White Paper

Achieve learning continuity

and keep students productive
with remote access
Best practices, technologies and real-word examples to maintain
learning when students and faculty can’t get to the classroom

citrix.com/education 1
White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

Schools can experience substantial learning disruption when

unforeseen events keep students and staff from reaching campus.

Fortunately, schools can deploy new IT and remote access so students can stay
solutions that provide unhindered remote data engaged and productive, even when they
and app access, BYOD functionality and are not able to get to campus.
continuous network security – enabling
students to continue their work wherever they This paper addresses the kinds of learning
are and ensuring that learning outcomes are disruptions that come up regularly and take
met. For this to work, students, teachers and their toll on student achievement. It presents
parents need to adopt learning continuity plans an approach to learning continuity based on
to establish roles, procedures and shared goals. mobility and remote access that keeps
students engaged and the apps and data they
Flu season rears its head whether we like it depend on up and running. Our topics include:
or not. Snow days can turn into snow weeks.
From acts of nature to athletics playoffs and • Best practices for a complete learning
lost mobile devices, there are plenty of continuity strategy, including team structure,
disruptions that can turn semesters upside learning continuity planning, testing,
down for students and teachers alike. communications and awareness programs

• A technology approach to provide seamless

In the past, most schools have simply had to
remote access to apps, data and collaboration
accept the inevitability of these disruptions.
services during any kind of learning
Teachers and administrators cope as best they
disruption, and enable IT to protect and
can, but that interferes with curricula and
control data accessed from any location on
makes it difficult for them to reach the
any device
learning outcomes they’ve set out to achieve.
Today, however, education IT teams are • Real-world examples of five institutions that
increasingly taking advantage of virtualization have already implemented highly effective
and mobility technologies that enable BYOD remote-access systems and protocols

citrix.com/education 2
White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

The importance of learning continuity — • Software updating and app configuration are
and the challenges it poses non-issues, since data is managed centrally by
Whether planned or unplanned, learning IT and distributed to each device without the
disruptions that aren’t managed effectively can need for hundreds of local installs.
snowball. Lost work time sets students back
• Students and teachers grow accustomed to
relative to their peers and can require changing
working virtually, lessening the shock of any
lesson plans on the fly, leaving them unprepared
particular learning disruption.
for critical exams and even requiring lost school
days to be made up over the summer or holidays One important benefit of adopting a mobile
solution is that it works well with the way
Traditional education IT is often unable to students learn. Today’s learners prefer not
alleviate the problem. Computer labs around to be tied to a computer lab to complete
campus don’t serve students who can’t make it assignments. They’re on the go, and they own,
there; teachers don’t benefit from apps when on average, two to three mobile devices. Often,
they can’t access them. they prefer to use them instead of something
provided by their school. Moreover, removing
But new IT solutions can create fully functional access barriers encourages students to explore –
mobile learning environments that students can which will always be one of the richest parts of
use wherever they are, on any device. These their learning.
environments enable entirely new, adaptable
workflows and protect the important continuity A planned approach for your learning
of lessons and homework: continuity strategy
Although disruptive events can take many forms
• App and desktop virtualization allows access from and many decisions will always have to be made
any device, anywhere – from a home desktop, on-the-fly, a learning continuity plan provides a
a mobile device on a bus or a tablet in a library. framework and preparation to guide decisions,
and it clearly indicates of who will make them.
• Schools can organize virtual snow days or sick
days, allowing students to keep their
Any workable plan starts with gathering support
momentum and positioning them better
and creating a shared vision. Having buy-in from
when they return.
schools’ diverse stakeholders – students, staff,
• Replacing lost or inaccessible devices is less administration, parents and high-level decision-
urgent, since a substitute device can be used makers – is essential for producing a workable,
in the interim. sustainable plan.

citrix.com/education 3
White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

Communication Learning
and awareness Continuity Team
programs Structure
Citrix
Standard
of Learning
Continuity

Testing and Learning

Implementation Continuity Plan
Development

Starting the planning process and involved from start to finish. In addition to
At a high level, a learning continuity plan should ensuring that the plan is effective and workable
identify potential disruptions – both frequently technologically, this helps build momentum and
recurring ones, like extended student sicknesses, awareness on campus.
and rarer scenarios like school closure due to
storms – while trying to keep the number of Learning continuity plan development
scenarios manageable. A learning continuity plan Stakeholders should think and plan holistically –
is only effective if all stakeholders can understand look at the entire system, not just their own
it and feel ownership of it. roles within it – and ensure that the usage
expectations and technical support are in line
Learning continuity team structure for all. Any user role (teachers, for instance)
One of the top considerations for a learning that gets left out is a potential vulnerability
continuity plan is the development of a clear of the system.
decision-making hierarchy. These plans
naturally extend across functional lines to Good plans will cover common need cases
include not just teachers and administrative and standard protocols, as well as lay out
leadership, but also IT. Students, too, should be available resources for users who have
considered valuable advisors in an initial questions or issues. Any IT paradigm shift,
planning phase, since bringing in responsible such as what’s required to embrace
student leaders – who can eventually serve as distributed devices and mobile access,
“on-the-ground” advocates – can offer unique requires shared understandings and
perspectives and ease buy-in later on expectations so that each plan developer
can be an advocate and resource in his/her
Personnel identified as key members of the respective segment of the school community.
learning continuity teams should remain focused

citrix.com/education 4
White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

Testing and implementation As a matter of maintenance, yearly tabletop

Testing should involve various user segments, demonstrations and Q&A sessions should be
since one user’s needs won’t necessarily match offered to new students and staff, as well as those
another’s, and one user’s habits won’t necessarily wanting a refresher. Preemptive problem-solving
expose all system vulnerabilities. Because of the will save technical support time in the long run.
ever-changing nature of mobile use and devices,
managers should expect frequent refreshes of Communications and awareness programs
supported systems. Compatibility issues tend to Adaptive plans of any type are only as effective
be a nonissue – Citrix solutions are universally as their internal and external communications.
compatible with nearly any device students Communication is crucial to ensure adoption
might bring with them – but it is worth spending and awareness, and bad communication can
time educating users on the specific cause unnecessary delay and complication
characteristics or needs of their platforms and when, for example, students faced with
reminding them to update their own equipment. unexpected absences are unsure of how to
utilize the mobile systems on their own devices.

Learning continuity planning checklist

Learning continuity • Secure leadership buy-in

team structure • Form core continuity team with all stakeholders represented
(students, teachers, administrators, parents, IT)

Learning continuity • Develop common use scenarios and needs

plan development • Define decision-making hierarchies
• Develop IT solutions with vendor
• Build an implementation and rollout strategy

Testing and • Choose small test user segments for soft rollouts
implementation • Test scalability and device compatibility*
• Perform tabletop exercises and walkthroughs*
* Annually at minimum

Communications and • Establish formal rollout and ongoing communication programs

awareness programs • Identify stakeholders and best communication frequency
• Assign communication channels as appropriate for audiences
• Draft communications and update yearly
• Schedule and deploy communications

citrix.com/education 5
White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

The communications team should work to Secure access

convey a consistent message to users via powered by Citrix NetScaler
channels that work for them – such as morning Instead of having to worry about special access
announcements, student newspapers, teacher methods, IT can allow people to access their
bulletins, and campus-wide email or text. Parents applications, data and desktops the usual way over
should also be notified, since they will be the any available connection – school LAN or WAN,
ones best positioned to facilitate remote work consumer broadband, satellite, public hotspot or
when their children are away from school. mobile – with full security, access control and
compliance monitoring and tracking. A unified
Ensuring learning continuity management framework lets IT secure, control and
with Citrix technologies optimize access to apps, desktops and services on
Citrix technologies can be the solution for any device. IT can also monitor system performance
ensuring continuity of operations during learning and troubleshoot problems remotely.
disruptions. These IT tools are built around
several important capabilities: Enterprise mobility management
powered by Citrix XenMobile
• Provide people with seamless access to their
IT gains identity-based provisioning and control of
apps, data and collaboration services during
apps, data and devices, automatic account
any kind of learning disruption, planned
de-provisioning and selective wipe of any devices that
or unplanned
have been used temporarily during a learning continuity
• Protect and control sensitive information event. School apps and data, whether developed by IT
accessed from any location and on any device or a third party, reside in a container, separated from
personal apps and data on the device.
• Simplify systems by embracing BYOD,
eliminating the limitation of on-campus
File sharing
computer access
powered by Citrix ShareFile
Below are the main components of such a setup. People can securely share files with anyone and
Citrix solutions for education provide scalability sync files across all their devices. Flexible storage
and complete compatibility, no matter the scope options, policy-based control, reporting, data
of schools’ needs. These tools have been proven in encryption and remote wipe help keep school
school deployments across the country (see case content secure when learning disruptions occur.
studies below).
Collaboration and remote support
Windows app and desktop virtualization powered by Citrix GoToMeeting, Citrix Podio
powered by Citrix XenDesktop and Citrix XenApp and Citrix GoToAssist
IT can transform Windows apps and complete Teachers, staff and students can initiate or join
desktops into on-demand services available on any meetings from anywhere in seconds, on any
device, in any location. Because apps and data are device, with HD video for true face-to-face
managed within the datacenter, IT maintains interaction. Social activity streams, custom apps
centralized data protection, compliance, access and collaborative workspaces help people work
control and user administration no matter the together more effectively – on faculty initiatives,
method of access. A unified app store provides collaborative student research projects and so on –
students with single-click access to mobile, web, when disruptions keep them apart.
custom and Windows apps, including integrated
file sharing and productivity apps.

citrix.com/education 6
White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

Together, these Citrix technologies help schools Security and compliance

address two essential considerations for users: During a learning continuity event, data
and apps are delivered using the same
Can I still access my applications, data and files, infrastructure as for routine operations,
and collaborate effectively with others on with the same inherent security. Windows
already-running school work or initiatives? applications remain under IT control in the
datacenter no matter what users are doing
Does everything still work the same way as usual, or where they are.
or do I need to adjust to an unfamiliar device,
network access method and set of tools? Less disruptive disruptions
While never desirable, learning disruptions
Key benefits of supporting learning become less disruptive with these systems in
continuity through remote access place. This preserves students’ momentum with
The primary benefit to adopting such a system is their studies, but it also frees resources by
the most obvious one: learners are empowered lessening the quick-reaction and planning
to continue their work, keep pace and reach burden on teachers and administrators. Users
education outcomes. But the benefits to the and overseers can take disruptions in stride and
entire school organization go well beyond that. focus on the most important part of their job:
learning and achievement.
Efficiency and cost savings
Mobility and remote access are already top Datacenter continuity: maintaining
priorities for forward-thinking schools. Embarking continuous IT operations
on learning continuity planning increases the School IT departments are already strapped for
value of these investments, and educational resources. These IT solutions cut the workload
institutions also find that embracing anywhere of IT administrators and allow them to focus
access and BYOD generates substantial financial on other matters. The centralized data
savings. For example, one public school district management afforded by this new anywhere-
saved an estimated $1.2 million over 10 years (see access paradigm also provides IT with
case study, below) by eliminating old-style newfound simplification and security across
computer lab infrastructures and embracing the entire organization.
Citrix IT solutions like the ones outlined above.

A seamless experience for teachers,

staff and students
Because users access their resources the same
way no matter the device or location, there is no
need to learn alternate procedures. Consider the
surprising amount of resources it takes to train
users on learning software. Citrix technologies
allow people to work the same familiar way during
learning disruptions as they would any other time.

citrix.com/education 7
 White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

Five school successes in adopting remote access

Maine Township High School District 207 assistant superintendent of technology
“The Citrix team Illinois and learning for Maine Township. `
helped us quickly Maine Township High School District 207 was
recognized by the U.S. Department of “Students enjoyed that they never had to worry
get the full
Education as being among the nation’s best, about which computer they used or whether
environment up but the district still faced the challenge of their files were saved in the right place,” says
modernizing its IT under financial constraints. Theile. Due in part to a seamless rollout, the
and running. It
Leaders deployed Google Apps for Education, district extended this ubiquitous access to its
was an easy allowing students at its four high schools to 700 faculty members as well. In addition to
access hosted productivity tools using Google Apps, the teachers were provided access
rollout and the
lightweight Google Chromebook devices. Citrix to Windows-based productivity applications.
process couldn’t has developed a powerful partnership with
Google that makes this integration possible. Key results:
have been any
• Provided enhanced, consistent user
smoother.” “Our goal was to create a fast, reliable and experience across devices and locations
—Jonathan Urbanski, secure information technology experience that
Network Manager, Maine • Reduced IT downtime and workload
can transform learning, collaboration and
Township High School
teacher innovation,” says Henry Theile, • Decreased costs of devices and tech support
District 207

Shelton Public Schools “Although teachers and students were adapting

Connecticut to the Google Chrome operating system, they
Shelton Public Schools operates four K-4 still missed the familiarity of a Windows-based
elementary schools, one upper elementary operating system,” says Daniel DiVito, Director
school, one intermediate school and one of Technology at Shelton Public Schools. “That’s
high school. The school district boasts a where XenApp comes into play. By partnering
great deal of socioeconomic diversity in with both Chrome and XenApp, teachers and
its student body. students can toggle back and forth.”

By running XenApp, which fully supports Key results:

Google Chromebook devices as endpoints, • Saved more than $1.25 million in hardware
the school district now provides its teachers expenses over 10 years
and students access to everything from
• Addressed socioeconomic disparities among
Google Drive to Microsoft Office. If students
students by providing Google Chromebooks
wish to switch from Google Docs to
and remote access to apps
Microsoft Excel, they can simply log into
XenApp and pull up a Windows-based • Supported differential learning practices
desktop for a seamless transition. with affordable in-class devices

citrix.com/education 8
 White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

York County School Division District delivers this comprehensive access and
Virginia much more. “This is a ready made technology
Before technology flooded the classroom, for the K-12 environment,” says Meade. “It
students and teachers had no barriers to restores the natural learning process.”
working, learning and planning at home.
But technology changed the learning process. And the virtualized environment is always
accessible, even when the classroom isn’t. From
“We started tying teachers and students to the construction delays to a hurricane-induced
classroom,” says Douglas Meade, York County power outage to a Windows 7 migration, the
Schools’ director of information technology. district’s virtualized environment has proven
Students had to come to school to access time and again that productivity and learning
applications, and in some cases, specific don’t stop at the classroom.
computers where larger applications were
installed. Teachers had to be in the classroom Key results:
to access the student management system • Returned to “natural learning” –
and gradebook, lesson plan applications and decoupling learning from hard-to-
assessment tools. manage, onsite computers

• Retained full functionality through

Today, teachers and students need access
construction delays and a natural disaster
anytime, anywhere and on any device, as well
as access to any application, file and database. • Implemented scalable Citrix solutions to
With Citrix XenDesktop, York County School meet the different needs of its different users

Georgia Tech College of Engineering Along the way, the IT team gained surprising
“And we realized:
Georgia Tech College of Engineering students successes. One student, Contis recalls, was
This is providing were hungry not just for mobile access to based in Australia in 2011 and required access
apps and desktops, but also for a new IT to applications via a meager 3G connection.
us a way to keep
paradigm that enabled them to use heavy- With the staff bandwidth freed up by their
supporting duty software applications free from XenDesktop setup, Contis and his team were
processing-power constraints. able to create a custom solution for the student.
instruction, to
Citrix solutions provided both.
keep and maintain “And we realized: This is providing us a way
Didier Contis, Director of IT Services for the to keep supporting instruction, to keep and
continuity in
Georgia Tech College of Engineering, has maintain continuity in instruction,” Contis says.
instruction...” shepherded the IT paradigm shift on campus.
—Didier Contis “Computer labs tend to be highly inefficient Key results:
Director of IT Services for resources,” he says. “From a usage point of • Eliminated traditional bottlenecks at onsite
the Georgia Tech College view, you have too many resources at the computer labs
of Engineering beginning of the semester and in the summer,
• Embraced mobility without compromising
but you don’t have enough resources at the
access to resource-heavy applications
end of the semester when students are
rushing to finish a project.” So the college • With newly freed IT resources, created
moved away from antiquated labs and toward customized solutions for users with
full data mobility. unique challenges

citrix.com/education 9
White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

University of Florida in and used UFApps from 47 or 48 states

Leveraging the flexibility of Citrix XenApp, and close to 100 different countries.”
XenDesktop, Receiver and NetScaler, the
University of Florida – alongside two of its state- Key results:
school neighbors – developed solutions that fit its • Achieved true anytime access, demonstrating
unique needs, making applications available to that students will log in over spring break and
students and faculty anywhere, anytime and on other holidays
any device. Students responded hungrily, using
• Opened an entirely new pipeline for
the system to finish projects during spring break
international and remote students to access
and logging in from locations around the world.
learning resources

“What we found,” says Jameson Johnston, IT • Achieved real innovation in resource-strapped,

manager, “is that people have actually logged slow-moving higher education systems

Conclusion
The essence of learning continuity is to data and apps accessed from any location
minimize the impact of disruptions on students, and on any device, security is continuous.
staff, families and the IT resources they rely on.
In the past, schools have had to accept lost time Many districts are already focused on
and reconfigure semester schedules as best integrating data mobility into their curricula
they could, taking time away from other work and leveraging students’ natural affinity for
and creating substantial stress and disarray. distributed access and learning. Those that
incorporate these capabilities into a solid
Remote access technologies provide a better learning continuity strategy can mitigate the
approach, allowing seamless instruction, risks posed by planned and unplanned
homework and research – even if location or disruptions – preserving the ultimate goals
devices have completely changed. Dependable of great teaching and learning.
access to apps, data and collaboration services
help all parties involved stay productive and Please visit www.citrix.com/education to learn
meet already-burdensome curricular more about the role of Citrix remote access
benchmarks. Because IT can protect and control technologies in learning continuity.

Additional Resources
• Citrix mobile workspaces for education

• A Tale of three universities: Increasing access, engagement and learning

• York County Schools Enables Anywhere, Anytime Learning with Citrix Solutions for Education

citrix.com/education 10
 White Paper Achieve learning continuity and keep students
productive with remote access

Corporate Headquarters India Development Center Latin America Headquarters

Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA Bangalore, India Coral Gables, FL, USA

Silicon Valley Headquarters Online Division Headquarters UK Development Center

Santa Clara, CA, USA Santa Barbara, CA, USA Chalfont, United Kingdom

EMEA Headquarters Pacific Headquarters

Schaffhausen, Switzerland Hong Kong, China

About Citrix
Citrix (NASDAQ:CTXS) is a leader in mobile workspaces, providing virtualization, mobility management, networking and cloud services to
enable new ways to work better. Citrix solutions power business mobility through secure, personal workspaces that provide people with
instant access to apps, desktops, data and communications on any device, over any network and cloud. This year Citrix is celebrating 25
years of innovation, making IT simpler and people more productive. With annual revenue in 2013 of $2.9 billion, Citrix solutions are in use
at more than 330,000 organizations and by over 100 million users globally. Learn more at www.citrix.com.

Copyright © 2015 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Citrix, XenApp, XenDesktop, XenMobile, ShareFile, GoToMeeting, Podio,
GoToTraining, GoToAssist, NetScaler, CloudPlatform and CloudPortal are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one of its subsidiaries,
and may be registered with in the U.S. and other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of
their respective companies.

1015/PDF citrix.com/education