Online experimentation and interactive learning resources for teaching network engineering

This paper presents a case study on teaching network engineering in conjunction with interactive learning resources. This case study has been developed in collaboration with the Cisco Networking Academy in the context of the FORGE project, which promotes online learning and experimentation by offering access to virtual and remote labs. The main goal of this work is allowing learners and educators to perform network simulations within a web browser or an interactive eBook by using any type of mobile, tablet or desktop device. Learning Analytics are employed in order to monitor learning behaviour for further analysis of the learning experience offered to students

Open Networking Lab: online practical learning of computer networking

Learning to configure computer networks is a topic requiring a substantial practical component and suggesting a pedagogic approach that foregrounds experiential learning. However, providing appropriate computer networking hardware is expensive for classroom labs, and is not viable for individual distance learners. Simulation offers an alternative basis for practical learning and supports a range of modes, from individual distance learning to in-class blended learning. Sophisticated network simulation packages, such as Cisco’s Packet Tracer, have high fidelity to networking devices and can simulate complex network scenarios. Unfortunately their complex interfaces make it difficult for a novice student to engage productively. The Open Networking Lab (ONL) will provide online resources for students of introductory computer networking. It will take an activity-centred approach, supported with video and screencasts, in preference to lengthy text. Practical activity is based on PT Anywhere, a network simulator that provides students with an easy-to-use, browser-based interface over Cisco’s Packet Tracer. PT Anywhere thus provides fully authentic simulation but, by only revealing a subset of features, supports a carefully scaffolded approach to teaching and learning. We report at an early stage in the development of the ONL. Material is being piloted with students at UK Further Education colleges. Evaluation will include observation, surveys and interviews with students and staff; PT Anywhere also provides learning analytics. A further stage of development will culminate in a badged open course on the Open University’s OpenLearn platform. The ONL will provide vocational learning at scale in educational institutions, employment contexts and for individual learners

The Open Networking Lab: an open online course for experiential learning of computer networking

The Open Networking Lab project (https://onl.kmi.open.ac.uk/) aims to provide open online resources to enable anyone to learn the basics of computer networking. The project is hosted at The UK Open University and is supported by funding from UfI (www.ufi.co.uk) as part of their ‘VocTech Impact 2017’ funding initiative for vocational learning using digital technologies. Central to the project is the PT Anywhere network simulation software (Mikroyannidis et al. 2017) based on Cisco’s powerful Packet Tracer simulator. Learners can use PT Anywhere to develop their skills in solving computer networking problems. The ultimate aim is to enable as many learners as possible, regardless of prior educational background, to access employment in computer networking - an area which is in high demand from industry. The Open Networking Lab project is developing a Badged Open Course, which will be hosted on the Open University’s OpenLearn platform, where it will be accessible without cost to any learner or educator worldwide. Initial development is being carried out using the ‘sister’ platform OpenLearn Create so that the learning resources can be iteratively developed, piloted and improved prior to launch on OpenLearn itself. The Open Networking Lab course and resources will be evaluated with learners and teachers from Further Education colleges within the Cisco Networking Academy (www.netacad.com). The evaluation will involve hundreds of learners at different colleges within the UK. Data will be gathered from learners using surveys and observation, and from teachers via interviews. PT Anywhere and OpenLearn also provide various kinds of learning analytics. This data, with appropriate ethical considerations, will form a key part of the evaluation. Using PT Anywhere enables an experiential and practical approach to learning (Kolb, 1984; Brown et al., 1989). Learners will be shown, primarily via videos, screencasts and animations, how computer networks are set up and configured. They will then try out these ideas for themselves using the PT Anywhere simulator. Quizzes and other forms of assessment will enable learners to demonstrate that they have gained specific skills; they will then be able to claim corresponding digital badges. This package of activity-based learning should help learners feel motivated and engaged, and enable them to gain a sense of achievement as they progress through the online course. References: Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18 (1), 32-42. Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mikroyannidis, A., Gomez-Goiri, A.; Smith, A. and Domingue, J. (2017). Online experimentation and interactive learning resources for teaching network engineering. In: 2017 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), 25-28 Apr 2017, Athens, Greece, IEEE, pp. 181–188

An Open Networking Lab for practical open education

The Cisco Networking Academy programme (NetAcad) supports education and training in network engineering worldwide. NetAcad works with diverse educational institutions to offer an educational ‘vertical’ from beginner to advanced network engineer. However, as recognised by employment stakeholders, skills shortages in networking remain (Tech Partnership, 2016), particularly at the entry point (vocational levels two/three). NetAcad has been seen as a closed community based on the use of proprietary (Cisco) technology, but since 2013 it has moved towards openness through the release of APIs, free-to-use software/content, and the adoption of open standards. This has been, in part, enabled via scalable engagement projects with diverse stakeholders, including the UK Open University (OU). The OU is an Academy Support Centre (ASC) within NetAcad, supporting the growth and academic development of network engineering. In collaboration with Cisco and funded by the Ufi Charitable Trust, the OU is developing an online Badged Open Course (BOC), as part of the Open Networking Lab project (onl.kmi.open.ac.uk). Using the OU’s OpenLearn Create educational platform (www.open.edu/openlearncreate) under a CC-BY-SA-NC licence, material from the course can be taken and reused. The BOC will provide what is colloquially described as ‘zero to hero’ learning in network engineering and represents approximately 24 hours of study over 8 weeks. The course, which is free and open to all, is aimed at post-16 learners and is intended for use both by individuals engaged in independent study and classroom-based learners. Early versions of the course have been used by a number of UK further education colleges over the past 12 months. These institutions have been using the course with students who are studying towards a vocational qualification but currently have little previous experience of networking. Drawing on Sfard (1998), who argued that acquisition and participation are both necessary for learning, the course is primarily a combination of screencasts (acquisition) followed by experience/practice (participation) with a web-based computer network simulator. With the use of an Open API, integration between Cisco’s freely available and powerful ‘Packet Tracer’ network simulator and any compatible browser is enabled. The web-based network simulator, known as ‘PT Anywhere’ (Mikroyannidis et al., 2017) offers an authentic experience of networking, while developing learners’ confidence. Students can put into immediate practice technological skills learned via the screencasts. Each new practical activity delivers a network with configurable components. Students can follow the instructions, as well as freely exploring the network – adding, removing or modifying components. We will present findings from two large-scale evaluations of different stages of the course development. These evaluations took place with FE colleges using the course, and include student surveys, observations, learning analytics and interviews with staff. We will consider how these findings have shaped the development of the course as it moves towards becoming a BOC, hosted on the OU’s OpenLearn platform (www.open.edu/openlearn) and also accessible via the OU’s OpenSTEM Labs (stem.open.ac.uk/study/openstem-labs). We will discuss with participants the implications of being open to a range of learners with different learning preferences, learning needs and prior experience. References Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice-Hall Inc., New Jersey. Mikroyannidis, A., Gomez-Goiri, A., Smith, A. & Domingue, J. (2017) Online Experimentation and Interactive Learning Resources for Teaching Network Engineering. IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON). Athens, Greece http://oro.open.ac.uk/49733/, IEEE Education Society Publications. Sfard, A. (1998). On Two Metaphors for Learning and the Dangers of Choosing just One. Educational Researcher, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp.4-13 Tech Partnership (2016). Factsheet: Demand for Digital specialists [online]. Available at:https://www.tpdegrees.com/globalassets/pdfs/research-2016/factsheet_demandfordigitalspecialists_july16.pdf. [Accessed 30 November 2018]