- Group Name: Live Free or Data
- Group participants names: Netterville, Sterkel
- Project Title: Skill gap in Network Engineering
Long Presentation Video In case the presentation needed to be 15 minutes.
Director's Cut 11 min version In reality I jsut went over but I figured I'd still put it up as I went through all that work to get it done, and trust me I had some issues...
The skill gap in Network Engineering
The purpose of this study is to understand factors that have contributed to the skill gap in Network Engineering for individuals new to the field (i.e. recent university graduates) and those currently working in the field along with determining if Modeling and Simulation training techniques can be implemented in a way to decrease the skill gap.
The field of Network Engineering is at a crossroad: highly skilled personnel are needed but there is a lack of personnel who possesses this depth of knowledge available.
The lack of highly skilled personnel creates a problem at all levels from auditors, trainers and consultants to subject matter experts (SMEs). The issue at hand does not just revovlve around getting a few more people to the right skill level but to find a better way to educate the majority in the industry to raise the overall skill level in the field of Network Engineering. How can companies train newly hired employees (whether they have just graduated from college or are new to the fields) up to qualified levels were they can make a contribution? How can these new members be elevated to higher levels? What is a realistic time frame for this to occur?
The salary demands of highly skilled Network Engineers also contributes to this skill gap. Those who have cultivated a high level of skill demand high costs for their services. This has lead companies to contract out these highly skilled Engineers when their expertise is needed. One downside to this method, and a contributor to the skill gap, is that these outside contractors provide little to no knowledge transfer when they perform their contracted duties (implementing a project, generating an audit). Even in situations where there is knowledge transfer from these experts to those at the compnay who hired them, their lack of knowledge on what a company’s current employee's needs are make this knowledge transfer lacking at best.
This creates an overall problem within the industry because companies do not hire experts long term. They expect existing employees to increase their skill and knowledge levels to fill the various niche roles within the technology architecture. But with the do more with less mentality so common in these industries, it means experts are constantly jumping between projects and engaging in spin up on little used skills. This leads to the need for a new training paradigm in these industries to use simulation based training techniques to help experts maintain their knowledge level and provide more customized training to those in companies who wish to improve their skills.
The field of Network Engineering, which includes the roles of network administrators, network security specialists and network architects, is at a crossroad where current training approaches are failing to meet industry needs. The failure encompasses all skill levels from the Subject Matter Expert (SME) level to auditors, trainers and consultants. The issue greater than just training a few more individuals to the SME level but goes deeper into how network engineers are trained from the entry to expert level. There is a need for a better way to train new employees, a better way to educate the majority in the industry to raise the overall skill level, and a better way to educate at university level institutions. Some questions to be asked are: How can companies train newly hired employees (whether they have just graduated from college or are new to the field) up to qualified levels where they can make a contribution? How can these new members be elevated to higher levels? What is a realistic time frame for this to occur? This paper will delve into the literature to to look at current training paradigms for network engineering students, ways that this training can be improved with Modeling and Simulation techniques and will provide an example of a new networking technology and how M&S techniques could be implemented in this training.
Current training practices revolve around the higher education setting where universities and similar institutions are tasked with providing marketable skill sets to students entering their desired industry after degree completion. However, this brings up the question of what skills should a newly graduated student possess when entering the workforce? Whose job is it to train a new employee? What is the best way to train someone on the skills needed for Network and Security Engineering? The questions of whose job it is to train an employee and what skill set they should have when entering the workplace has been the focus of many previous studies. These studies tried to determine what skill sets companies look for in recent graduates, what skills are taught at the university level and if there is disconnect between what companies want/expect of new graduates and what skills these new graduates show up with.
The literature tends to show a mismatch between the skills companies expect future employees to have and the specific skills being taught at universities. A commonality found among the literature is that many companies value what Andres and Higson (2008) called “Soft Skills”, which are discipline agnostic skills. Examples of soft skills included the areas of communication (both verbal and written), ability to give presentations, teamwork and leadership (Andrews and Higson,2008; Bridgstock, 2009; Markes, 2006; Nair, Paril and Mertova, 2009; Saunders and Zuzel, 2010). This finding is in contrast to the belief of many graduating students who thought discipline specific skills would be more valued by future employers (Saunder and Zuzel, 2010).
The mismatch between industry and higher education has not gone unnoticed and there are efforts in place to try to bridge this gap. At the University of South Florida, a Systems Engineering approach to course creation was implemented that has an emphasis on industry feedback for course curriculum (Adithya, Pandey, Caballero, Yurur & Moreno, 2018). Feedback was solicited through surveys to identify industry need and these needs were incorporated into the course design (Adithya et al., 2018).
Institutions of higher education are trying to implement change to better align their curriculum with industry but is this necessarily the best way or place to train the technical skills associated with Network Engineering. Outside of the university setting, training for network engineering consists of certification programs that use a teaching style very similar to traditional classroom learning at Universities. Programs, such as the certifications provided by Cisco, are structured with predefined lessons to teach basic generic technical skills over a period of months but nothing that is tailored to a particular company or application (Arslan, Yuksel & Gunes, 2015). Companies need network administrators whose skills are tailored to their particular network setup and cybersecurity posture and who are highly skilled at maintaining the network and cybersecurity infrastructure.
To facilitate learning on custom networks and learning in this dynamic environment, new training methods that are equally dynamic and customizable need to be employed and the use of Modeling and Simulation based techniques can fill this training need. M&S can be used to customize a training program to a company’s specific architecture, to the skills that a company wants to promote and can be made to accommodate the learning style of the trainee. This helps to create tools that are easy to use and help promote knowledge transfer to increase personnel skill levels (Adithya et al., 2018; Lathrop, Trent & Hoffman, 2016).
Simulation based techniques allows for teaching methods to branch away from traditional methods methods described by Jing and Qi (2015) as Case Teaching. In traditional teaching the common teaching modes are “teacher talking” and “students listening” while case teaching is focused on “training students' ability to utilize knowledge to solve practical problems” (Jing and Qi, 2015, p. 601). To extend Case teaching to networking training is to necessitate a training medium that can be altered for different scenarios and potentially be able to mimic a company’s network infrastructure. One of the facets for Case study teaching to work are that the examples provided to the students must be based on real examples and the examples should be practical and not theoretical (Jing and Qi, 2015). M&S techniques provide the ability to create the practical examples suggested for Case Teaching.
A review of the literature shows that there are two paths that are being taken in creating simulation based training: gamification and virtual environments. The term gamification refers to using mechanics of games such as a ranking system or reward system (Zielke et al., 2015) in tasks that are not game related to make “work and learning more engaging and fun” (Babcock, 2017, p 139). Virtual environments are those created in a computer that mimic reality and vary in terms of fidelity depending on need. Gamification has been shown to enhance learning and motivation and “fosters active learning by providing them a bonus for every hindrance they overcome” (Adithya et al., 2018, p 7). Further benefits of gamification and virtualization are that this training can be implemented to provide a stepped type of problem solving where difficulty can be gradually increased, certain scenarios can be developed as part of a training program and they can be implemented on a user’s computer for self-paced learning (Adithya et al., 2018; Arslan et al., 2015;Lathrop et al., 2016; Ruiz-Martinez et al., 2013).
In the area of virtual environments for training/teaching networking principles work has been done by many groups. Sousa et al, (2003) created a virtual laboratory environment, accessible through the internet, for training the networking principle of Quality of Service (QoS) that proved successful enough to integrated into the curriculum at the University of Brasilia in Brazil. Ruiz-Martinez et al, (2013) created the VNUML (Virtual Network User Mode) UM Virtualization Tool to teach the advanced to teach the advanced concepts of “mobility, load balancing or high availability” as well as more basic concepts of “network configuration” and “network routing” (Ruiz-Martinez et al, 2013). VNUML-UM is a program designed to run virtual networks, that can be configured based on the principles to be taught and allow students interaction through entering commands to change network parameters (Ruiz Martinez et al., 2013). The authors found that students were able to “understand some concepts that initially were too abstract for them” after using the VNUML-UM tool as a teaching aid (Ruiz-Martinez et al., 2013, pgs. 94-95). Another example is the work done by Araujo et al. (2016) to create a virtual reality environment for teaching concepts related to the operation and maintenance of electrical network infrastructure equipment. The environment is of the non immersive kind that uses a mouse and keyboard to interact but still allows for some immersion due to the tasks a student is able to perform inside the simulation (R. Araujo, M. Araujo, Medeiros, Oliveira and N. Araujo, 2016).
In the literature some authors have made a distinction between gamification and a Serious/Educational Game (Babcock, 2017; Zielke, et al., 2015), however for the purpose here they refer to the same thing.
In the area of gamification/Educational Game, pioneering work has been done by the Arslan et al. (2015) when the “Network Management Game (NMG)” was created to train network administrators. The basis for NMG was other simulation based games such as flight simulators and the game’s goal was to “maximize the network's throughput by manipulation link weights” (Arslan et al., 2015, p 16). Results showed that training on the system helped to improve a player’s ability to optimize a network through the manipulation of link weights. While not networking based, other areas have also benefited from gamification/education games to include a nursing/physician game to help improve communication skills (Zielke, et al., 2015) and a board game to teach help desk troubleshooting skills (Babcock, 2017). These show that learning through gaming is viable option for teaching new skills and one that is capable of being used as a form of training in the field of network engineering.
Furthering the case for using Simulation the literature has shown instances where simulation is being used to augment or replace traditional training methods in areas from help desks to networking. One potential reason for this that Gullu and Delialioglu explore in their qualitative research paper is the motivation the learner experienced through simulation based training. Their paper delved into the experiences of students who took a network course that was augmented with a network simulator that allowed each student to practice principles and concepts of networking until they felt they had mastered the material (Gullu and Delialioglu, 2018). The focus of the material taught in the course was entry level topics such as “OSI Reference Model, TCP/IP Model, data communication, network devices, and routing” (Gullu and Delialioglu, 2018, p 14). Based on the exit interviews of the students the reason simulation improved motivation was because the simulation provided visual feedback, there were tutorials to assist students when they didn’t know how to proceed, lessons could be repeated for additional practice and the simulation allowed for mistakes to be made in a risk free environment (Gullu & Delialioglu, 2018). Improvement of learning through the addition of practical simulation was also discussed in the work of Gusev, Ristov and Donevski (2014) and the work of Ristov, Spasov and Gusev (2015). These two related papers discussed adding exercises and tutorials of a more practical nature to the Cisco CCNA program offered at the Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia over the traditional content taught in this course which is more theory based (Gusev et. al, 2014; Ristov et al., 2015) and how these additions “improved the student's pass rate and the quality of the grades” (Ristov et al., 2015, p 702).
The field of Network Engineering is one of constant change as new technologies are brought online that were designed to create better data flow and prevent network congestion and lost data. One such technologies is Software Defined Networking (SDN). The basis for SDN is that software functionality that is typically built into networking hardware (such as routers) has been moved to open source software on agnostic equipment that can allow changes at will by network operators (Batista, Blair, Kon, Boutaba, Hutchinson, Jain, Ramjee and Rothenberg, 2015). An aspect that shows potential is that SDN allows for network experimentation by students using a personal computer due to open source components of SDN and its ability to have testing networks that do not affect deployed ones (Batista et al., 2015). While the benefits of this technology are many there is a potential downside which is the need need to train the current and future workforce on this technology.
SDN is a technology ready for training in the virtual/educational environment and a game or virtual environment is proposed for use to train this new technology. The actual implementation is left for future research but a few key areas will be stated that need to be kept in mind when designing this game.
What is the training objective? How will the training be accessed (internet, stand application, etc)? What fidelity/immersion is needed to properly convey the curriculum? What is the best medium (education game, gamification, virtual environment) to convey the training objective?
The field of Network Engineering is in need of new ways to train current and future practitioners to maintain current skill levels, increase skill levels and train on new technologies. Current classroom based teaching which is teacher centric with limited interaction by students does not lend itself to the changing networking field and is why simulation based techniques have been proposed. Through the use of virtual environments or gamification a training system that allows custom scenarios to be developed, instructor defined difficulty and training in a risk free space can be created to allow for more immersive and retentive training. SDN is a new networking technology that would benefit from training in a virtual/educational game environment. Care must be taken when creating these education games to ensure the game aspect does not outweigh the knowledge transfer. However, when implemented correctly gaming can provide a novel way to learn material that is more engaging and even fun over traditional training methods.
Qualitative Research Method Approach
Perform data collection through literature review, examining the current market, reviewing off the shelf software/simulators to uncover a potentially new way to train network engineers. This data will then be compared to personal experiences and the experience of others in the field to determine viability.
Examine future technologies as solutions to bridge the skill gap
There is a mismatch between the skills needed in the workplace and the skills taught to workforce candidates (i.e. students, those changing careers etc.).
Purpose driven curriculum allows engineers in the workforce to maintain and improve their skills
The implementation of future network technologies (i.e. SDN) changes the skills needed in the Network Engineering workforce.
October Skill Gap Presentation
Review more literature- Organize and write results
- …
- Prent and Push to Github
Exam Period (Dec 4) Final Project Presentations
Paper on Skill Gap in Network Engineering
Simulation Curriculum Presentation
Online December Presentation Now with Jazz hands. Version is essentailly the same just with a different background to spice it up for those viewing at home.
Below is an oultine of learning concepts exlored throughout the Literature Review and the Analsysis Paper.
- Gamification of material to improve learning
- Virtual Environments for immersive and hands on training.
- Augmenting traditional training with hands on simulation examples
- Motivation gained by using simulation for training
- Teaching skills from the ground up to all new employees
- Mentoring
- Certificaiton stlye trainnig that focuses on teaching very specific skills
The topic of the skill gap in Network Engineering is vast in scope and has been briefly touched on in the discussions on this page and the linked written documents. In the Literature Review and Skill Gap Paper the skill gap is shown to bem ultifacited with causes ranging from a disconnect between academia and industry, to the long lead times for curriculum to change in certificaiton courses to the speed at which networking technolgy itself is changing. This lead to the proposal of using Modeling and Simulation based techniques to augment or replace traditional training methods for teaching networking principles and concepts. A review of the literature showed examples of simulation and gamification being used to make difficult networking concepts more understandable and less abstract. Research also showed that new technologies have the potential to make the skill gap temporary and possibly obsolete in one aspect for new entries to the field and create a bigger skill gap for those having to learn the skills required for the new technology. The focus was then placed on using the simulation software Cisco Virtual Internet Routing Lab to create curriculum examples for networking concepts such as configuration using Multi Protocol Labeling Swtiching (MPLS) to troubleshooting a provided network. The efforts of a Literature Review, Skill Gap Paper and Simulation Curriculum are the works completed for this semester but that does not mean efforts could not continue into future semesters.
An additional semester of effort on this topic would allow the expansion of the simulation curriclum to additional topcis and concepts. Once a full set of labs for the simulation curriculum were complete they would be used in a Pilot Study to test their effectiveness for novice and expert learners. Testing would determine if material presentation to a novice should differ from that given to an expert. The labs would be improved through an iterative process based on feedback from the subjects in the Pilot study.
An additional two semesters of effort on this topic would allow for the curricululm expansion and testing of the curriculum study descibed above and would also allow the analysis of the skill gap (i.e. the Skill Gap Paper) to be expanded and refined. Expansion would come from interviews with other Network Engineers in the field and from the results of the Pilot Study described above. This would provide different perspectives and insights into the problem that have the potential to lead to other causes, other potential solutions or to back up ideas already expressed. This would allow the analysis to be properly fleshed out, refined and edited in preparation for finalization.
APA Citation
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