Teaching computer networking using open source software

Abstract

For the past seven years we have taught a subject entitled Network Software and Management (NSM) for both computer science and electrical engineering students. We discuss the evolution of this subject syllabus in response to the changing requirements of the workplace environment, ever improving technology and the need to combine theory and practice in teaching subjects such as this. We used open source software exclusively in our laboratory exercises and we provide the rationale behind our choice of specific software packages.

Learning software engineering principles using open source software

“…Pedroni et al [12] describe how students in an advanced Java course were required to select an open source project, identify parts (bug fixes, extensions, and/or improvements) of the project to contribute code, make changes, and then report their experiences. Nelson and Ng [13] describe a computer networking course that made use of multiple open source packages. O'Hara and Kay [14] describe popular open source licenses and the use of OSS in computer science education and its potential to expose students to larger projects, group work, distributed teams, and peer-review practice.…”

Educational material development model for teaching computer network and system management

“…In addition, investors are reluctant to make investments on the provision of educational materials due to relatively high cost specific to this field. Such problems have encouraged researchers to find alternative ways to teach computer networks, rather than just discussing about only theoretical subjects [7,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Further, recent works indicate oppurtunities for not only educational purposes but also for scientific or engineering works [21].…”

Using Open Source to Enhance Learning

“…Therefore, as claimed by O'Hara and Kay, we believed that the process and organization of the project should reflect real world realities [9]. As many have identified [1,9,13,14,15,28] open source is more about the process of creating software, than the actual software it produces. In addition, the ability of open source project organizers to achieve productivity from apparent chaos is a tribute to their ability to manage multiple relationships, sustain progress on diverse sub-projects simultaneously, and provide a common goal for everyone to focus.…”

“…They elaborated further by indicating that students appreciated the opportunity to use and explore real world software [12]. Students at Victoria University of Technology in Australia also remarked that their experience with open source software was a very important part in securing employment after graduation [13]. Nelson and Ng concluded that one of the biggest benefits of open source software for the students was the freedom to take their software between university and home [13].…”