Docker containers are nice, but I don't think it will help newcomers.
I've seen College freshmen that have assignment in Scheme, I don't think they
will know how to use Docker.
I've found Podman, a Docker-compatible implementation of the container spec. that doesn't require root access, to work well and to be easy to set up.
Also, there are services like Render.com that support containers. Render is commercial, but it does have a free tier.
Just a thought.
You all are more ambitious than I am!