Accessibility for Security Practitioners
In the current economic and professional climate, it can sometimes be difficult to enhance and better ourselves in order to promote our professional roles as Security Practitioners and this is mainly due to other commitments either in our work lives or personal lives.
Most people want to broaden their horizons and create increased job satisfaction, including financial and professional gains in their development. There are various routes to undertaking such Continual Professional Development (CPD) including work based schemes, distance learning and/or classroom based courses with each route having its own pros and cons. Another form of distance learning could be e-learning although e-learning transfers all learning material onto an online Learning Management System (LMS) whereby learners are able to access their course content by simply logging into their unique user profile meaning that most, if not all course material is easily accessible at any time and from any where for the relevant security practitioners.
How does e-learning benefit Security Practitioners
We would all prefer to attend a residential or classroom based course, although this is not always possible for various reasons, although with the development in e-learning then this is now not a ‘must’ for most Security Practitioners.
Having direct contact with the tutor is the main benefit of classroom based learning? Yes, it is invaluable although there are technical means of creating this face to face aspect of learning and this can be integrated into the actual e-learning management system with proven effectiveness.
How can my work be assessed via e-learning? Easy, the e-learning content and framework creates an environment whereby learners have full access to all learning materials and then prepare and submit assignments to their tutor(s), with these assignments being assessed and remarked upon by the tutor/assessor.
If my e-learning course is accredited at Level 3 or 5 then surely I need as much support as possible to be able to complete my work? Of course, support is a key element of any learning and this is included in any course fee. There should be no confusion about how much support is available via e-learning as the simple truth is that iSMTA provides unparalleled learner support, this means that once you are a registered learner then there are numerous routes to access support from your tutor and also administrative staff.
The development in e-learning has allowed borders to be overcome and now as Security Practitioners we have full accessibility to career progression. As technology and requirement changes, then we must embrace both in order to expand the mediums for education and learning, and by doing so increase opportunity to develop our own professional development.
