Bridging Technology and Education to Combat Cybersecurity Threats

As Director of IT Operations at Loopio, Miles Gargaritano has always been passionate about leveraging technology to enhance workplace operations. But it was his experience in the MEd in Educational Technology and Learning Design (ETLD) program that redefined how he viewed training and learning. 

Combining his IT background with new educational strategies, Miles produced a unique online training module designed to teach employees how to guard against phishing scams and protect their credentials. His capstone illustrates how educational techniques can be adapted to tackle complex, real-world challenges in industries beyond K-12 education

Rethinking the Role of Education

Before joining the ETLD program, Miles had established himself as an IT leader, managing large-scale projects and systems. His decision to pursue an advanced degree in education was driven by his desire to explore how education could solve problems beyond the school setting.

“As an IT leader, I’ve always been interested in how technology and training intersect, especially with emerging tools like remote learning and artificial intelligence,” says Miles. “What drew me to this program was the ability to apply educational principles in a more technical, corporate context—blending my experience in IT with meaningful educational strategies that make an impact on how we train and engage employees.”

The ETLD program offered Miles a new lens through which to view his work, showing how education plays a vital role in corporate settings, not just in traditional classrooms, helping employees understand complex subjects like cybersecurity and IT protocols. 

Transforming Workplace Training

In many industries, workplace training often takes the form of passive instructional videos, text-based guides, or lengthy manuals. Through his studies, Miles learned to challenge these traditional methods, rethinking how training could be delivered more effectively and engagingly in a corporate environment.

“The ETLD program exposed me to different learning strategies that I hadn’t considered before,” Miles explains. “I saw how educational strategies could be adapted to corporate settings to create purposeful, interactive training tailored to different learners.”

Miles applied these insights to enhance employee training tools at Loopio, blending education techniques with IT to create more engaging learning environments. His new approach went beyond standard procedures, making training more relevant and impactful.

Adapting Educational Design Beyond the Classroom

One of the most significant aspects of Miles’ work is how it demonstrates that educational design can solve problems far beyond the classroom. The skills and strategies he developed in the ETLD program apply directly to the corporate world, showing how adaptable educational theory can be. 

“The program taught me how to create learning environments that work for all kinds of learners,” shares Miles. “That’s what was so valuable about it—it showed me how adaptable education can be.” 

Ongoing Impact 

Looking back at his time in the ETLD program, Miles views it as a turning point in his career. It empowered him to innovate in IT and workplace training, using education to address rapidly evolving cybersecurity challenges. 

“The program changed how I approach education and IT training,” Miles reflects. “It taught me to create environments where learning sticks—knowledge that employees can apply in real-time.”  

As he graduates, Miles plans to build on his capstone project, refining and expanding his cybersecurity training modules. His work demonstrates how educational principles, when adapted creatively, can solve real-world problems—protecting both employees but entire organizations from cyber threats. 

Miles’ journey serves as a reminder of how education transcends traditional boundaries, offering practical solutions in industries that may not seem connected to teaching. By merging his IT expertise with his newfound educational strategies, he has opened new possibilities for how education can be applied in the modern world.