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COMP 347 is a senior level computer science course that is “designed to teach the essential principles and technologies of computer networking.” An overview of the most basic level of computer networks, a network is a group of computers that use specific communication protocols to interact with each other. These communication protocols are described in something called the OSI Model (Open Systems Interconnection Model), which is the focus of the course. The course does have a pre-requisite of COMP 314 and is available for challenge for credit. For students who have not taken COMP 314 and are interested in doing so, don’t hesitate to check out the Voice article for COMP 314.
Why You Should Take This Course
If you are interested in pursuing a career in software development, or merely interested in learning about internet networks, this course is for you! Particularly for those interested in software development, knowledge about networking and internet fundamentals is very important. With a growing shift towards technical cloud computing like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP), an understanding of how these services work on a fundamental level is more important than ever before. If you think you are interested in working in this field in the near future or would just like to expand your general knowledge of computer networks, I highly recommend this course.
For this course, we had the opportunity to interview Tyler, who is currently taking courses at AU while he is on an internship from another University. Tyler mentioned, “in my opinion, Computer Networks is one of the most important courses in postsecondary, as network communication is such an important part of software design and engineering,” and he highly recommended this course to all individuals who are interested in entering the tech/computer science field or merely interested in gaining more knowledge about computer networks.
Course, Assignment and Final Exam Details
The course will cover the OSI Model: computer science concepts abstracted into seven levels. This class will go over four of the most important levels, which will give you a solid understanding of how computer applications access network services (like email), how the computer connects to other computers through something called ports, and how this data interacts directly with hardware. Students will also learn about routers and how data is transferred on a micro-level.
The course itself consists of four assignments with assignment one and four worth 15% each and assignment two and three worth 20% each. There is no midterm for the course, however, there is a final exam worth 30%. To pass the course, students must achieve a course composite grade of at least a 50% or higher on each assignment and the final exam.
How to Be Successful in the Course
Student Tips
When we asked one of the students, Tyler, who recently took this course what his tips are for the course, and he stated, “unlike in-class courses, online courses require good time management skills. I recommend students to spread out studying and allocate time to complete the assignments. The course is content heavy, so I recommend putting the time into fully understand the material as that will make completing assignments and studying for the final exam much easier.”
We also asked Tyler about his experience with communication with the Course Coordinator or Course Tutor, and he mentioned, “I didn’t contact the course coordinator/tutor much for the course as I found the material provided sufficient for me to succeed in the course. When I didn’t understand a concept, there were lots of YouTube videos and resources on Google to explain the concept to me. I strongly recommend students to do research when they are struggling to understand something.” Thank you very much Tyler for your valuable feedback!
Questions?
If you have any further questions regarding the course, please do not hesitate to contact the Course Coordinator at Fst_success@athabascau.ca. Happy studying!