Basic HTML Version
“If ECPI keeps producing
more like him, we are
going to have a great, long
relationship.”
– Mark Lipin,
GE Security Operations
Center Director
Why Simulation Works
Aside from its most obvious benefits, simulation is a method
of learning that modern students find easy to relate. “Our
students are used to seeing the world through a monitor
or mobile device when they come to us, says Gerry White.
“That’s why simulation is so successful in the classroom. It is
the world in which they live, socialize, and even play.
“When students run these simulations in lab environments,
when they play these games, they are having fun. Students
often say that they did not even realize that they were learn-
ing until after the fun was over. Learning in this way – using
serious gaming technologies – sticks with a student longer.
It is also easier for a student to retrieve and apply what they
learned while in the simulation or game.”
Perhaps simulation’s greatest value is that it gives faculty the
ability to change scenarios as professional practices and sup-
porting technology develops. If students see frequent changes
in the classroom, they just may be better prepared to handle
the fast-paced change in the world that lies ahead.
“Our students are used to seeing
the world through a monitor or
mobile device when they come
to us. That’s why simulation is
so successful in the classroom.
It is the world in which they live,
socialize, and even play.
– Gerry White, Associate Dean of
Academic Technology
Dual Enrollment Allows Innsbrook
Graduate to Begin Career Early
W
hen Matt Hammond was attend-
ing high school in Henrico County,
Virginia, he learned that his school had
a dual enrollment agreement with ECPI
University’s Richmond/Innsbrook campus. A
sophomore at the time, he knew he wanted
to go to college and figured this would give
him an advantage – earn some credits in
advance and get his feet wet in the college
environment. Now at the age of 20, he has a
college degree and is working as a network
security analyst at the General Electric (GE)
Security Technology Center in Richmond.
“Taking that first class was one of the best
decisions of my life,” says Matt. “I’m a very
practical person, and I quickly realized that
ECPI University fit me perfectly. I really
liked the hands-on learning. I had friends
who attended more traditional schools and
they were pretty much stuck with their text
books. I, on the other hand, got to touch the
routers and switches, not just read about
them. And of course, they’re still in school
and I’m on the job making money!”
With a number of courses already com-
pleted – combined with ECPI University’s
accelerated scheduling, Matt was able
to complete his bachelor’s degree in less
than two years. “The support I received
was incredible,” says Matt. “The professor
actually came to my school to teach the first
class. The next year, I got to attend class on
campus.”
Since beginning the dual enrollment
partnership with Henrico County Public
Schools more than five years ago, more
than 750 students have taken advantage
of the program. “It’s gone extremely well,”
says Henrico County Director of Vocational
Education Mac Beaton. “Some students are
not always sure that they are ‘college mate-
rial.’ This program allows them to prove to
themselves that they can do the work. This
partnership epitomizes how all partnerships
should work: everyone benefits.”
Another partner in this process has ben-
efited as well: Matt’s employer. “Matt may
be the youngest person on our team, but he
can more than hold his own,” says Matt’s
boss, Security Operations Center Direc-
tor Mark Lipin. “He has a great work ethic
and came to us very well prepared. If ECPI
keeps producing more like him, we are go-
ing to have a great, long relationship.”