Amazon Web Services Educator Roundtable to advise and assist AWS Educate in the development and advancement of cloud computing curriculum
Amazon Web Services (AWS) invited Bill Klug, Computer Systems Technology (CST) Cloud Computing Option Head and BCIT Computing instructor, to serve on the inaugural AWS Educate Educator Roundtable. The Amazon Web Services educator roundtable was part of last month’s AWS Public Sector Summit in Washington, DC. This was the eighth annual summit, which brings together “innovators who are changing the world with cloud computing.”
Led by Ken Eisner, Senior Manager, Worldwide Education Programs and Global Lead, AWS Educate at Amazon Web Services, the Amazon Web Services Educator roundtable aims to “advise and assist the AWS Educate team in the development and advancement of cloud computing curriculum including adoption, resources, activities, research, and best practices.”
BCIT the only Canadian institution invited
Fourteen educators from 10 universities were asked to participate. Due to its leadership in the field, BCIT was the only Canadian institution invited to send a representative.
“One of my goals for BCIT, beginning in September of this year, is to enroll every new Computing Diploma student with an AWS account. Students will then be able to use cloud computing across their courses, reducing the need to install course-specific software, databases, and other tools,” explains Bill. “There is significant convenience to doing work on multiple devices in different locations, and I believe BCIT will be the first post-secondary in North America to adopt this approach.”
BCIT Instructor Bill Klug presents on Cloud Computing at BCIT
Four educators gave presentations to the participants, including Bill. His presentation focused on BCIT’s unique Cloud Computing Option in the CST program. This one-of-a-kind specialty is training students directly for jobs in cloud computing.
Many educators may use cloud computing resources in courses such as data analytics and machine learning. However, the aim of the Cloud Computing Option is to meet the industry demand for talent in roles such as Cloud Solution Architect, Cloud Systems Engineers, Cloud Operation Analysts, etc. With both Microsoft and Amazon opening data centers on Canadian soil, the demand for cloud computing talent is growing significantly.