Plenary Lecture
Challenges of contemporary educational technologies in Engineering and Networking disciplines
Professor Savitri Bevinakoppa
Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT)
Australia
E-mail: sbevinakoppa@mit.edu.au
Abstract: Education is constantly changing and becoming technology oriented. Recent trend in students’ learning is based on the use of contemporary technology. There is a need for educational transformation using these technologies, as a result of students having their own learning styles depending on their perception, attitude, knowledge and role of constructing levels.
This talk emphasizes performance analysis of enterprise networks in an educational environment. It reviews contemporary technologies and challenges such technologies as applied in engineering and computer networking disciplines. Emerging technologies include e-learning, podcasts, video-casts, social media, etc. Main components of e-learning include; rich media, the Internet, mobile phones, iPods, and laptops. Use of social media for peer to peer learning offers new opportunities for students to share knowledge. Social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are used extensively to enhance the core skills of reading and numeracy as well as social development and self confidence.
To teach fundamental and theoretical aspects of engineering or computer networking units, enhanced units should include visual (videocast) and audio material, interactive simulations, e-labs, quizzes/tests, and lecture slides with audio (podcast). Simulation is an optimum tool to be used for understanding its practical aspects. One of the cost effective laboratory currently used is remote laboratory (e-lab). E-lab is essential to design, plan, and simulate prototype remotely.
Challenges of supporting (an online based) e-learning is interactivity, network speed, security, appropriate use and management of technologies, wireless and mobile connectivity, high workload for staff, professional development, engaging learners, online management of e-lab, large investment in ICT infrastructure etc.
This talk covers some of these challenges.
Brief Biography of the Speaker: Associate Professor Savitri Bevinakoppa completed her Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics and Communication) in 1989 and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at Victoria University, Melbourne in 1996, writing her thesis on “Still Image Compression on Parallel Computer Architectures”. Savitri has more than 22 years of teaching and research experience in Engineering and Information Technology (IT) disciplines. She has worked in the IT industry as a manager for more than 10 years. She has demonstrated continuing scholarly and professional involvement in both learning and teaching and research by publishing a number of books and research papers nationally and internationally. She has obtained several industry grants and supervised many research students and research associates. She has chaired a number of conferences in multi-disciplinary areas and edited their proceedings. Currently she is working as a Deputy Director of IT Programs at Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.