09-38

**RTO**
TAFE NSW, Western Institute Parkes College Information Technology Section

**Contact**
Jenny Kingham Head Teacher, Business Arts & IT jennifer.kingham@tafensw.edu.au

**Category**
Empowering learners

**Business Partner**
[|VMWare]

Executive summary
[|Parkes TAFE College] is a rural college located in the middle of NSW and in Western Institute, which constitutes 65% of the state of NSW. The IT section at Parkes College has been delivering IT training online since 1995, and today [|Lachlan IT Online] offers Certificate II - Diploma in IT via flexible self paced delivery, based around learning resources which include TAFE Online products and Flexible Learning Toolboxes, hosted and maintained on the section web server, regular student contacts, podcasts and online tutorials delivered via Adobe Connect. Parkes IT specialises in delivery of training for Certificate III, IV and Diploma in IT (Networking) and CISCO CCNA and Certificate IV and Diploma in IT (Web Design/Development).

Traditionally teachers and/or students have travelled to a TAFE college in a larger towns in Western Institute to undertake practical workshops and assessments in IT in order to access the often expensive and unique equipment that is required to set up complex computer networks.

This project will address the challenges associated with the availability of specialist IT equipment and technology and physical distance barriers to learning that remote online students face when undertaking high level IT training, due to the need for complex and expensive networking equipment to enable effective practical skill development.

This project will support the development, set up and testing of a virtual IT lab which will be accessed via an online download and can then be installed on a single computer. The virtual lab can incorporate multiple servers, clients and equipment as required for practical work in the Certificate IV and Diploma units of study, without the need for multiple computer systems and associated hardware.

The assistance of the [|VMWare] company as a Business Partner will enable this project based on the use of VMWare to generate a virtual environment on the student's existing computer, which can then be used to undertake the networking practical tasks in a safe and reproducable virtual environment. The ability to download and operate the virtual IT lab will enable individualised learning to take place where a student is located, using their existing computer, which will significantly enhance the accessibility of practical experience and learning in IT Networking for all learners wish to undertake this specialised high level training. The incorporation of a virtual IT lab into this training will enable remote learners to undertake their practical learning where they are located, and will also provide remote connection back to the Parkes IT lab, so that teachers at Parkes can remotely examine and troubleshoot the practical work completed by the student remotely.

The deliverables from this project will align to the practical training components required for units in the Certificate IV in IT (Networking), and will enable learners to undertake realistic complex computer networking tasks and troubleshooting without the need to travel, to purchase expensive equipment or to put their own computer system at risk while learning experientially about computer networking.

**Final report [[file:Project Profile for 09-038 final.doc]] [[file:Student_Guide_V8.pdf]]**
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