Propeller Virtual Labs

Overview

Some courses may instruct students to complete an assignment using the virtual labs service provided by Oakland University. This article details how to access these virtual labs. 

Note: This article pertains the new virtual labs service provided by Propeller. As of March 2026, Propeller's virtual labs are in a "demo" phase. This article is subject to change is subject to change as the "demo" period ends. 

Accessing a Virtual Lab

  1. Launch a new virtual desktop with the following link:
  2. Sign-in with your Oakland University email and password. 
    • Note: If you receive an error message stating, "Your organization does not allow you to update your password." Please reset your password from: netid.oakland.edu

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  1. Upon sign-in, it will take approximately 2 minutes for the virtual lab to prepare.
  2. Once the virtual lab platform has finished starting, you can access an application that may be needed for a course from the "Installed Applications" folder on the Desktop:

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  1. Once you are done using the virtual lab, save your data (see the next step) and close out the virtual lab by clicking "Profile --> End Session" from the upper-right corner of the screen. 

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Saving Data

Virtual labs are non-persistent, meaning that when you close out of the browser tab all data saved within the virtual lab will be deleted. In order to save data, you should upload any data you want to save to your Oakland University Google Drive from the virtual lab. This includes the save files from specific software that you are working in.

Example: Uploading the save file from IBM SPSS to Google Drive (Applies to any other program you are working in)

As an example, if you are working in SPSS and need to save your progress before exiting the virtual lab, you could take the following steps to upload the save file to Google Drive: 

  1. Click "File" --> "Save as.." --> Choose a folder to temporarily save the file to, such as the Desktop.

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  1. Open the "Installed Applications" folder on the Desktop and open Microsoft Edge. Navigate to "drive.google.com" and sign-in. 
  2. Within Google Drive, drag and drop the save file to any folder/location in Google Drive to upload it. 

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Additional Support

  • OU Technology Center
  • 44 Oakland Center
  • Rochester, MI 48309-4479
  • (248) 370-4357
  • Office Hours: M-F 8:00am - 5:00pm
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