays a list of computers that are available for students to remote into and acts as a central access point for them to connect.
LabStats Remote Access Dashboard
Developed in response to widespread campus closures and the need for a quick remote solution, the Remote Access Dashboard has become an essential return-to-campus tool.
The dashboard enables students to stay connected to powerful computers and specialty software whether they’re on campus, taking hybrid classes or using a personal laptop. It’s a flexible solution, so even if restrictions arise mid-semester, students can still access the software and computers they need.
Groups show up in the Remote Access Dashboard on the left column under “Computer Labs” and allow students to navigate to the computer they need in a familiar way. You can control which groups and computers are displayed on the Remote Access Dashboard.
Show or hide computers
If you need to change which computers show up within a specific group, you can make that change directly in the LabStats Portal. T
