Providing for autonomous hands-on learning and learner mobility using virtual computer technologies

This paper reports on a number of learning design interventions implemented by the authors' on various Computing/IT degree programmes to facilitate learner autonomy and mobility within physical space, while at the same time providing a rich 'hands-on' learning experience for students. Each of the learning interventions is centred on the use of virtual computer technologies to support, enhance or replace aspects of the traditional physically-fixed laboratory work that usually forms part of a computing course. The authors suggest that virtualisation technologies have a central role to play as a laboratory platform in e-learning and blended learning environments, as well as in 'traditional' environments. The motivation for these virtualisation learning interventions was borne out of a desire to deliver a true to life, engaging learning experience for students. Under 'traditional' structures, hands-on situated learning is frequently hampered by the constraining administrative and technical realities that exist within computer science departments and other settings. Quite simply, computing laboratories, or teaching laboratories, are typically shared resources making "full-on" student engagement more difficult ("you can do X, but you can't do Y"). This is particularly problematic for subject areas such as operating systems, networking, and forensic computing, where unconstrained access to a computer system for investigative purposes is central to the philosophy of the disciplines themselves. Consequently, there may be a tendency to structure subject matter along an imposed pedagogical ordering rather than aligning it to a pedagogy appropriate to the discipline. To redress this imbalance, the authors employed virtual computer technologies to replace the 'sterile' physical laboratories that were in place. Because a virtual computer can be fully decoupled from the actual computer system that is hosting it, unconstrained user interaction can be facilitated when necessary, without threatening the integrity, security or subsequent usability of the actual host system. A number of learning design interventions using computer virtualisation are described in this paper, as are student and instructor experiences and feedback in using the technology. Finally the significance of this technology to the eLearning community is presented.