Engineering and technology educators continually strive for realistic, hands-on laboratory exercises to enhance their students’ learning. This research describes the redesign of an undergraduate introductory computer networking course to include new weekly virtual laboratory assignments that culminate in a ‘real world’ final project of configuring a ‘corporate’ network. The use of an Internet testbed technology named ISEAGE allows students to design and implement fully functional networks using public IP space that is contained in the testbed. To the students, it appears as if they were directly connected to the Internet while still being protected. This paper shows that ‘real world’ projects using virtual lab technology can have a positive effect both on objective networking knowledge, as well as subjective self-assessments of self-efficacy with regard to implementing the technology. It also demonstrates that ‘real world’ final projects encourage student thinking at upper levels of Bloom's taxonomy.

中文翻译：

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使用虚拟实验室网络测试平台促进网络课程中的实际动手学习

工程和技术教育工作者不断努力进行现实的、动手的实验室练习，以提高学生的学习。这项研究描述了重新设计的本科计算机网络入门课程，包括新的每周虚拟实验室作业，这些作业以配置“企业”网络的“现实世界”最终项目告终。使用名为 ISEAGE 的 Internet 测试平台技术允许学生使用包含在测试平台中的公共 IP 空间来设计和实施全功能网络。对学生来说，他们似乎直接连接到互联网，同时仍然受到保护。本文表明，使用虚拟实验室技术的“真实世界”项目可以对客观网络知识、以及关于实施技术的自我效能的主观自我评估。它还表明，“真实世界”的期末项目鼓励学生在布鲁姆分类法的上层进行思考。