Introduction
Hello! and welcome
to MINF/ 4330: Telecommunications Management Online. This course will
introduce you to the principles and practices of managing the telecommunications
function within the modern enterprise.
The course is
an introduction to the concepts and practices of managing modern business
telecommunication resources, particularly as they relate to information
technology and management of network resources. This course examines
telecommunications from three different perspectives: the client,
the designer, and the implementer.
The course focuses
primarily on the role of the designer in determining how to translate
client requirements into implementation and on how design and management
of information technology resources are interwoven into business telecommunications
systems.
Text Book:
Guide to Networking
Essentials, 2nd Edition. Tittel and Johnson (2001). Thompson Learning
- Course Technology.
In addition, to
the text book there will be additional reading assignments and numerous
links to resource pages posted on the lesson pages.
Course Requirements
This is an on-line
course. This means that all tests (with the exception of the mid-term
and the final exam), course materials, lectures, quizzes, and assignments
are given completely online through the Internet. Though we will not
be meeting in a traditional classroom, but rather asynchronously through
the discussion board and through e-mail, a weekly lab time has been
arranged to assist students who desire to attend. (Check with the
instructor for your campus regarding open lab times.) It also means
that it will take a certain amount of self-discipline in order to
be successful in this course. The following sections will introduce
you to the format and the course requirements.
Lessons
There are fourteen
(14) distinct lessons for this course. Each lesson consists of online
lecture notes which may or may not be accompanied by an on-line lecture,
chapter readings, outside links, interactive exercises, and e-mail
assignments. At the end of each online lesson is a vocabulary quiz
and a practice quiz. When you feel that you have satisfied the learning
objectives for the lesson, you are ready to take the actual lesson
quiz. We will be following a calendar for the online discussion portion,
hence be sure to become familiar with this calendar (it is located
at the end of this document).
E-mail assignments
will be forwarded to all class participants. Each week, a couple of
days after the initial assignment has been mailed, six to eight students
will be chosen at random and notified via e-mail to respond to the
discussion topic. Each participant who responds within the allotted
time with a correct response will have 10 points added to his or her
participation grade in the course.
This course will
use the bulletin board associated with the Campus Pipeline course
page.
The basic protocol
for the lesson is as follows:
1. Read the
chapter materials.
2. Complete
the online slide/lecture set.
3. Review course-related
bi-weekly e-mails and complete assignments as designated.
4. Participate
in any online assignments that are conducted via the discussion
or bulletin board.
5. Take the
practice quiz and vocabulary review.
6. Take the
lesson quiz.
7. Although
your grades will be automatically uploaded each time you complete
a lesson, you should back-up your data to either a floppy-disk or
a zip disk - just in case!
Quizzes
For each lesson,
you will complete an online quiz. These quizzes use a multiple choice
and true/false format. The quizzes are given online and you will be
able to complete them when you feel that you are ready. You will have
only one chance at each quiz. When you start the quiz, your chance
has been used up at that point. Hence, MAKE SURE that you are using
a Internet connection that will not fail during the middle of the
quiz. I would suggest that you use a campus computer to take the quizzes.
The quizzes are timed and will time out when the allotted time ends.
Participation
An online course
requires that you participate in the course in an active and productive
manner. Your participation will be gauged in the following ways. First,
your log-ins to the course and to the bulletin/discussion board will
be monitored. Second, the amount of time that you spend on the lesson
materials will be monitored. When you login to the course and start
a lesson, your time in the lesson will be tracked. This will give
me a good indicator of how much time you are spending in the course
overall. Third, your responses to the e-mail assignments for which
your name is chosen as a respondent.
Mid-Term
and Final Exam
Each student will
be required to take a proctored mid-term exam and final exam. These
exam formats will be the same as the quizzes, however each will consist
of 100 questions. Approximately two weeks before each exam, a sign
up sheet will be posted which will allow you to choose from a variety
of times and dates to take the exam. The exam will be given at both
locations of this course.
Grading
The final grade
is based on a point system. The total points that are allocated for
the course are 1000 and are based on the following:
Participation:
150 points
Quizzes: 300 points (20 points per quiz)
Mid-term Exam: 250 points
Final Exam: 300 points
Your final letter
grade will be based on the following:
900+ points
(90% or greater): A
800 - 899 points (80% or greater): B
700 - 799 points (70% or greater): C
600 - 699 points(60% or greater): D
Less than 600 points (60%): F
Calendar
| Week
of: |
Activity |
Notes |
| Jan
6-Jan 12 |
Lesson
1: Introduction to Networks and Network Management (Chpt.1) |
Read
Chapter 1
Check your
e-mail for course information and assignments.
Review lecture
notes, links, do lesson assignments and quizzes |
| Jan
13- Jan 19 |
Lesson
2: Network Design Essentials (Chpt. 2)
|
Don't
get behind on the quizzes!
Review lecture
notes, links, do lesson assignments and quizzes |
| Jan
20- Jan 26 |
Take MLK
Day off!
Lesson 3:
Networking Media (Chpt. 3) |
Be
sure to read the e-mail and web assignment. Who knows, your
number may be up next!
Review lecture
notes, links, do lesson assignments and quizzes |
| Jan
27- Feb 2 |
Lesson
4: Network Interface Cards (Chpt. 4) |
Review
lecture notes, links, do lesson assignments and quizzes
Don't get
behind on your work! |
| Feb
3 - Feb 9 |
Lesson
5: Reference Models - Making Networks Work (Chpt. 5)
|
Be
sure to read the e-mail and web assignment.
Review lecture
notes, links, do lesson assignments and quizzes |
| Feb
10 - Feb 16 |
Lesson 6:
Network Communications and Protocols (Chpt. 6 Part 1) |
Review
lecture notes, links, do lesson assignments and quizzes
Begin preparing
for the mid-term exam |
| Feb
17-Feb 23 |
Lesson 7: Access Methods (Chpt. 6 Part 2) |
Review
lecture notes, links, do lesson assignments and quizzes
Finish all
quizzes and assignments to prepare for mid-term exam
Sign-up
for mid-term exam |
| Feb
24-Mar 2 |
Mid-Term
Exam Week |
Lessons
1-7 must be complete before taking the mid-term exam |
| Mar
3 - Mar 9 |
Lesson
8: Network Architectures
(Chpt. 7) |
Time to
"take stock"! If your grade isn't where you would
like for it to be, figure out what you need to do and do it.
LN, L, LA
and Q (Lecture notes, links, lesson assignments and quizzes)
|
| Mar
10 - Mar 16 |
Lesson
9: Simple Network Operations (Chpt. 8) |
LN,
L, LA and Q
Don't get
behind!
Read your
e-mail and check the website for course updates. |
| Mar
17- Mar 23 |
Lesson
10: Understanding Complex Networks (Chpt. 9) |
LN,
L, LA and Q
|
| Mar
24- Mar 30 |
Lesson
11: Network Admin and Support (Chpt. 10) |
LN,
L, LA and Q
Stay current
with all assignments and quizzes |
| Mar
31- Apr 6 |
Lesson
12: Enterprise and Distributed Networks (Chpt 11) |
LN,
L, LA and Q
Read your
e-mail and check the website for course updates.
|
| Apr
7 - Apr 13 |
Spring
Break! |
Have
fun! |
| Apr
14 - Apr 21 |
Lesson
13: Wide Area and Large-Scale Networks (Chpt. 12)
|
Shorter
lesson and assignment this week, but don't forget to get it
finished on time!
Begin prep
for final exam in two weeks.
Sign up
for exam time that is convenient for you. |
| Apr
22- Apr 28 |
Lesson
14: Solving Network Problems (Chpt. 13 and 14 combined)
|
LN,
L, LA and Q
Final e-mail
assignment this week.
Sign up
for final exam times |
| Apr
29 - May 6 |
Final
Exam
Chapters
7 - 14 |
Hope
you have studied and are well-prepared! |
