Know about our research

Network troubleshooting is an important and complex skill. This is not learnt by teaching about the concepts of networking or design of networking. Students find it difficult to troubleshoot networks.

The pedagogy of PHyTeR is based broadly on science inquiry learning. It explicitly trains the students in the 4 phases of troubleshooting with the help of questions prompts and activities in each phase. These 4 phases are: Problem Space Understanding, Hypothesis Generation, Hypothesis Testing, Result Interpretation.

1. Novices have difficulty in comparing ideal and faulty networks (have difficulty in simulating)

2. Novices have difficulty in formulating testable hypothesis

3. After training to compare ideal & faulty network, they are able to come up with step-by-step behaviour of the network

4. After training to do multiple iterations, they identify the tentativeness of hypotheses

5. Just in time procedural hints are useful in focusing on the required task

6. Process prompts are useful to keep track of the troubleshooting process

The team came up with the pedagogy to teach troubleshooting in networking and implemented it as a technology enhanced learning environment know as PHyTeR.

• Disciplinary Practice: Network Troubleshooting

• Topic: Computer Networks (Routers, Client-Server, Web Services)

• Target audience: Third and Fourth year CS undergraduates

• No of students trained: ~60

• Explore: PHyTeR (pronounced as fighter)

• Research Team: Kavya Alse, Sridhar Iyer, Sasikumar M

Publications:

1. K. Alse, A. Deep, S. Iyer, A Game to Improve Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning Skill in undergraduates, Workshop on Technology Enabled Learning of Thinking Skills in International Conference on Computers in Education, 2015.

2. K. Alse, M. Lahoti, M. Verma, S. Iyer, GATutor: A guided discovery based tutor for designing greedy algorithm, International Conference on Technology for Education, 2015