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Digital facilities at Blackpool and the Fylde College aim to deliver industry-standard software/data analytics capability, cyber operations practice, and immersive/AI visualisation in modern labs aligned to employer demand.
At Blackpool and the Fylde College digital equipment is used as part of regular timetabled delivery by learners keen to build on their studies and for other events.
Operations/set-up is carried out by Christopher Willits, Christopher Green, Lee Holroyd and Harry Smith (technical support).
“The facilities enable cross-curricular working,” says Christopher Willits, Curriculum Manager – Higher Education at Blackpool School of Computing. “For example, we can have digital students using it to build projects for other departments, which shows great collaboration.”
As well as being used for structured lessons, learners can book access to the rooms and equipment to further their studies.
Two cyber labs at Blackpool and the Fylde College provide real-world environments so learners can practice defence and attack scenarios in a safe way.
Known as the green and red room because of their bright neon lights, the rooms at the college’s University Centre provide space for cybersecurity analysis and training.
Each room is fitted out with a data wall to enable screen sharing to show work as well as display live threat maps during cyber tasks.
With a suite of computers on their own network, hacking activities can be carried out without affecting the college network, meaning real-world scenarios can be reenacted.
As well as cybersecurity courses, the two rooms, situated side by side, are also used for software development courses under the IoT.
“Because we’ve had investment from the IoT, we’ve been able to create these amazing rooms that can do lots of things and give us great flexibility,” said Christopher Willitts, Curriculum Manager – Higher Education at Blackpool School of Computing. “More than giving us the wow factor, the important thing is getting our learners into jobs afterwards and equipment like this enables them to learn in an environment they’ll be in at work.”
The Cube immersive lab at B&FC is known as the CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment, a virtual reality space installed as part of Blackpool School of Computing.
Used for teaching and showcases, the CAVE has been used by aerospace and digital apprentices to enhance their studies. Others are coming up with new and exciting ways to use the space for their dissertations. For example, it can be used for courses where 90 per cent of the delivery is through Teams.
They may look all fun and games but industry-leading racing simulators are providing very real opportunities for data analysis and esports experience.
The D-BOX motion racing simulators take users through different driving courses, with the whole unit moving in response to the driver’s progression through the driving course.
Situated at the University Centre within Blackpool School of Computing, the sims are used for simulation and research as well as the study of esports, an emerging discipline, which the college is keen to be leading on.
The equipment can be used to generate real-world data that is then analysed by learners in the IoT’s data lab.
Two omnidirectional virtual reality treadmills enable users to navigate their way through different environments.
Learners wear VR headsets while strapped into the Cyberith Virtualizer, a locomotion platform within Blackpool and the Fylde College’s digital facilities. The treadmills offer safe, supervised immersive locomotion for demos and research.
Staff and learners are exploring new and exciting ways of using the treadmills, housed at the college’s University Centre. The college prides itself on allowing learners to use the facilities outside of lessons to come up with their own mini projects, enabling everyone to learn from each other about the potential of the technology.