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

PT Anywhere: a mobile environment for practical learning of network engineering

The main challenges commonly associated with acquiring practical network engineering skills are the requirements for access to specialised and up-to-date network equipment, as well as the high costs associated with obtaining and maintaining this equipment. The PT Anywhere initiative addresses these challenges by offering a mobile environment for acquiring practical knowledge and skills of network engineering. PT Anywhere facilitates learner-centred anywhere/anytime learning and offers learners access to high-quality interactive learning resources. Additionally, PT Anywhere employs Learning Analytics in order to help learners and educators in understanding and improving learning. This paper presents the learning design and software design principles driving the development of PT Anywhere, as well as the outcomes of an evaluation session conducted with members of the Cisco Networking Academy. The results of this evaluation indicate that PT Anywhere holds the potential to engage learners in different ways inside and outside of the classroom, without the need for access to specialised equipment

Utilizando o testbed Smart City para treinar alunos de engenharia em tópicos de gerenciamento de rede durante a pandemia de COVID-19

Com as imensas oportunidades para tornar uma rede de comunicação programável, a virtualização de funções de rede e redes definidas por software estão ganhando força tanto na indústria quanto nos círculos de pesquisa, sendo um conjunto de habilidades fundamentais para engenheiros elétricos e cientistas da computação. Portanto, neste artigo, apresentamos e avaliamos a estrutura educacional para o ensino prático de Service Function Chaining (SFC) para alunos de graduação com o objetivo de prepará-los para o futuro mercado de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) e redes de comunicação que demandará profissionais habilidosos na área. A estrutura educacional foi projetada para o curso de Gerenciamento de Rede da Universidade de Antuérpia, com o objetivo de preencher a lacuna entre os conceitos de programabilidade de rede aplicados na indústria e os ensinados na Universidade. Avaliamos a estrutura educacional com duas extensas pesquisas como feedback dos alunos que nos deram a oportunidade de medir e quantificar a experiência e satisfação dos alunos com a estrutura. Em particular, com base no ambiente desafiador imposto pelo COVID-19, identificamos as lacunas neste quadro educativo e abordar melhorias nas componentes teórica e prática de acordo com as necessidades dos alunos. Nossa estrutura educacional e a avaliação minuciosa servem como uma orientação útil sobre como modernizar os cursos de engenharia e acompanhar o ritmo da tecnologia