This Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement-Instrumentation Project will lead to the development of an undergraduate laboratory to support instruction in telecommunications and networks. The laboratory will reinforce concepts, provide insight into both theoretical and practical issues, and develop the students expertise in network design and performance evaluation. The laboratory will be designed for flexibility and will support multiple environments to offer a variety of learning experiences and to facilitate use in other courses. Key components of the laboratory include network hosts, both shared and switched Ethernet networks, wireless local area network equipment, network monitoring and management tools, and hardware and software to serve as real-time audio and video traffic sources. This integration of voice, video, and data matches industry trends and engages students in the learning process. Laboratory configuration guidelines and a modular laboratory manual will be developed and made available via the World Wide Web.
