The world of online and consumerisation of software continues to grow, bringing with it endless opportunities; the most noteworthy being access to information. Information is knowledge and knowledge is power, making education and access to education probably one of the most significant benefactors of the technology explosion.

"Online degrees are enriching the lives of millions," says Michael Turnbull, manager of Technica, an interactive multimedia-training programme seeking to redefine the vocational skills training landscape in South Africa.

With its origins in 1999, e-learning quickly took off, and increases in computer usage and internet access have swiftly led to the evolution of e-learning tools and delivery methods. This has brought education opportunities to individuals who otherwise would have been limited by either time or geography. "Add to this faster internet speeds and the resultant growth of multimedia and, together with the proliferation of mobile and smartphone technology, it is safe to assume we are entering a world where the opportunity for education will literally be at everyone's fingertips," adds Turnbull.

But despite its limitations and costs, a lot can be said for the physical classroom. It enables practical application of knowledge, while also fostering a social community interaction between both students and teacher. E-learning courses are fine for conveying facts, but true interaction and practical application is key to the learning process. "You understand something when you know how to do it," says Chris Dede, simulations for education, Harvard.

So how does this translate into the world of online education? Are we having to compromise on certain essentials for the value of mass and easily accessible education? Not necessarily so, says Turnbull.

With technology constantly evolving, e-learning institutions are now able to offer problem-solving and practical application online. Enter the world of the virtual lab. "A virtual lab creates a classroom environment to enhance the learning experience, by giving the student real-life problems," continues Turnbull. From planning an experiment, analysing data, participating in a team, to a myriad of other social interactions critical to the learning experience, the birth of the virtual lab has taken e-learning education to a whole new level.

"The advantages of virtual labs are endless," adds Turnbull. "Apart from offering the student a ‘real-life' classroom environment, the cost-effectiveness of virtual labs enables education providers to offer consistent training to many more students, thereby making education and the ability to upskill within everyone's reach."

It provides a complete learning experience. Virtual labs enable students to conduct experiments and in so doing, learn basic and advanced concepts. They can make use of various tools available for learning from additional web resources, video lectures, animated demonstrations and even self-evaluation. "It also enables the sharing of expensive equipment and resources, which would otherwise only be available to a limited few," adds Turnbull.

And the future? The possibility of virtual internships is closer to reality. Conducted at the Universities of Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh with undergraduate engineering students, pre- and post-internship assessments verified the success of this programme, highlighting how it facilitated students' confidence and enthusiasm. Work is now being done to evolve the virtual internship platform to support internships across any discipline.

"We are beginning to think about education in a whole new way," says Turnbull. "Who knows where this increasing access to learning and knowledge will take the world; and the effect it will have on mankind, let alone the lives of individuals."

Technica will be participating in the forthcoming ITWeb Security Summit, which will be staged at the Sandton Convention Centre from 27-29 May. In over 30 sessions presented in tracks for either senior business management or IT security professionals, information security professionals will examine the risks facing enterprise information systems today, and the strategies and technologies needed to counter them. In-depth workshops will also be presented on day three of the event, offering practical training on security status reporting and testing web applications for security vulnerabilities.
For more information, go to www.securitysummit.co.za Join the conversation on Twitter at #itwebsec

Editorial contact:
Leigh Angelo
ITP Communications
Tel: (011) 869 9153
Email: leigh@tradeprojects.co.za