school teaching: resolve over adobe suite

Hi!
I'm a new teacher for multimedia productions, and I would like to teach Davinci resolve with 18-year-olds.
There are multiple problems, though:
the full Adobe CC is free for scholars and teachers, so this is (like Microsoft) no financial hurdle...
but still, I have the freedom to anyway use resolve, but - since every scholar has to bring his own Laptop - running DR will fail on many laptops due to the missing GPU.
I just thought of using fairlight at least as the first DAW playground, but this also is risky due to this GPU dependency.
Now I'm forced into Adobe Audition and lateron into premiere....
I feel bought somehow, but also technically blocked..
or do you see a way out of this conundrum?

greets
Mike

The awkward reality is that Resolve is designed and built to utilize maximum GPU power for debayer/decode/playback video. However the sudden change to become a 'all-in-one' shop partially conflicts this. It is somewhat solved with the fact that modern macbooks actually do run pretty reasonably since the M chips were introduced. But Windows based laptops or netbooks can be lacking power in that regard. This isn't the only problem however. IMO Resolve suffers from terrible UI design that makes it near unusable on low resolutions which laptops typically have. So even if you could use it for just Fairlight it's suboptimal. On top of that it would make a lot more sense to teach students a proper DAW that is standalone rather than involve quirks that only apply to Resolve. I don't think Audition is that candidate, perhaps Cakewalk is something to look at which is free or something more 'industry-standard'.

The only situation where Resolve would make more sense is having dedicated systems available in a classroom rather than have them use it on their laptops. But that comes with it's own challenges and downsides of course.

thanks for your detailed insights....
true, fairlight is it's own beast, BUT it's getting better and better.
also the built in effects and EQ are quite user-friendly, including the ducking/sidechain option.
The thing is, that teaching fairlight would directly lead to teaching the edit page next round... creating full films there at the end...

checking out other DAWs like cakewalk wouldnt help, since I wanted to lead them into davinci resolve ..
At the end, it's the fully available and edu-licensed Adobe CC then....

the dependency on gpu sucks and it's a pity...

greets
mike

A lot comes down to whether you're teaching your students how to edit, or how to use a particular software suite/app. Those going to set up their own systems will probably choose the one you've used (especially if your teaching focuses on it's specific features, UI, etc); the rest will end up using whatever their workplace uses (and shouldn't have trouble transferring skills if they've been taught editing rather than a specific package.

Many secondary schools in my area supply their students with Chromebooks that mean they use Google's word processor, spreadsheet, etc. As long as they're taught the principles behind the use, rather than app-specific features, they have no problem if they need to switch to, say, Word, Excel, etc when out in the world of work.

If I need to use a separate DAW I usually use Reaper, but Audacity is often a good one on which to learn the basics. For video, Clipchamp or iMovie (the ones included with Windows or macOS, respectively) might serve when teaching the basics, although that means not everyone will be using the same package and something you probably need to avoid. As you say, the DVR limitation is probably the GPU requirement but, if your students are serious about the subject, many/most may already have a laptop that will be useable. AdobeCC is usually the educational option but, if your students want to continue using it after the course, they'll need to pay the ongoing subscription. (I have a full CC licence available to me via work I do for the local college, though I don't actually use any of those apps nowadays; I weaned myself off Adobe when they went to the subscription model as I won't always have education access. Planning ahead has meant I've found alternative packages (like DVR) that are as good, or better, for my needs.)

Just my 2¢ worth that you're free to ignore

Why don't you take a look at Kdenlive. You can use it on Mac, Windows, or Linux. It's very similar in many aspects to Resolve. It's requirements are somewhat lower so I've been able to use it on many older machines.
https://kdenlive.org/en/

From 30 years of teaching post production at arts university level, I'd suggest that basic understanding and creative editing, grading and sound design is more important than the software you use.

If this school is aiming at technical qualifications, the choice of software may be the first consideration.

of course, you guys are right. I just wanted to give the very first impulse to resolve, rather than the most expensive (but edu-free) software...
and no, it's not about finding another Software or even force scholars into linux, but merely about pushing resolve into the world
btw, we have a couple of bmpccs at school, so it's the right choice anyway.... but: laptops without gpu are a nogo

Even a MacBook Air can handle BRAW if you give it 16 GB RAM.
But for PC laptops, did you have a look at Lightworks?
No BRAW, though.

of course, you guys are right. I just wanted to give the very first impulse to resolve, rather than the most expensive (but edu-free) software...
and no, it's not about finding another Software or even force scholars into linux, but merely about pushing resolve into the world
btw, we have a couple of bmpccs at school, so it's the right choice anyway.... but: laptops without gpu are a nogo

Do the students use laptops of their own choosing, and if so, does the school give them a minimum requirement? Or are these school-provided laptops? As you can see in my signature, I am using Resolve on a laptop, so it is not a given that their laptops do not have a usable gpu. And unless you need specific Studio features, Resolve is also free.

that's the thing... its their private chosing, and requiring too high cost is unfeasible...