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Dr. Randall Boyle, an Assistant Professor of MIS, is offering his students
more than just theory; he is making sure that MIS students receive hands
on experience to reinforce what they learn in class.
On September 17, students in Dr. Boyles' Web Server and Internet
Telecommunications Technology course (MIS465/565) participated in a hands
on workshop involving the installation and configuration of Web server
software on a local network.
A stand-alone Ethernet network was set up by the Network Support office in
one of the computer labs at the Administrative Science building, which
consisted of three computers used as servers and three computers used as
workstations. The students installed the IIS Web server on Windows and the
Apache Web server on both Windows and Linux/Unix based platforms. The
students then created a Web page on the workstations and published them to
the Web server.
The workshop was designed to allow students to put into practice the
lessons in networking hardware and Web server set up and maintenance
learned during class discussion. Students in Dr. Boyle’s class were
excited at the opportunity of receiving practical experience and were
extremely satisfied with the outcome. One student commented: “I wish we
could have more labs like this; I learn a lot more when I am actually
doing the things I read about.”
And that is exactly what Dr. Boyle and the Information Systems department
at the College of Administrative Science intend to do. Currently there are
detailed plans to implement up to 13 hands on workshops throughout the
semester to complement the MIS 460/560 and 465/565, Telecommunications and
Web Server courses respectively. “Hands on labs are extremely valuable
because they reduce students’ uncertainty about their ability to take the
skills learned here at UAH and apply them in “the real world,” indicated
Dr. Boyle, who has a doctorate degree from Florida State University,
where he taught for the past three years.
"The workshops will both reinforce material learned
in the classroom as well as increase the practical skills of MIS students,
which will increase their qualifications for available jobs after
graduation," Dr. Boyle said. "I have had very positive experiences in the
past and am confident this will be one too." |
