Virtual Hands on Cutting Cost, Business Proposal Example

The Addition of virtual hands-on learning in the IT Department of American InterContinental University

This paper serves to offer a rationale for the offering of a virtual hands-on approach to learning in the area of IT. Ideally this approach would be added to the curriculum, to be used in conjunction with the applied theory concepts already offered through American InterContinental University.

American InterContinental University, hereafter referred to as AIU, currently offers an IT Program that is primarily based on applied theory concepts. While applied theory is one manner in which to learn material, it does leave both the student, and the learning institution, at a disadvantage given the research on learning theories and the technological advancements of this current age. Research has proven that learning methods and modalities play a significant role in the success of the learner, both in the learning environment and in future career opportunities. Several learning theories such as, experiential learning, cognitive theory of multimedia learning, problem-based learning, discovery learning, and affordance theory, ⁽¹⁾, offer significant support for combining both kinesthetic and theory based learning as the most effective and successful learning method. Students that are not given this ability to experience their learning in more than one modality are put at a disadvantage when they enter the corporate world as compared to their peers.

Given the competitive educational market in which students have a much larger option base to choose their post secondary educational institutions from, it behooves a University of stature to offer the best and most prolific options possible. A learning institution that provides the most current and up to date methods of education, especially in a highly competitive and ever-changing market such as IT would experience higher enrollment and student satisfaction. A student that has been provided with the opportunity to engage in a virtual hands-on learning experience is more likely to demonstrate a higher confidence level, leading in turn to more efficient performance on operational tasks once they begin their employment.

The corporate world is highly competitive and requires students to begin performing tasks in the workplace with a high degree of competency almost immediately upon hiring. In order for a student to be able to perform such physical tasks as putting a Data Network together, or Physically implementing security protocols into a Data Network, they must have hands-on experience, not just theory based knowledge. Although some areas offer internships for students to gain experience, having virtual hands-on learning within the classroom will enable them to receive greater benefits from performing in these internships. “Many internships in the United States are career specific. Students often choose internships based on their major at the university/college level. It is not uncommon for former interns to acquire full-time employment at an organization once they have enough necessary experience. The challenging job market has made it essential for college students to gain real world experience prior to graduation. Jeff Gunhus, CEO for one of the largest internship programs in the U.S. said, “Undergraduates face different challenges than the average person looking for a career.” ⁽²⁾ This leads to greater opportunity for employment positions directly after finishing school, as Corporations want students to have real-world experiences that cover what they will do on the job, prior to hiring them.

By adding a virtual hands-on component to the already existing IT program at AIU, students will experience less frustration with being unable to get the tools to compete properly in the corporate world. As it is apparent that this type of learning has been made available in other departments, this has increased the frustration level of knowing that it has not been made available to the IT Department. In order to compete with other schools offering IT training in today’s marketplace, and to keep students from switching to these same schools because of their virtual hands-on programming, it is essential that this component be added to the curriculum at AIU. This would make AIU a more competitive and attractive opportunity within the current educational marketplace.

As cost is a significant factor in curriculum development and implementation it is pertinent to note that while there would be cost involved with implementing this into the IT Department, that same cost would be offset or balanced through other measures. First, virtual hands-on education saves money over time, as there is less cost associated with continually purchasing new computer equipment every few years. Instead, as long as the virtual software remained up to date, the existing computers would not need to be replaced as often. This means that the institution would save money on the hardware once the program was implemented. Secondly, there are numerous Universities and Corporations already using this method from which research and implementation, as well as education of staff, would a viable method to draw upon. Companies such as Element K Corporation, in which they “assist with virtual production environments for safe, affordable technology training,” ⁽³⁾ would be an excellent resource to investigate further for the implementation of virtual hands-on training. Research into other reputable schools using this technology would also assist in the learning curve for AIU.

As Mr. Collins points out in his article on the role of the virtual workplace in the future, “higher education has a significant role to play. Business and industry will be looking for an educated workforce ready to meet the challenges these new environments present, from new modes of marketing, design, and manufacturing to new kinds of management and organizational leadership models that leverage virtual environments as one option in a suite of online tools serving the needs of companies and their customers. As virtual economic activity and the delivery of virtual goods and services increase, so too will the need for new areas of research and scholarship. In addition, higher education institutions can benefit from many of the same cost-saving techniques as businesses by leveraging the collaborative capabilities of virtual worlds for conducting the “business” of education.” ⁽⁴⁾  Clearly, planning for the future would increase the success of AIU’s IT students.

References

Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2010, September). at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved September 20^th, 2010 from http://www.learning-theories.com/

Intern: United States (2010, September). at Wikipedia. Retrieved September 20^th, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern

Hands-on Experience with Virtual Labs: Virtual production environments for safe, affordable technology training (2008). at Element K Corporation. Retrieved September 20^th, 2010 from http://www.trainingindustry.com/media/2122681/element%20k%20handsonwithvlabs.pdf

Looking to the Future: Higher Education in the Metaverse …(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume43/LookingtotheFutureHigherEducat/163164