Create a class for instructor-led labs with the Create Class form on the administrator user interface.

A class, consists of a lab and class attributes such as class time, instructor, and so on. When a class is created, the class listing provides an Instructor Launch URL and a Registration URL. Lab instructors or administrators can share the URL with students, which students can use to self register for the class. The Instructor Launch URL option links to the instructor console for the class. You can create a class with for a single lab or multiple labs.

Procedure

  1. From the navigation panel, click Class Management > Classes .
  2. To open the Create class form, click Create New, and from the drop-down menu select Single class. To create bulk class upload, select the Bulk Upload option.
  3. Complete the form. Required values are marked with an asterisk.
    Option Description

    Basic Details

    Class Name

    Specify a class name for your class. Text string associated to the class you are creating. An example is “Introduction to Network Security.”

    Unique Class ID

    Specify an unique identifier for the class that you are creating. For example, Network Security101.

    Class Instructor(s)

    To display a list of users who are assigned the role of instructor, click the Manage List View icon. Select one or more instructors for the class.

    Class Owner(s)

    To display a list of users who are assigned the role of class owner, click the Manage List View icon. The class owner is the person who creates and maintains the class.

    Student class started email

    Select an email template to send to students when a class has started.

    Ensure that the Send student class assigned email from email template Portal Settings is activated. Create custom email templates using the Email Templates option.

    Student assigned to class email

    Select an email template to send to students when a class is assigned to them. Ensure that the Send student class started email from email template Portal Settings is activated. Create custom email templates using the Email Templates option.

    Instructor assigned to class email

    Select an email template to send to an instructor when a class is assigned to an instructor.

    Ensure that the Send an email to Instructor when assigned to Class Portal Settings is activated. Create custom email templates using the Email Templates option.

    Describe your Class

    A brief description of the class.
    Tracking Code

    This option is visible only if the Portal SettingsConfigurationEnable Tracking Code for Classes setting is activated.

    Add a tracking code to track entitlements for classes. For large events, or multiple classes with same entitlements, you can track the entitlements based on the tracking ID associated with the class.

    Note:

    You cannot modify the tracking code once a class is started.

    Lab Details

    Lab

    • Single lab class:

      Click the Manage List View icon on the right side of the text box and select a lab from the list. This is the lab that the students will take in the class. You can also select a lab from the Recently created labs section.

    • Multiple labs for a class:

      Click on all the labs that you want to add for the class. Or select labs from the Recently created labs section.

    Use the Actions on the Classes wizard to create entitlements for lab users. For more information on entitlements in the Classes wizard, see Single and Batch Action Options.

    Create New Lab

    To create a new lab for the class, click Create New Lab. For more information on creating a lab, see Create a Lab.

    After a lab is successfully created, it is added in the Recently created labs section.

    Schedule

    Timezone

    Specify a time zone for the location where the class is being held. Select a value from the drop-down menu.

    Date

    Specify a start date and end date for the class given in local time for the class location. The date format is in YYYY/MM/DD.

    Note:

    If the Portal Settings > Configuration > Allow instructors to extend class end time setting option is deactivated, the date range option is dimmed out for instructors in the instructor user interface.

    Instructors cannot modify or extend the class time once the class starts. However, administrators can modify the class time from the administrator user interface.

    Time

    Specify a start time and end time for the class given in local time for the class location. The time format is in HH/MM/SS.

    Preferred cloud location for class resources

    This option is available only if the Portal Settings > Configurations > Show preferred cloud location dropdown in the classes wizard tenant setting is activated.

    Use case scenario:

    • When the Preferred cloud location for class resources setting is activated;

      • If there is a prepopulated lab in a user's location, the lab is assigned to the user.

      • If there is no prepopulated lab in a user's location, then on-demand lab is deployed in the correct virtual cloud director.

      • In a class, if a user account has multiple clouds associated for the account and the same lab is deployed across all the cloud regions, you can choose the preferred location of the cloud to deploy the lab from. This option overrides the user's location set in the user account page.

    • When the Preferred cloud location for class resources setting is not activated;

      • In a class, if there is no preferred cloud location set, then all deployments are based on the user's location.

    Students

    Maximum Limit for the class

    Specify the maximum number of students allowed to register for a class.

    Upload CSV

    Create bulk student accounts and add them directly to the class.

    Add Student

    To view the list of VMware Lab Platform users from which you can add students, click Add Student.

    A student must have an account in the system to be eligible to be added to a class.

    Cloud Org VDC

    Displays the name of the cloud org VDC for the user name.

    Send New Token

    To send a verification email to the user when a student is assigned to a class, click Send New Token from the ellipses drop-down menu. The purpose of the email is to validate that the user’s email address is authentic.

    Send Notification Email

    To send notification email with information about the class to students, click Send Notification Email. The email can be customized in Portal Settings > Configuration > Email > Student assigned to class email. You can also send the quick launch URL for the class in the email. To auto-send the quick launch URL, activate the Portal Settings > Configuration > Email > Send an email to Student when assigned to Class.

    Clone vApp

    To clone a vApp for the class.

    Remove

    To remove a student from a class, click Remove.

    Allow self-enrollment

    Expand the Opening your class to more students form to view this option. Students can enroll themselves for a class.

    Allow self-registration

    Lets students without VMware Lab Platform accounts to create an account and self-register for the class. Students can use the Register option to create their VMware Lab Platform account. A registration URL is generated and sent to students to log in and enroll themselves in the class.

    Video Conferencing

    Type

    If a video conferencing application is supported for your organization, select the video conference option from the drop-down menu. Add the conference URL or meeting ID and password for the conference.

    Note:

    Currently, VMware Lab Platform supports only Zoom video conferencing. To enable video conferencing for VMware Lab Platform, contact the support team.

    Resource Management

    Pre-Provision Labs

    Specify a point in time before the class start date when the system must start making prepops for the lab. A pre-provision period saves student's time to wait for a vApp to power on when the lab is launched.

    Move the slider button to activate this feature and specify the time to pre-deploy a lab and keep additional lab resources in reserve over and above the data mentioned in the deployment pool. Resources for the entitlements are assigned from the deployment pool or the special class reserved resources.

    Note:

    The Pre-Provision Labs count option is grayed out, or unavailable if multiple labs are selected for the class. You can pre-provision labs only for a single lab instance.

    Skip provisioning of entitlements

    Select the Skip provisioning of entitlements option, to ensure that the resources are not assigned to students unless the lab is launched. This feature is useful in saving resources and cost, as it doesn't allow students to launch a lab before the scheduled lab date and time.

    If a student tries to launch a lab before the scheduled date and time, a warning message is displayed on the user interface.

    If the Skip provisioning of entitlements option is selected, you cannot provision an entitlement from the Classes page.

    Resource Saving Options

    Specify resource management settings. Slide the Resource Saving Options button to enable saving of resources for a lab. You can suspend or power off a lab after the class ends each day to save the resources.

    Publish

    Provides a snapshot of approximate resource usage for the class based on labs, number of students, and duration of the class.
  4. Click Create.

    The class is created and added to the Classes page. In the Classes listing page, the Instructor Launch URL and Registration URL columns have the options to “copy to clipboard” and “open in new tab”.

    Figure 1. Classes listing view
    Use the classes listing page to view the list of classes.

Results

A class instructor can now go to the Class page, select the class you created and start the instructor console. From the console, an instructor can monitor students of the class as they take the lab and even take over a given student’s lab console. For more information about the instructor console, see the Using and Managing the VMware Lab Platform Instructor Interface guide.

What to do next

Optionally, you can continue and add students to the class roster, or manage entitlements for the class. To create entitlements, on the Classes page, click the three ellipses icon next to the class, and click Create Entitlements. If a user is assigned multiple labs, then entitlements for each of the labs is created.

Note:

If a class does not have a lab template or deployment pool with a lab template, a warning message is displayed for the class on the Classes page.