Target Audience
We consider the Internet a fundamental technology in today's society. As said in the trailer, it drives almost everything in our daily lives. Understanding how the Internet works helps you understanding what drives the so-called Digital Transformation that surrounds us.
Our target audience is therefore everyone interested in knowing how the Internet works. We target professionals who want to improve their networking skills as well as interested people who want to acquire this knowledge in their spare time.
Even without any previous knowledge in computer network this course allows anyone to learn the networking basics. People with a computer science background might be a bit faster going through the course but we had many successful completions from totally different areas in the past as well. Whenever you have questions, use the many forums we offer, or the facebook page!
Basic Structuring of the Course
The iLabX has six parts that build upon each-other. Therefore it makes sense to go through the part linearly. The following video gives you some info on the timeline and already some info what is different for learners that buy the certificate and those who do not.
As with the other courses you can get a certificate for successfully completing the iLabX. The certificate is based on the two assessments introduced in the first video above.
The only difference between the paid version where you get the certificate in the end, and the free version where you do not obtain a certificate are the two assignments in the middle and at the end of the course. Their questions are the only ones that count into the certificate.
This course counts as passed if you achieve 75% or more in the two assignments. To receive the Verified Certificate, you need to earn a grade of 75% or more and have upgraded to be eligible for a certificate of the iLabx-course.
See the info in the following video:
ECTS
In case you are a student at TUM, this course DOES NOT result in ECTS for you at Technical University of Munich.
However, this course is meant as a supporting tool for people applying for a TUM Master program who did not have a networking basics class before. You can indicate your participation in this course in your application and it will have a positive effect.
For enrolled TUM students we offer an onsite class that contains this course as one building block. Have a look at ilabx.ilabxp.com.
Roles of the different Learning Elements: Texts, Quizzes, and Hands-On
The iLabX follows the iLab Concept teaching methodology. If you are interested, you can find more details here. Basically you first learn the theoretical background and then you use your knowledge to solve some hands-on challenges. Finally you get two graded assignments for checking if you understood everything (only for those acquiring the certificate).
Each Part consists of two different learning experiences:
PreLab: We start with theoretical content (called PreLab). It is similar to what you might be used to from other online courses. You learn relevant theoretical background of the current topic using videos and texts. Interactive elements help you really understanding the content.
Lab: The second part is an actual hands-on. For that we provide you with a virtual environment that you can download and start on your computer. In the so-called vLab you will directly be able to apply the newly learned knowledge, and to configure the actual parts of the Internet we are looking at in this part. Therefore, we designed special exercises where you can apply the theoretical knowledge from the preLab to a real computer network in a practical exercise (called Lab).
Combining the theoretical background with practical exercises ensures, that you really master the topic. And of course doing something practical with the actual real technology is a lot more fun!
The following video explains the roles of the texts, quizzes, and the hands-on part:
The Hands-On Part
For the hands-on part we have set up a special environment for you. You can run it on your computer. It is called "vLab", which stands for virtual lab. You get many more details on how to start and use it later in this part 0. For now, I only give you a brief overview in the video.
The vLab is the virtual equivalent to our expensive testbeds that we have for our students in Munich. It provides the same functionality but you can run it everywhere and on your already existing hardware - perfect :-)
Taking a break within a part
The parts of iLabX are differing in length and you might not want to complete one part in just one large session, but have a break in-between and continue on another day. Good break points are always after a preLab and before you start with the corresponding lab (and of course between two parts).
For your convenience we added some markers throughout the course that give you a hint that currently there is a good opportunity for a break. They are colored depending on the part of the course you are currently in.
Two examples: