Adobe Creative Cloud available for students

Sol Garcia| THE RIDER

Students were granted access to Adobe Creative Cloud through Virtual Labs Sept. 15, as long as they are connected to UTRGV’s Wi-Fi.

Adobe Creative Cloud includes Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, Premier Pro and 17 other programs that students can access at no cost while connected to the university’s Wi-Fi, said Jeff Graham, chief information officer for Information Technology. 

“The only caveat is you have to be on campus to access it because of our licensing,” he said. “You have to be connected to the Eduroam network [UTRGV’s Wi-Fi network] or actually be on campus.”

To access Adobe’s programs, students must first log in to Virtual Labs with their UTRGV credentials. Once on Virtual Labs, students can select any Adobe Creative Cloud program. Virtual Labs allows students to run about 16 different programs and can be used on any device, Graham said. 

“You can run all of the programs we have available in our physical labs,” he said. “It’s run in a web browser on your device.” 

Besides Adobe Creative Cloud, all other programs on Virtual Labs can be accessed off campus, Graham said. 

Students can access UTRGV’s Wi-Fi from the university’s parking lots, Graham said. On the Edinburg campus, the Wi-Fi can be accessed from parking Lots E-3, E-6, E-9, E-12, E-14 and E-16. Brownsville students can access it from parking Lot B-1 according to IT’s webpage for student resources for working remotely. 

Access to Adobe Creative Cloud will benefit students because experience with the programs is in demand in work industries, Graham said. 

“The ability to use them, and practice them, and become proficient at it would definitely be something you put on a résumé that make[s] you more competitive,” he said.

Asked if students will still have access to Adobe Creative Cloud once students return to campus, Graham said they will continue to offer it. 

“Yes, it’s available in all the labs on campus, and it’ll also continue to be available in the Virtual Lab[s],” he said. 

Dustin Pruitt, a lecturer in the Department of Communication believes access to Adobe Creative Cloud will allow students to learn and improve their skills with the software. 

“The more time [students] spend with it, they’re just gonna get better at it and faster,” said Pruitt, who uses Adobe Premier Pro in his classes. 

Pruitt encourages students, who do not have the software at home, to come to campus to access Adobe Creative Cloud. 

Ruben Loza, a mass communication sophomore, said access to Adobe Creative Cloud can help students with signing documents, editing photos and more. However, he is concerned that students may be at risk of contracting COVID-19 because students will need to connect to UTRGV’s Wi-Fi.

“They would have to come to campus to be able to use that server,” Loza said. “It could have a positive and negative influence because students could possibly be at risk of being subjected to the pandemic.”

For further information or access to Virtual Labs, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/it/software/vlabs/index.htm.