Modernizing Infrastructure for Simulation-Heavy Environments
Modern CTE technology includes simulation-heavy environments, and IT leaders need to deliver infrastructure that can support those uses. Overall, “IT teams should build scalable environments that provide learners with realistic experiences,” says Joe Clarke, distinguished services engineer at Cisco.
“Physical labs can play a part in that learning but are expensive to operate and difficult to scale,” he says. “Virtual environments can support modern simulations and be automated to create repeatable and measurable scenarios while making more effective use of depreciating compute assets.”
Simulation tools in support of CTE often run in the cloud. That means IT will need to deliver strong high-speed internet bandwidth, says CoSN cybersecurity director Amy McLaughlin.
“You need a good connection through to the internet so that anything coming down from the cloud will come in quickly without interruption, without lag and delay,” says McLaughlin, who is also project director for CoSN’s CIRCUITS, a program that helps K–12 IT leaders build resilient, high-speed and secure school infrastructure.
If you’re hosting simulation equipment onsite, you’ll also want high-quality servers designed for that use. “It doesn’t have to be top of the line, but you don’t want to go for the bare minimum to run the environment,” McLaughlin says.
Lifecycle Management for Career and Technical Education Tools
As new CTE tools come into the mix, IT leaders will need to ensure they are vetting those tools thoughtfully and incorporating them into their lifecycle management strategies.
In vetting new simulation equipment, “one of the questions I always ask is: What is the underlying operating system?” McLaughlin says. With this type of equipment, there’s sometimes an OS lag, which can lead to security vulnerabilities, “so you want to make sure that it’s on the most current operating system.”
Agility and flexibility will be key to developing and growing CTE tools. “By favoring extensible CTE tools that integrate well with a diverse ecosystem, IT teams can more readily adapt CTE technologies as workforce needs change,” Clarke says.
IT teams should run pilots quickly, assess outcomes and avoid remaining tied to tools that no longer deliver value. “Teams should be prepared to evolve or replace platforms when doing so gives learners greater exposure to current technologies, realistic scenarios and skills they can apply in the workplace,” he says.
Partnering With Curriculum Leaders
The point of CTE technology is to support workforce-oriented learning. IT teams can and should partner with curriculum leaders to align that technology with those outcomes.
To ensure the tools deliver as needed, “IT and curriculum leaders should begin with the competencies required in real jobs, then work backward to design learning experiences grounded in realistic issues, pressures and operational responsibilities,” Clarke says.
UP NEXT: Communication between stakeholders makes a CTE construction effort successful.
That will include a careful evaluation of artificial intelligence-driven CTE tools. “AI can dramatically scale CTE by generating realistic scenarios, evaluating learner performance and providing individualized coaching,” he says. “Used thoughtfully, it can expand access to the practical experience needed to develop sound judgment, troubleshooting ability and workforce-ready skills.”
Often in CTE, educators pursuing new equipment may fail to coordinate with IT, and the tech leaders need to get out ahead of that. “IT needs to be working with curriculum leaders and saying, ‘Before you go purchase anything, you need to come talk to us,’” McLaughlin says. This will help ensure the tools work effectively and securely within the tech environment.
Tech leaders and curriculum teams have a shared interest here. “IT people in education are committed to the mission. They want teaching and learning to be successful,” McLaughlin says. Close coordination when choosing new CTE tools can help to make that happen.
