Academic Cloud
The Academic Cloud (AC) is a service offered by the Universities of Lower Saxony and can be used by all staff, lecturers and students at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Originally created as a cloud service to synchronise data on different computers, AC now offers many other functions.
Functions of Academic Cloud
- Sync & Share (file management)
- Only Office (file creation and editing)
- Meet / Big Blue Button (video conferencing)
- LimeSurvey (online surveys)
An overview of all services is provided by the MIZ (access only from the Leuphananetz/per VPN).
Possible Uses of Sync & Share
In the classroom, Sync & Share is particularly useful for sharing and collaborating on folders and documents. It is ideal for student workgroups and can be used via a client or web browser.
- Share folders and files with selected people or - via link sharing - with entire groups, e.g. the results of group work.
- By integrating the online office suite Only Office, documents can be edited directly in the browser - even by multiple people at the same time.
- Only Office offers similar functionality to MS Office and includes several options for web-based collaboration.
- Excel spreadsheets and presentations can also be edited.
It is possible for the teacher to share a folder/files from their AC account with students and for students to share folders or files from their account with others.
AC can be seen as a powerful and privacy-preserving alternative to services such as Google Drive (all data is stored in Lower Saxony).
Detailed instructions with many screenshots on how to share and collaborate on documents via AC can be found in the PDF handout from the Teaching Service.
Instructions and videos on how to use OnlyOffice (OnlyOffice Help Centre).
If you have further questions about the Academic Cloud, please use the FAQ of the MIZ (access only from the Leuphana network/via VPN) or contact it-service@leuphana.de.