Computer Networks. Professor Jim Kurose. Dept. Computer Science. University
of Massachusetts. Amherst MA 01003 USA http://www.cs.umass.edu/~kurose.
Computer Networks Professor Jim Kurose Dept. Computer Science University of Massachusetts Amherst MA 01003 USA http://www.cs.umass.edu/~kurose This week-long course is aimed at instructors who would like to offer a modern, in-depth, enjoyable-to-teach, and enjoyable-to-take course at their college that teaches both fundamental concepts and hands-on experience with computer networks. In addition to the networking-specific aspects of the course, we will touch on topics on effective teaching that will be useful for instructors outside of a networks course.. The content for this course divides broadly into two parts: Part 1: Networking content • Professional society curricular recommendations on networking: IEEE, ACM, ACM Sigcomm • Different approaches towards teaching networking: top down versus bottom up. CS versus EE versus IT networking courses. • Breaking down the networking curriculum: application layer, transport layer, network layer, link layer, wireless networks, multimedia, security, network management. Here, our goal is not only to identify important topics to be taught within each layer/area, but also how to teach not just the “how” about these topics (e.g., how a particular protocol operates), but also the “why” (e.g., why a particular networking problem is solved in a particular way). Part 2: On beyond content: teaching skills, resources, student learning, research, and more. • Effective teaching principles, including active learning, the interactive classroom, effective public presentation/speaking, and outcomes assessment. • Online resources for networking instructors • Open-source, hands-on networking software that allows students to observe networks and protocols in action: traceroute and wireshark. • Industry perspective: what is industry looking for? • Current research directions in computer networks • Teaching about teaching. Each day’s class will mix presentations by the instructor (e.g.., on content and research directions) with more participatory material (e.g., on effective teaching principles and hands-on labs). Breakout discussions will provide for an even more interactive class, and help create a community among class participants. The content section of this course will follow the structure of the text, Computer Networking, a Top- Down Approach, by J. Kurose and K. Ross, Addison-Wesley), a topselling textbook. We will thoroughly survey content and approaches taken in other textbooks as well.
