EDTEC 461 Designing Computer Networks for Education (3): Applying fundamental concepts of computer networking to design effective networks for educational purposes. Prerequisite: EDTEC 448

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• much more. 

Below you will find information about each of the following course requirements:

• Individual Design Lab (Hardware lesson)
• Cabling Activity (Cabling lesson)
• Team Research Project (Wireless lesson)
• Case Study: Part 1 (Hardware lesson), Part 2 (after Network Addressing lesson), and Part 3 (after Security lesson)
• Participation in course discussion forums
• Test (after Security lesson)

Individual Network Design Lab (Hardware lesson)

In your career in education, you may be involved in many different types of network analysis and design projects. This lab will enable you to successfully design a network by carefully analyzing the network needs based on your school. The purpose of this activity is to test your ability to successfully design a Local Area Network (LAN).

Cabling Activity (Cabling lesson)

You will be sent a kit containing wiring components and asked to make a standard Ethernet cable and an Ethernet "crossover" cable, plus the corresponding wall plate. You will then send them back to us at Penn State for testing. (Making these cables is a big part of actually constructing a functioning network, and this skill may also help you locate network problems.)

Team Research Project (Wireless lesson)

For the research project, you will be work in teams and will be expected to take several questions provided by the instructor and find the latest information related to them on the Internet. The teams will be assigned with Wireless lesson. You will also be graded on team participation.

Case Study: Part 1: Initial Wiring Diagram (After Hardware lesson)

Each student will submit a diagram using the Paterno Middle School of the layout of a repeated, non-switched network using the rules outlined in the course.

Case Study: Part 2 (After Network Addressing lesson) and Part 3 (After Security lesson)

As part of Network Addressing lesson through Security lesson, you will be assigned to a collaborative team to analyze a case study pertaining to the assessment of network demand and the planning for an educational network. The task will be to assess demand for, and design, an effective network for a given school building, given information about what the teachers want and considering probable expansion. You'll also begin to consider options for networking two buildings to one another.

Teams will be provided with a floor plan of a school building and technical documentation, as well as information from teachers and other staff whose input might help the team to think about the network design. In an online role play environment, teams will have the opportunity to ask questions of the "principal" in order to gather additional information and/or to seek clarification. This input will take the form of a "real-time" online chat (scheduled after consultation with the team members) with the principal and follow-up questions via e-mail.

Part 2 of the case study will focus on planning an educational network. Based on findings from Part 1 and additional data provided, the team will work together to discuss a design for the network that is to be installed in the school, including plans for future network upgrades. One team member will then submit his or her recommendation for a network design, using Kid Pix software to submit a floor plan showing the proposed cable paths and all components of the network, including notes describing anything that is not obvious from the diagram.

Part 3 of the case study will be submitted individually and will be a refinement of the network plan submitted in Part 2 after application of real-world constraints such as budget. The diagram will include a parts list, budget, discussion of security, and explanation of Internet addresses as provided by the ISP.

Participation in course discussion forums

In addition to the requirements stated above, you will be expected to log on to the class message boards and engage in discussions and activities on a regular basis. Interaction with each other is an important part of this course. It is recommended that you log on to the course Web site at least five times a week to work through course materials and to participate in course discussions.

A "class participation index" will be established, based on the level of interaction exhibited in the first half of the course. The professor will monitor the quality and quantity of "forum postings" (online message board entries) students contribute in the process of completing the assignments, and will establish a required number of high quality postings for each grade ("A," "B," "C," and "D"). This process will be handled in a manner that makes it possible for all students to get an "A" in class participation, since the goal is to promote collaboration, not competition.

Test (Network Addressing lesson)

After reading about how data travels through a network and learning the role and operation of each of the hardware components in the network, each student will pass an online test on these topics.

The test will randomly draw items from the bank of quiz questions. You can take it up to five times (each version will be different) and only your best score will be recorded in the grade book. The score on this test will contribute 10% of the final grade, but a score of 80% or better will be required to "pass the course." This will be the only formal test in the course.

Course Schedule