Eller MIS Department Partners with DigitalOcean to Serve Students

The University of Arizona’s top-ranked Master of Science in Management Information Systems Department recently partnered with DigitalOcean, a leading cloud service provider (CSP), to offer free cloud computing resources for students enrolled in a master’s level cloud computing class. DigitalOcean, known for its innovative and developer-friendly offerings, is a tech community favorite, providing a simple, scalable and approachable cloud for digital native enterprises. 

Fundamentals of Cloud Computing and its Design Strategies, written and taught by Zara Ahmad-Post, covers a wide range of cloud technologies that are essential for a successful career in the tech industry. Both an alumnus of the University of Arizona and a member of the DigitalOcean security team, Ahmad-Post was eager to bring a hands-on approach to teaching cutting-edge cloud computing technologies in the classroom, including a special topics unit on training, deploying, and serving AI and ML models in the cloud. 

Cloud computing costs can be high and unpredictable, creating significant barriers for students learning cloud computing and software engineering. To address this challenge GitHub created the Student Developer Program, a suite of credits and services that can be accessed by students enrolled in accredited universities. These credits can be used on multiple cloud platforms — including DigitalOcean — while students are in school.

In the first semester of the course, Ahmad-Post identified a gap in the credits offered by CSPs and the requisite funding needed to complete portfolio-driven assignments. She realized that students would not be able to architect end-to-end cloud-based systems using only the credits offered through GitHub and the free-tier resources offered by CSPs. 

Recognizing an opportunity to better serve Arizona students, Ahmad-Post initiated discussions with DigitalOcean about creating a partnership. Tim Lisko, Senior Director of Security Engineering and IT at DigitalOcean, immediately recognized the opportunity to create a meaningful educational experience for the next generation of cloud professionals. He spearheaded the creation of a grant providing students in Ahmad-Post’s class unlimited cloud resources on DigitalOcean for the duration of the semester.

“When Zara explained to me the issues that her class ran into the previous semester (i.e. credits not covering the full semester) I immediately thought about sponsorship and put the wheels in motion,” says Lisko. “Our industry is built on knowledge sharing and hands-on experimentation. Our customers come to DigitalOcean to learn and build their future on a very simple and accessible cloud platform — there’s no need for a specialized degree just to use DigitalOcean. This allowed Zara to design impactful labs that focus on the core technologies, instead of a specific provider's products, without her students taking on additional economic burdens while learning.”

The partnership has enabled significant learning outcomes that would not have been possible otherwise. “DigitalOcean’s support unlocked some truly impressive outcomes this semester,” says Ahmad-Post. “The company’s backing enabled my students to implement real-world cloud solutions that otherwise would not have been financially feasible to build. The opportunities that this partnership provided can’t be overstated- it empowered my students with more hands-on experience in cloud technologies than they are likely to find in any other educational setting.” 

The combination of hands-on skill-building assignments, lectures exploring cutting-edge technologies, and Ahmad-Post’s characteristic enthusiasm and humor have made the class a fast favorite among students. The partnership demonstrates how industry support can help remove financial barriers while serving as a powerful model for meaningful academic-industry collaboration.