Creation and Evaluation of an Educational Framework for use in

Network Teaching

David McLuskie

School of Computing

October 2008

Overall Aim

• Develop and evaluate an educational framework that could be used to enhance education learning in universities for network courses

Objective 1

• Investigate the current learning taxonomies that are used in an educational environment and investigate how these can be applied in an emulated network environment to provide an enhanced learning tool for students

Objective 2

• Integrate a network emulation module that will automatically generate a dynamic network scenario for the user to configure and then automatically grade the user based upon how they solved the problem.

Objective 3

• Monitor the performance of the overall solution to verify that the solution developed can be run on the user’s machines without any adverse affects that would spoil the user experience.

Objective 1

• Cognitive Architecture– Refers to how people learn and process information

• Working Memory– Split into two Areas

• Short term memory

• Long term memory

• Cognitive Load Theory

Objective 1

• Fading Worked Examples– Reduces Cognitive Load by providing to the student a

partial solution to a problem– Student has to solve the missing parts without having

to start from the beginning– Only the information that is related to solving the

problem need be stored in working memory

Objective 1

• Blooms’s Taxonomy– Splits the cognitive domain into levels

Level Description

1 Knowledge/Recall2 Comprehension3 Application4 Analysis5 Synthesis6 Evaluation

Objective 1

• SOLO Taxonomy– Used to gauge how well the student has answered

the questionName Description

Prestructural Does not answer the question posed in any way or form.

Unistructural Answer focuses on a simple meaning and does not go into any

depthMultistructural A disorganised list with no order

Relational Shows that the student understands how to apply the theory to a problem

Extended abstract Shows that the student has read around the area and answered at a

level that illustrates understanding at the next level.

Objective 2

Objective 2

• Challenge 1

R0 R1

Objective 2

• The student will be asked to perform the following tasks on R0: -– Configure a hostname on R0 using the stated parameters – Configure an IP address on Fasthernet0/0 using the stated

parameters– Bring up the Fastethernet0/0 interface

• The student will be asked to perform the following tasks on R1: -– Configure a hostname on R1 using the stated parameters – Configure an IP address on Fasthernet0/0– Bring up the Fastethernet0/0 interface

Objective 2

• Implied Tasks– Copy the running-config to the startup-config

Objective 2

• Bloom Rating

Description Used

Knowledge/Recall X

Comprehension X

Application X

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Objective 2

• Challenge 2

R0 R1

Objective 2• The student will be asked to perform the following

tasks on R0: -– Configure 4 loopback addresses using the stated

parameters– Configure EIGRP using the stated parameters– Advertise the loopback addresses into EIGRP

• The student will be asked to perform the following tasks on R1: -– Configure 4 loopback addresses using the stated

parameters– Configure EIGRP using the stated parameters– Advertise the loopback addresses into EIGRP

Objective 2

• Implied Tasks– Copy the running-config to the startup-config – Advertise the directly connected links between R0

and R1 into EIGRP

Objective 2

• Bloom Rating

Description Used

Knowledge/Recall X

Comprehension X

Application X

Analysis X

Synthesis

Evaluation

Objective 2

• Challenge 3

Objective 2

• The student will be asked to perform the following tasks on London.– Configure OSPF on the router– Redistribute the EIGRP routes into OSPF – Redistribute the OSPF routes into EIGRP using the stated

parameters

• The student will be asked to perform the following tasks on Edinburgh: -– Configure 4 loopback addresses using the stated

parameters– Configure OSPF on the router

Objective 2

• Implied Tasks– Copy the running-config to the startup-config – Advertise the directly connected links between

London and Edinburgh into EIGRP– Enable the link between London and Edinburgh

Objective 2

• Bloom Rating

Description Used

Knowledge/Recall X

Comprehension X

Application X

Analysis X

Synthesis

Evaluation

Objective 3

• Footprint Evaluation– Windows XP – Windows XP running in Emulation mode using

VMWARE Fusion on a Macintosh computer.– Windows Vista Business

• Questionnaire

Objective 3

• Footprint Evaluation Results

Operating System Average Processor Utilisation Range (%)

Windows XP 1.6 – 1.7

Windows Vista Business 0.9 – 1.2

Windows XP Emulation 49.8 – 50.9

Objective 3

• Further Testing

Number of Routers Average Processor Utilisation (%)

2 36.1

3 43.04

4 49.61

5 52.44

6 55.7

Objective 3

• Further Testing

Objective 3

• Questionnaire ResultsQuestion SA A N D SD

The level of feedback was adequate for the student to learn from the mistakes made?

2 6 2

The program was easy to use and set up? 2 2 6

The specification of the challenges was stated in a clear manner?

5 3 2

Not having to start from scratch in each challenge saved time and allows the challenge to be completed quickly?

8 2

Using a fully functional IOS is better than the restricted IOS used in simulators (e.g. full use of the back and forward arrow keys for the command history)?

8 2

The challenges maintain my interest throughout? 6 4

Conclusions

• Performance issues when running in emulation

• Bloom model in teaching networking