Per previously announced Global University Program policy, course labs are moving to a simulated environment. With this method, students are given screen-shots of the actual software and asked to enter a response. The correct answer will continue the lab. All software exposure is as the product would show as of the date of the lab preparation. This method provides several benefits.
Students can not get lost in deciphering various, and sometimes not beginner level, error messages from their wrong responses, thus help to keep them on track to learn the lab goal.
For some courses, the simulated lab also avoids local software installation on the student’s computer. This local installation sometimes incurs one or more of the following situations:
- Students have not done software installations on their computer
- Students do not have permission to do so
- School issued computers may have IT administrative policies that prevent the local installation
- School issued computers may have network access rules that prevent certain types of LAN traffic used in some labs
Many labs rely on Cloud-based software that can be updated automatically. Sometimes that affects the operation of the lab. Sometimes features are shifted in the lite level of the Cloud account that is used in Skills Academy, resulting in changes to the lab.
Even if a cloud-based software update does not affect the operation of a function or API, the on-screen view of the software may change from the photos in the Lab Guide, confusing the student.
As of this date, the Cyber Security course has simulated labs, and the Cloud course will have them soon.
For some courses, the traditional labs will remain accessible in the course outline, for those wanting that experience. However, this will be a transition process, and eventually, those labs will be removed from the Skills Academy Portal.
The number and format of the simulated labs may not be the same as with the original version; however, the same educational benefit is retained.
As a further improvement, the Lab Guides will be made printable, so students can have a paper copy, to avoid taking up screen real estate on a laptop computer. The ability to print also makes it easier to make notes during the progress of the lab.
