Options for network training


Currently, as a provider of training solutions, you have a number of options for providing students with practice in working with network hardware and software. The simplest option is to allow them to practise with your organisation’s current network, trying out various options and learning from their mistakes; but then the simplest options aren’t always the best, as you’d soon realise on your way to the dole office after the inevitable major systems crash.

Your second option is to set up all the hardware and software you could need in a classroom, where any damage that is done is confined within the walls of the training centre. For some time this has been the most popular option and one which all the major IT training providers have been happy to offer. However, keeping up with all the latest hardware and software can be a problem, as Clarke explains: “Networking equipment is getting more and more expensive. To provide a full Cisco curriculum would require $1.5m of equipment and hours of setup time for each lab. And if you need to move the training from one location to another, you’re talking about a major shipping challenge.”

A third option is to simulate the hardware and software in some way, as part of a packaged CD-ROM or web-based training solution. But simulations aren’t quite the real thing, as Geoghegan has realised: “Feedback from students tells us that simulations, whilst useful, have their limitations. Because they never contain the full functionality of the live system, it is actually quite hard for students to make mistakes. And without the opportunity to make mistakes, your learning is limited.”

So, this is where e-labs come in, providing you with a fourth option. Clarke: “The only thing that an online lab cannot replicate is physically plugging in the equipment. Our own research shows that 90% of the real learning takes place with the console/GUI and only 10% is physical. However, we recognise that this 10% is important and so we offer it through third party classroom providers. The advantage for them is that they only need a minimum of hardware to cover this need.” And the effectiveness of e-labs has been borne out in practice, as Clarke explains: “An industry average pass rate for vendor certifications is 55%, less if the student is learning from a book. E-learning can raise the pass rate to 75%, but with our integrated solution, including extensive use of online labs, we’re achieving 94%.” And, according to Geoghegan, e-labs actually provide a more realistic experience than in the classroom: “The feedback you receive can actually be more aligned to the real world than it would be live. These days engineers will frequently have to diagnose problems online before making a visit in person.”




E-Learning's Greatest Hits
E-learnings Greatest Hits
ISBN: 0954590406
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 198

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