Teaching Computing / Python Setup Used and Security Required? How do you do it?

[bjohnny42]

So we are looking at teaching Computing to GCSE.

 

Network management 101 says don't let users run software you haven't approved and tested never mind let pupils run their own code. And never in a world where they can drop on a website and copy something someone else has written and run it with no clue what it actually might do!

 

So how do you do it in a managed and network secure way? Maybe gotchas?

 

Python seems to be language of choice, but there is a heck of a lot more to it than that. It's not going to be install python on the c drive of the computer and leave them to it... So what i'm looking for is for those who have been doing this for a long time to share some setup ideas and themes. What works well and what doesn't?

 

There are websites out there that let you code and save. Anyone use them? How do you know they aren't going to close just before deadline day...

Standalone PCs / Laptops which don't get used for anything else?

VMs installed on the individual workstations which then restart a fresh every session?

A suite with workstations just used for programming?

Python installed on the standard workstations and cross your fingers?

RDS environment where they all share a system with the programming tools and environment installed?

 

Do you allow them access to the internet?

 

And what of the exam courses that let you program in the exam? How have are you going to provision 50 pupils doing the exam when you actually only have one lab of 25?

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. We want to support but not put the network at risk. It's 30 years since my programming days. Pascal isn't where it's at anymore.....

 

Or am i being paranoid as with python you can't get upto any mischief on the main network?

 

All this is from the perspective of network management, what they actually teach and how is as ever in the hands of the teaching specialists!

Edited January 22, 2022 by bjohnny42

[mavhc]

The threat of someone being able to run their own code is:

 

1) they can exploit flaws in your security -- on the plus side at least a kid found it and now you know about it before the professional ransomware people did

2) the ransomware people can now run python

3) kids can do things like create 1000s of files a second, basically DoS the system

 

 

As for computer based exams, make sure the Head and money people are aware of that, you need to limit the CS class to the number of computers you have now, should have a load of free laptops from the government though.

 

I'm a big fan of letting the students just run standard tools, cmd, taskmanager, python installed as usual, interacting with the OS is half of learning to program.

 

In the end you can do everything bad you can do in python with a MS Office macro anyway, so your network has to be secure no matter what system you pick. Why not use this as an opportunity to get the network more secure, if you need money to do that, then point that out to the boss. "I want to improve learning and save the school from having to pay a ransom at the same time, 2 for 1 investment in your money"

[jthompson]

Been doing this for years using VirtualBox. Students launch a VM that has an immutable vhd and no network connectivity. You can use the shared drives feature of VirtualBox to bring mapped drives from the host into the VM (e.g. the student's user area for saving files).

 

Login scripts are used to lockdown VirtualBox to prevent students from adjusting VM configs or adding their own VMs.

 

Have to say it's been bulletproof. Deploying the VM files to each workstation is a bit of work.

 

Plenty of purely online options, too, which others on this forum will be able to recommend.

[howartp]

If you search for “virtualbox” there’s at least one long thread on this subject which includes several peoples solutions - not just Virtualbox.

 

(I’m on Tapatalk so can’t search and share link for you right now.)