A Hands-On Look Under the Hood of Computer Systems

Project Challenge, Spring 2005

Project Challenge is a program in the winter months that brings area high school students to campus on Saturday mornings for 5 weeks to study a course of their choice. In the Spring Semester 2005, a course was offered in the Clarkson University Internet Teaching Laboratory (ITL) called "A Hands-On Look Under the Hood of Computer Systems." This course, taught by Dr. Jeanna Matthews and assisted by graduate students Todd Deshane, Patty Jablonski, and Gary Hamilton, gave students a sense of how computer systems operate, including an emphasis on the network protocol analyzer, Ethereal, and a focus on open-source software such as Linux.
Official Course Description

• Class Topics
  
  
  • Network Trace Analysis
  • Webpage Design with Linux Tools
  • Programming and Open Source
  • Network Topology
  • Computer Hardware and OS Installation
  
  
• Student Webpages
  

  The students built their own webpages using the following web tutorial.
  We had some fun editing our picture using the GIMP program in Linux.

• Introduction to Programming
  

  The students learned about programming languages and open source software.

• Wireless Basics
  

  The students learned about wireless, how to configure an access point, and NAT.

• Lab Management Topics
  

  The students learned about computer hardware, OS installation, and lab management.