A Web-Based Electronic Laboratory for Operating Systems and Computer Networks

计算机能力的几何增长和无处不在的网络连接的可用性正在彻底改变计算。基于旧教学方法的计算机科学课程对现代学生来说可能显得枯燥和不相干。本科课程教学在很大程度上没有积极利用新技术。讲师讲课时使用多媒体演示被认为是被动使用技术。相比之下，能够控制多媒体可视化的学生正在积极利用这种技术。被动和主动使用技术之间的区别类似于观看实验室演示和进行实验之间的区别。除了使学习体验更有趣之外，一个设计良好的实验可以挑战学生并鼓励他们的创造力。用户控制的动画可以有类似的效果，并为学生提供一个虚拟的实验室环境。我和一位同事已经通过构建一系列编程项目成功地重新设计了大约一半的本科操作系统课程，这些项目使学生能够尝试一致性和沟通。这项工作最近被出版在普伦蒂斯霍尔的一本书中，并得到了名牌大学的认可。传统操作系统课程的其余部分不容易让学生使用编程项目进行探索，这些项目可以在短时间内由学生完成。我将为操作系统的第二部分和计算机网络设计一个课程，让学生在虚拟实验室环境中进行实验。实验室实验将使用用Java语言编写的动画模拟，使它们几乎可以在任何连接到互联网的计算机上运行。将建立一个开发主动动画的框架，以便有效地制作这些动画。＊

The geometric increase in computer power and the ubiquitous availability of network connectivity are revolutionizing computing. A computer science curriculum based on old teaching techniques may seem dull and irrelevant to the modern student. Instruction in the undergraduate curriculum for the most part does not make active use of new technology. A multimedia presentation during a lecture by an instructor is considered to be a passive use of technology. In contrast, a student who can control a multimedia visualization is making active use of such technology. The difference between passive and active use of technology is similar to the difference between watching a laboratory demonstration and performing an experiment. Aside from making the learning experience more interesting, a well-designed experiment can challenge the student and encourage creativity. A user-controlled animation can have a similar effect and provide the student with a virtual laboratory environment. A Colleague and I have already successfully redesigned about half of the curriculum for an undergraduate operating systems course by constructing a series of programming projects that enable students to experiment with congruency and communication. This work has been recently published in a book by Prentice Hall and is gaining acceptance at prestigious universities. The remainder of the curriculum in a traditional operating systems course does not easily lend itself to exploration using programming projects that can be completed by a student in a short period of time. I will design a curriculum for this second part of operating systems and for computer networks in which students perform experiments in a virtual laboratory setting. The laboratory experiments will use animated simulations written in the Java language allowing them to be run on virtually any computer connected to the Internet. A framework for developing active animations will be set up so that these animations can be efficiently produced. *