Module 1 - SLP
BASIC NETWORK TECHNOLOGY, STRUCTURE, AND PROTOCOLS
The purpose of the Session Long Project in Trident University classes is to give you the opportunity to explore the applicability of the Module to your own life, work, and place in space and time, and to experiment with the Module to see how the otherwise academically rigorous presentation of a topic may, with more or less work and/or trauma, become "up close and personal." This is done in a number of different ways—sometimes cumulative papers, sometimes practical hands-on experimentation with a tool of some sort, sometimes reflections on a place of work or life. The common thread is personal application, aimed at demonstrating a cumulative knowledge and understanding of the course`s material. The main purpose of the written parts of the assignments is to show that you`ve had some experiences doing the project, that you`ve thought carefully about what they mean for your own education, and that you can make some personal applications of this meaning to your own professional and/or personal understanding. Demonstrating this understanding is actually considerably more important than carrying out any specific step in the project instructions.
For this course, the SLP will take the form of tutorials related to topics in network administration As you work through the SLP assignments for this course, you`re going to find yourself facing basically the same set of questions each module—that`s because you`re evaluating tutorials, and the structure of each evaluation is pretty much the same. However, please also note that you are NOT—or at least shouldn`t be—providing the same answers each module! Each tutorial that you look at is different, with unique features and problems. The reason for these assignments is to give you hands-on experience with network technologies—things that you’ll be expected to know something about out there in the Real World.. And that`s why we ask the same questions over and over, through this class and others as well.
If you have any questions about the purposes of these exercises, please discuss them with your instructors—that`s what we`re here for!
It is a good idea to be sure that your computer is appropriately protected from the Bad Guys Out There. There are some security precautions that are particularly important to observe before setting out on any Internet excursion, including these projects. In particular, it is essential that if you are going to download anything from the Internet, that you have adequate virus protection and anti-adware/spyware/malware screening on your systems. Please review our suggestions for preparing your computer for active Internet use before diving headlong into that world.
Most online demo sites, when you encounter them, will require you to enter a name and an email address by way of registration; if this bothers you, try using a pseudonym and a convenience free email account from Hotmail or Gmail or Yahoo, or just try some other name. All they want is a place to send a password, generally. It is also possible that you will receive follow-up inquiries from sites that you have visited. For a fuller discussion of these issues, please click here to read our policy note/advisory on website relationships. If you work in an area subject to security clearances and regulations, or if the computer to which you have access is restricted in critical ways in terms of what you are at liberty to download and use (because of capacity, policy and/or security rules, or other factors) then your ability to carry out the assignments as presented may be somewhat compromised. Never Fear! TUI is known for its flexibility and ability to reconfigure assignments imaginatively, and we stand ready to help you here as well! Please click here to review our policy on assignments and national security. Alternatives are available, and while you might miss some of the learning benefits of the assignment, you can still get a substantial measure. Please let your instructor know as soon as you can if you will be operating under any sort of limitations on your computing capacity, so that you can work out suitable arrangements.
So -- that`s the general SLP approach for this course. If you have questions at any point about what to do or how to strategize your exercises, please contact your instructor for illumination and assistance.
SLP Assignment Expectations
You`ll recall that for the SLP assignment for this course, we are conducting assessments of networking tutorials.
For Module 1, you are to work with the tutorial on Networking Basics from E-tutes.com http://www.e-tutes.com/lesson1/networking_fundamentals_lesson1_1.htm. Note that this tutorial has eight subpages. It’s not particularly interactive, but it does introduce some very critical terminology that you’ll need later.
The more of the tutorial you can work through, the better; however, your grade is primarily dependent on how you approach the task and how much learning energy you put into it rather than specific output from the tutorial.
Once you have completed your exploration of the tutorials, to finish the project for this module you are to prepare a 2- to 3-page report covering the following topics:
A brief description of the tutorial and what it teaches
Key new language learned, including major technical terms; please provide brief definitions for these, and indicate why they are important.
Any areas of uncertainty left by the tutorial; does it leave you believing that you need to know more about some topics?
Your evaluation of and experiences with the tutorial as you checked it out