Improving digital learning for students in war zones
Australia-based non-profit Library For All has been assisting Ukrainian children to continue their education, after it was disrupted by the conflict with Russia.
However, the organisation was finding it increasingly difficult to distribute learning resources by preloading them onto Android-based tablets and hand-delivering them.
With Ukrainian children finding refuge all over Europe and even further afield, Library For All’s previous offline, hardware-based solutions required a revamp.
In June 2022, Library For All began working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and AWS Partner Cognizant to host its digital learning resources on a cloud-based app instead of on the devices themselves. The organisation used the AWS Cloud to create a full library of culturally relevant books available for free on any Android or Apple device globally.
Prior to migrating to AWS, Library For All operated in a remote capacity delivering solutions almost entirely offline. Digital learning resources were loaded on Android-based tablet devices and hand-delivered to children living in marginal communities, including those with limited electricity and internet, and poor access to external resources.
Working in close collaboration, AWS and Cognizant designed and built a server-less platform guided by a best practice implementation that addressed the Six Pillars of an AWS Well Architected Framework, and which would deliver the outcomes Library For All demanded from their new platform.
Leveraging Cognizant’s DevOps and software delivery life cycle (SDLC) expertise, dual delivery and upskilling model, Library For All was able to significantly accelerate its deployment of new learning resources with the AWS Cloud by more than 20%. The organisation is able to immediately roll out learning resources as they become available, and can now operate separate work streams for hardware builds and content development, with each team delivering its outputs as soon as possible without constraints from the other.
In addition, Library For All can now deliver its digital learning resources in half the time it used to take. System uptime has also increased from 95 to 99.9%, with zero downtime or outages required for software code changes. The new platform has also experienced a fivefold scalability improvement as measured by the number of users it can service across various geographies.
As it was Library For All’s first time running a cloud project, AWS and Cognizant worked with the organisation to identify operational gaps and recommend relevant cloud services. This included multiple AWS-organised training workshops to upskill the Library For All team on server-less architecture.
“Working with AWS and Cognizant was pivotal in the rollout of educational material for the Ukrainian children. When it came to building the program, they took care of everything cloud-related, meaning we could focus on maximising our resources into developing learning digital assets and content and delivering them right to the children,” said Rebecca McDonald, founder, Library For All.
