Twinning Remote Lab Challenge/ Europe North & Benelux

TWINNING PROJECT & COMPETITION

Let Cisco Academies students connect to live Cisco Hardware labs for real networking challenges

The Twinning Concept is based on the need for connection services across borders allowing collaboration between Cisco Academies, students and instructors by making possible remote connections with physical (and virtual) lab equipment. The Twinning competition is a co-creation challenge for "Twin Cisco Academy Teams". 

All competition teams will have access to a working prototype so that they can evaluate, use and test the existing connection services. After getting acquainted with the prototype, teams are invited to propose and create additional didactic use cases or connection services.

Twinning Competition Registration Form URL: https://forms.gle/4XfsfasZyEthHNB89
Presentation: Download Cisco AcadConnect Twinning Competition 2020 (v1-71)

The first page of this document provides basic information and proposes milestones and dates. All other details are in the second part of this page.

TWINNING REMOTE LAB CHALLENGE FOR CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMIES -- BASICS

CHALLENGE 

Design, develop, prototype and create a didactic use case based on the Twinning concept between remote Cisco Academy labs.

Twin Academy Teams are briefed, trained, coached and followed up by NetAcad Coaches and Cisco Experts

TEAMS -- Teams need to be official Cisco Academies

• Number of teams: 8 co-creation teams or "Twin Academies"
• Student Proficiency Level: CCNA 3, Security, CyberOps, CCNP

HOW TO WIN? 

1. DIDACTIC -- Hands-on lab demonstrating the didactic use case => 40%
2. TECHNICAL -- Relevance and quality of the use case and prototype => 30%
3. COMMUNICATION -- User guide, videos and demos => 10%
4. PITCHING -- Live Online Demonstration => 20%

STEPS -- Team activities and communication will be online using Webex

1. Informing and enrolling teams => Launch for ASCs
2. Didactic Briefing & Ideation => Creating Twin Academy Teams, Start Preparing 
3. Technical briefing, studying and testing current prototype => Start for CAs and Instructors 
4. Further ideation & use case design => Start for Students 
5. Prototype development => Co-Creation Teams Activities
6. Demonstrating prototype and examples to jury => Go/No-Go
7. Final prototype => Prepare Presentation
8. Pitching and demonstrating prototype => Awards

DATES

The first three dates focus on Academy instructors and coaches. The aim is the form co-creation teams between Cisco Academies. Students are involved by the latest in step 4. -- Most communication via Webex

1. 13 May: General Competition Briefing => Academy Support Centers
2. 12 June*: Didactic Briefing & Ideation  => Academy Instructors and NetAcad Coaches
3. 18 September: Technical Briefing => Experimenting with standard use cases
4. 16 October: Didactic & Technical Feedback Session => Experimenting with new ideas
5. 30 October: Proposing Prototype Ideas => Developing Prototype
6. 13 November: First Prototype Presentations => Go-no go
7. 20 November: Didactic & Technical Feedback Sessions => Demonstrating Prototype 
8. 27 November: Final Presentations + Demonstrating Prototype => Awards

Instructors starting preparations in June and September. Students starting on 15 October
*The session of 12 June will be planned one more time in September for those who are not able to attend inJune

EXPERTS AND ADVISORS

During the competition the "Twin Academy Teams" will be advised via Webex by NetAcad coaches and Cisco experts. Based on the team prototype experts and advisors will give a go for the teams that will be invited to create a working solution.

JURY

The jury consists of technical and non-technical professionals who understand the use cases presented in the competition. 

 

TWINNING CONCEPT & COMPETITION -- PART 2 -- FULL INFORMATION

The idea of interconnecting or twinning Cisco NetAcad Labs originates from Pierre de Fooz (BiASC & HEPL Liege, Belgium) who has created a working prototype and has performed tests with students from Belgium, Sweden and France. 

The Twinning competition is a co-creation remote lab challenge for "Twin Academy Teams". All Cisco NetAcad Member Academies from Europe North, Scandinavia, the Baltics & the Benelux region are invited to take part in the competition, with co-creation teams ("Twin Academy Teams") of two instructors and four students. Every "Twin  Academy Team" consists of 2 Instructors and 4 students from two Cisco Academies working together and researching, designing, developing and testing uses cases and connection services for Cisco hardware and other IT infrastructure. For taking part in the Twinning Project & Competition you have to be an active Cisco Academy and join up with another Cisco Academy team to co-develop the new connection service. 

Competition teams will have access the working prototype so that they can evaluate, use and test the existing connection services. After getting acquainted with the current prototype, teams are invited to propose and create additional uses cases or connection services. For testing the AcadConnect Twinning prototype your team needs a Raspberry Pi (Model 3) .

The aim of the Twinning Competition is to create uses cases and connection services for remote use of Cisco Academy labs. 

TWINNING CONCEPT

The Twinning Concept is based on the need for connection services across borders allowing collaboration between Cisco Academies, students and instructors by making possible remote connections with physical lab equipment.

When Cisco NetAcad labs and students/instructors are interconnected, it becomes possible for Cisco Academy students and instructors to experience real-life infrastructure and security planning, design, configuration, automation, monitoring and troubleshooting. A definitive advantage of Twinning will exist for students and instructors who have limited access to networking systems. They can be linked to real lab equipment, which will motivate them to continue their education and to become certified professionals.

Interconnecting Cisco NetAcad labs involves uninhibited communications between the hard- and software used in the Cisco NetAcad Labs. Because "twinning" involves real-time communication between students and instructors a smooth video/audio connection is additionally required to facilitate the collaboration.

CHALLENGE

• Creating didactic use cases of remote lab activities for students in true NetAcad style
• Developing a prototype and demonstration with practical examples
• Co-creating through a collaborative partnership of “Twin Academy Teams”
• Experimenting with existing Twinning prototype
• Creating connections between your lab and your partner's lab

Twin Academy Teams are briefed, trained, coached and followed up by NetAcad Coaches and Cisco Experts

Design, develop, prototype and create a didactic use case based on the Twinning concept between remote Cisco Academy labs. If necessary, create and develop the required connection service needed to operate the use case. Develop a prototype, demonstrations and examples. This involves testing, adding, improving and optimizing connection setup and termination processes, taking into account relevance, usability, manageability, availability, security, performance and affordability.

FROM KICKOFF TO FINALS

The kickoff briefing will be organized in May. A video explaining the prototype and the current prototype application will be demonstrated and shared with the participants. The challenge is for the teams to come up with extended new use cases, services or modules for remote lab activities.

During the competition there will be regular checkpoints with NetAcad coaches and Cisco experts.

An interim evaluation checkpoint will be organized, in which teams present a new use case or connection service, taking into account setup and termination processes and user experience. The best ideas will be selected to continue the competition and develop a solution.

TEAMS

• Number of teams in phase 1: max. 8 Co-Creation Teams or "Twin Academy Teams"
• "Twin Academy Team" Membership:  min. 2 Cisco Academy Instructors + 4 Cisco Academy students (from two Cisco Academies)
• Teams Enrollment: May-June 2020
• Student Proficiency Level: CCNA 3, Security, CyberOps, CCNP
  => For some students taking part in the competition can replace an internship
  

HOW TO WIN? 

[1] DIDACTIC => 40%

Challenging Twinning hands-on lab making use of the connection service(s) (in the NetAcad Style)

[2] TECHNICAL => 30%

Relevance and quality of the use case or connection service for remote use of Cisco Academy labs:

• Relevance of the use case
• Type of connection method used (remote access sharing, API, ...)
• Connection service layer (L2, L3, ...)
• Authentication/Authorization method
• Easy setup and termination 
• User experience
• Stability, manageability, scalability, performance & security 
• Open source & open standards

[3] COMMUNICATION => 10%
User guide, videos and demos
Communication plan 

[4] PITCHING => 20%
Present your solution and elements of [1], [2] and [3] above

STEPS -- Team activities and communication will be online using Webex

1. Informing and enrolling teams => Launch for ASCs
2. Didactic Briefing & Ideation => Creating Twin Academy Teams, Start Preparing 
3. Technical briefing, studying and testing current prototype => Start for CAs and Instructors 
4. Further ideation & use case design => Start for Students 
5. Prototype development => Co-Creation Teams Activities
6. Demonstrating prototype and examples to jury => Go/No-Go
7. Final prototype => Prepare Presentation
8. Pitching and demonstrating prototype => Awards

DATES

The first three dates focus on Academy instructors and coaches. The aim is the form co-creation teams between Cisco Academies. Students are involved by the latest in step 4. -- Most communication via Webex

1. 13 May: General Competition Briefing => Academy Support Centers
2. 12 June: Didactic Briefing & Ideation  => Academy Instructors and NetAcad Coaches
3. 18 September: Technical Briefing => Experimenting with standard use cases
4. 16 October: Didactic & Technical Feedback Session => Experimenting with new ideas
5. 30 October: Proposing Prototype Ideas => Developing Prototype
6. 13 November: First Prototype Presentations => Go-no go
7. 20 November: Didactic & Technical Feedback Sessions => Demonstrating Prototype 
8. 27 November: Final Presentations + Demonstrating Prototype => Awards

Instructors starting preparations in June and September. Students starting on 15 October

EXPERTS AND ADVISORS

During the competition the "Twin Academy Teams" will be advised via Webex by NetAcad coaches and Cisco experts specialized in domains like security, internet, datacenter, cloud, DevNet and user experience. Based on the team prototype experts and advisors will give a go for the teams that will be invited to create a working solution.

JURY

The jury consists of technical and non-technical professionals who understand the use cases presented in the competition. They are representatives from Cisco Networking Academies and the Cisco Offices in Europe North, Scandinavia, the Baltics & the Benelux . Coaches are not allowed to be part of the jury. Representatives from Cisco Academies taking part in the competition are not allowed to be part of the jury.

AWARD

The winning "Twin Academy Team" will be awarded a max. sum of 6000 EURO to spend on IT Technology and Learning:

• 1000 EURO per student for IT education purposes (max. 4  students)
• 1000 EURO per instructor for IT education purposes, vouchers, or CiscoLive (max. 2 instructors)

REGISTRATION

Please enroll your team with the following registration form
Registration Form URL: https://forms.gle/4XfsfasZyEthHNB89

 

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If you require more information, please contact
Yvan Rooseleer <yvan.rooseleer@biasc.be>