Teaching Technology Fellowship Results and Side Effects WPI Food for Thought Luncheon Presentation April 1, 2008 Robert Kinicki, Mark Claypool and Mingzhe

Teaching Technology Teaching Technology FellowshipFellowship

Results and Side EffectsResults and Side Effects

WPIWPIFood for Thought Luncheon PresentationFood for Thought Luncheon PresentationApril 1, 2008 April 1, 2008

Robert Kinicki, Mark Claypool and Mingzhe LiRobert Kinicki, Mark Claypool and Mingzhe LiWorcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA, 01609 USAWorcester, MA, 01609 USA

PresenterPresenter - - Bob KinickiBob [email protected]@cs.wpi.edu

Food for Thought Lecture April 1, 2008Food for Thought Lecture April 1, 200822

OutlineOutline

• Motivation• Teaching Technology Fellowship

AY0507• Research and Assessment Plan• B05 and B06 Details• Brief Assessment• Post Mortem Thoughts• Side Effects and Lessons Learned


MotivationMotivation• Anticipating the future impact of wireless

networking technology.– Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) will

become ubiquitous!– The societal impact of Wireless Sensor

Networks (WSNs) is still in its earliest stages.• RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification)• Environmental measurements• Health care applications• Surveillance (Big Brother!)

• Computer networking curriculum and textbooks have not kept pace with the speed of these wireless changes.


WSN Example: Vineyard WSN Example: Vineyard InstallationInstallation

• At each Mote location:• 2 soil moisture sensors • 12” and 24” depth• 1 soil temp sensor to calibrate soil moisture sensors

Copyright 2006 Camalie Vineyards


Alarm-Net: Assisted LivingAlarm-Net: Assisted Living

University of Virginia


Teaching Technology Fellowship Teaching Technology Fellowship (TTF)(TTF)

• Strategy: to leverage our wireless measurement tools and research.

• To provide a ‘hands-on’ laboratory experience in WLAN measurement.

• TTF Hypothesis:TTF Hypothesis: A student WLAN measurement experience would reinforce important networking concepts from course lectures in CS4514, Computer Networks.


Wireless Streaming Multimedia Lab TopologyWireless Streaming Multimedia Lab Topology

IDC

Windows 2003 server(saco)

Windows media server Real streaming Server Quick time Darwin Windows IIS server Ethereal

DVD DVD Player

VCR

Video Camera

Mobile station(yangtze)

WM Tracker Real Tracker Ethereal

Wireless sniffer(seine)

Ethereal Monitor Mode

Access point Video capture

NAT Router(streamit)

WPI Campus Network

Emulated Internet

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C Switch

NFS Server(york)

Packet Sniffer(merlot)

Media Client(???)

WM Tracker Real Tracker Ethereal

Slide courtesy of Mingzhe Li


Research and Assessment Research and Assessment PlanPlan

• Conduct B05 version of Networks course using an extra written assignment to design a wireless network configuration for a fictitious situation.

• Develop and test prototype WLAN measurement assignment in graduate networks course, CS 513, in Spring 2006.

• Modify undergraduate measurement lab based on grad course experience.– Tools for graphing was recognized as a student

weakness.– Measurement instructions were too cryptic and tasks

were too long.


Research and Assessment Research and Assessment PlanPlan

• Modify the measurement assignment to include a ‘cookbook’ and seek assistance from Matlab Instructor, Adriana Hera.

• Conduct B06 version of Networks course and require an extra WLAN measurement lab in the Fossil Lab.– Create a video in the TV Studio on “Computer

Systems Performance Methodology”.• Compare B05 and B06 CS4514 student

performance on subset of the Final Exam questions (namely, the WLAN questions on the exam).


B05 Wireless Design B05 Wireless Design ProjectProject

• Paper design project came on the heels of Hurricane Katrina.

• Three person groups were asked by FEMA to prepare a design for a prototype WLAN measurement study in Alumni Gym to evaluate future use of WLANs to assist disaster victims temporarily housed in gymnasiums.


B06Wireless Local Area B06Wireless Local Area Network Measurement Network Measurement

ConfigurationConfiguration

Server

Access Point

GoodClient

BadClient

queue

Downstream

Upstream


A Few More DetailsA Few More Details• Fossil Lab was painted with special paint with

metal chips to reduce external wireless interference from CCC APs.

• With only one measurement system in Fossil Lab, students had to sign up to reserve times around the clock to use the WLAN measurement system.

• Originally, measurement lab assignment set to occur in one week – immediately after Thanksgiving break in B06.

• The assignment due date was extended two days because student groups needed more time for the write up and to produce Matlab graphs from measurements.


Entry Course SurveyEntry Course Survey

Prior background of two classes was equivalent.


AssessmentAssessment

Oops!!


Post Mortem: What Happened Post Mortem: What Happened ????

• CS4514 is ‘chuck fullchuck full’ of material and splitting it into two courses had been previously suggested by the students.

• Adding two wireless lectures plus the measurement lab made for a very tight fit of topics in CS4514.

• While the ‘cookbook’ streamlined the experimental times, it also took most of the discovery and creativity out of the lab experience. A few students commented that the lab activity was boring.


Post Mortem: What Happened Post Mortem: What Happened ????

• In both instances of the course, students worked in three person groups.

• However, the actual lab setup was crowded for three people. Two person groups in the lab was the most common scenario with the third person often responsible for producing graphs or writing the measurement report.

• While only a paper design project, the B05 project forced the students to think more to think more about the issuesabout the issues in conducting WLAN experiments.


Positive Side Effects of TTF Positive Side Effects of TTF ExperienceExperience

• From preparing the video, I became familiar with and saw real value in using the Sympodium tool to enhance Powerpoint presentations.

• The TTF created the impetus to finally propose splitting the course into two courses.– The idea is to introduce an in-depth lab measurement

experience in the second course.

• The Matlab experience was very positive and useful for the students.

• I became aware of a key weakness in scientific methodology in the current CS major experience.


Pedagogy Lessons LearnedPedagogy Lessons Learned• Adding and subtracting material from seven-week

courses is challenging.– More can produce less!More can produce less!

• Technology per se does not always improve the learning.

Conjecture –Conjecture – The students did not watch the video due to:– Lack of time in their schedules.– They did not see it as critical to completing the

WLAN measurement.• Carefully targeting the use of the technology is the

key to a successful lab experience.• Scheduling the WLAN measurements around the

clock did not bother the students as much as expected.


AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments

Valuable assistance and support provided by Adriana Hera, Jeanne Hubelbank, Feng Li, Amy Ricci and Dave Taranto.

Thank You!

Questions ??

Teaching Technology Teaching Technology FellowshipFellowship

Results and Side EffectsResults and Side Effects

[email protected]@cs.wpi.edudu

Documents

Teaching Technology Fellowship Results and Side Effects WPI Food for Thought Luncheon Presentation April 1, 2008 Robert Kinicki, Mark Claypool and Mingzhe