College-level courses in the Information Technology (IT) area are usually offered in a computer laboratory instead of a lecture hall. Hands-on laboratory projects play a critical role in the learning process in these types of courses. When IT courses are offered as online, web-based courses, one approach is to let the students complete the hands-on lab on their own computer. This works for some courses as such computer applications or computer programming where a trial or student version of the software can be bundled with the textbook, allowing students access to the software. This approach does not work in some courses requiring advanced software that are either not available in a trial-version, or in courses which have a high level of "system requirements" that most home computer do not meet. Even when this approach can be used, there are some challenges such as operating systems (student's home PC is a Mac while the trial software is for IBM PC), version control (student's home PC has an older version of the application installed and the newer trial-version will not work concurrently on the same computer), or even cost (the trial-software will add to the cost of the textbook). A different approach is to use simulation software. This software provides students with a simulated environment to do the hands-on lab. Students taking an advanced Microsoft Server course can now use their home computer to "work" on the latest version of Windows Server without having to actually install the operating system on their personal computer. Two popular simulators are LabSim from TestOut and MyITLabs, from Pearson Education. A third approach is to rely on cloud computing, which has became a hot topic in the IT world. Cloud computing refers to putting services or applications on the web for customers to access or use. This has opened up a wide-range or possibilities for online teaching. Instead of asking students to install the software application on their home computer or using simulation software, students can access the "real thing" over the Internet. Some companies have developed some services that specifically address this educational need. Examples of such services include Microsoft Labs Online (MLO) and NetLab from Cisco. We will focus on two technologies for teaching IT classes in an online environment: software simulation, and cloud-based services. (I added this sentence to set the context) There are advantages and disadvantages to these two technologies. Some instructors have argued against using simulation software because of the nature of the system. Simulation software is not the "real thing" and since it is not as complex as the real system, it can't replicate the real software or system. There are parts of the simulation that will just not work right. It is not designed to completely mimic the real behavior of the software or system. For example, students cannot really make a major mistake (formatting a hard drive or corrupting the Windows registry) in their simulated environment. Instructors have argued that making mistakes is part of the learning process. In a face-to-face course, if a student makes a major mistake in the hands-on lab, it may means repeating the lab exercise all over again. This is not the case with simulation software. They often won't let you make those mistakes (the option to format the hard drive is not available or it is not possible to corrupt the Windows registry). Cloud-based services, which use virtualization technology, also have their own set of problems. Cost is a primary issue, as institutions or service providers must put in place an IT infrastructure to support the system. This means that this type of technology will cost as much, if not more, than the traditional computer labs. In some cases, it could cost significantly more because a specialized system or software has to be designed to put certain hardware (such as Cisco routers) on the cloud. It is no surprise that the major players in this area are the companies that designed those hardware or software that students are learning about (Microsoft and Cisco). The presenter is the Academic Director for Computer Networking & Security (CMIT) major at University of Maryland University College (UMUC). Today, UMUC is the largest public university in the U.S. with over 90,000 students. Most of UMUC's courses are offered as web courses with students from all over the world. CMIT courses help prepare students to take IT certifications. In 2011, close to 200 CMIT online sections are offered. When CMIT classes were conducted in a face-to-face setting, they are always offered in a computer laboratory setting. While designing and developing online versions of the CMIT classes, we evaluated and tested various systems, software, or other solutions that enable our online students to perform these hands-on lab exercises. We will look at various options which are available, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. We will also discuss the implications of the use of the different technologies as they relate to student learning, assessment, and academic integrity.
