Utilization of cloud technologies in building a virtual programming lab for higher education in afghanistan work in progress

In the recent years, educational institutions are using the advantage of cloud computing in e-learning. In Kabul Polytechnic University (KPU) programming courses begin with introductory lectures in algorithms provided as lecture sessions and the concepts taught are applied in lab activities later, in order to connect the programming theories with practice, laboratory activities require services/resources (e.g. web server, database server, network resources...etc.) These resources need to be available during the lab activity. But in reality, the resources are limited and the number of students exceeds the number of resources. In this paper, we are introducing an architecture Virtual Programming Practice Lab (VPPL). The solution is intended to increase the capability of computer labs for programming courses currently offered at KPU.