Dive Brief:

• California's community college system recently introduced a virtual space for academic learning, data storage and student engagement, becoming the first and one of the largest non-four year systems to implement the technology, according to Campus Technology. 
• The NETLAB+ system allows students in forensics, cybersecurity, networking, Linux and computer support to have increased access to shared assignments, peer review and lab assigments.
• More than 50 institutions in the system are running on the platform, which also services the Bay Area Community College Consortium. 

Dive Insight:

These are the kinds of agreements which bolster student access and participation, while saving colleges money on IT management and learning materials. As research continues to surface about the rising costs for academic resources, including digital tools, these systems allow for hundreds of students to access content without extra costs for electronic codes and signatures associated with tests and textbooks. 

Additionally, college leaders can look at the California model as an example of how to implement and pilot tech engagement for programs the federal government has identified as industry-relevant offerings that will continue to receive the support of grants and federal aid in the coming years.