Achieving Active Learning With A Student Run Internet Service Provider Business The Case Of BSU. Net
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This document summarizes the Hands-On Network Management Class (HONM) at Boise State University, which founded an operational Internet Service Provider (ISP) business called BSU.net in 1996. The class was designed with active learning principles in mind, having students solve real problems by running the ISP business. Students applied knowledge from other classes, demonstrated and applied new technologies, and integrated their learning into the real-world business. While technical infrastructure evolved over 9 years, the business goals remained paramount as students addressed customer demands, partnerships, and financial requirements. Learning outcomes were measured through student roles and projects, business and network metrics, and exams. The ISP provides a model for entrepreneurial student efforts that can
Achieving Active Learning With A Student Run Internet Service Provider Business The Case Of BSU. Net
- 1. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education Volume 5 Number 1 January 2007 Printed in the U.S.A. TEACHING BRIEF Achieving Active Learning with a Student-Run Internet Service Provider Business: The Case of BSU.net Robert P. Minch Boise State University, College of Business and Economics, Networking, Operations, and Information Systems, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725-1615, e-mail: rminch@boisestate.edu Sharon W. Tabor Boise State University, College of Business and Economics, Networking, Operations, and Information Systems, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725-1615, e-mail: stabor@boisestate.edu INTRODUCTION In Boise State University’s Networking and Telecommunications program, we sought to design a class that integrated technology and business topics as well as conceptual and experiential approaches. The result was the Hands-On Net- work Management Class (HONM), which founded an operational Internet Service Provider (ISP) business in 1996 and has been operating continuously for 9 years. We will describe how the class was designed, implemented, managed, assessed, and eventually will transition to another form. We will offer advice for others who may want to design similar classes, even if those classes involve activities other than an ISP. DESIGNING FOR ACTIVE LEARNING A central design goal for the class was to use an active learning approach that stressed real problems and a realistic environment encompassing them. We fol- lowed Merrill’s first principles of instruction as shown in Table 1. Underneath the active learning umbrella, we also sought several subgoals: r The class serving as a capstone class integrating knowledge from other classes. r A collaborative learning environment to promote student initiative and reduce dependence on the professor(s). r A service learning approach offering benefits to external constituencies (such as low-cost Internet access to other students). r Creation of marketable skill sets for the students that are transferable to their careers. 179
- 2. 180 Teaching Brief Table 1: Following Merrill’s principles of instruction with the HONM class. Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction State That Learning is Best The Hands-On Network Management Achieved When Class Follows Each Principle By 1. Learners are solving real problems 1. Learners solve the ultimate real business problem—running a business 2. Existing knowledge is activated as the foundation of new knowledge 2. Students apply knowledge gained in their previous classes to the business 3. New knowledge is demonstrated to the learner 3. New technologies and business methods are demonstrated to the class (including guest speakers from commercial ISPs) 4. New knowledge is applied by the learner 4. The class chooses and implements new technologies and processes in the business 5. New knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world 5. Successful projects are integrated into the business and documentation is added to the knowledge base HOW WE IMPLEMENTED THE HONM CLASS AND BSU.NET We launched the class in the Spring semester of 1996 with the objective of starting an ISP and a strategy of behaving as any startup business would, seeking needed resources wherever they could be found. We recommend this approach to others considering similar classes. If we had waited for every needed resource to be in place at the outset, not only would it have delayed or prevented the class from starting, it would have deprived the students of a vital phase in the process. So, we borrowed a 400-square-foot study room in the library and met there for the first time in a room empty except for a few chairs and tables. Almost everything we needed to start the ISP was loaned or donated, and it was in many ways a surprisingly easy process. There was already wiring be- tween the campus computer center and the library building, of course, and both the campus information technology staff and the library administrators agreed to extend the wiring to the necessary locations on each end and lend us the devices necessary to provide connectivity between the main university router (and thus the Internet) and our room. The students fanned out into the community and returned, amazingly, with a collection of used server and desktop computers, cabling, and other equipment that would be needed. Within a few weeks skepticism had turned to enthusiasm, and we were holding late-night planning sessions as whiteboards and easel paper lined the walls with network diagrams, to-do lists, and so on. Every hurdle was seen as something that someone in the class could solve and if everyone worked toward a piece of the puzzle an overall solution would be found. Students would often seize initiative and stand up in class to announce that they recognized a problem or opportunity and wanted to lobby the group to consider their idea for the next step. One such student, who initially expressed reservations about how he could fit into the overall effort, became one of the most valuable contributors and went on to become a network manager for a national ISP. As BSU.net matured, it moved out of the library and into a dedicated lab of its own—a transition helped by a growing awareness of this unique project
- 3. Minch and Tabor 181 among faculty and the community. We found that once an effort begins to garner recognition and media coverage, administrators begin to appreciate the value of such distinctive contributions and are more willing to allocate needed resources. Eventually the lab featured rack-mounted production servers with redundancy and backup facilities, a multizoned network infrastructure allowing separate develop- ment and testing areas and adhering to security best practices, network monitor- ing and remote management facilities for off-site support, and a large variety of network-related hardware, software, and systems. While the technical infrastructure evolved, the business goals remained paramount. Reality is a given with customers who demand near-100% service, availability and technical support, business partners who help develop negoti- ation and communication skills in obtaining downstream and upstream band- width support, and externally mandated accounting requirements requiring busi- ness accountability. A live environment means students must cover holidays and semester breaks, so on-call duties were spread equally among the members. These requirements help reinforce the notion that BSU.net is a business, not just a class. The student teams make both business and technical decisions relating to ev- eryday operations, short-term improvements, and long-term network infrastructure growth and development over time. Professors rotate through the management of the course, giving them the opportunity to stay current on the many state-of-the- art technologies under constant development and use. Acting as CIO, the profes- sor helps to guide the class in balancing business decisions while assisting with inevitable technical problems. Course content includes a minimum of technical lectures, with an emphasis on shared learning through student briefings, techni- cal reports and demonstrations, business case presentations to obtain funding, and small group and full class projects. To establish a stable financial base for BSU.net, a unique joint venture was established with the College of Business and Economics. The College agreed to include in its annual budget a fixed amount for the class, with the rationale that all such technology-intensive classes would need lab and other support regardless. Then the profits from the business were “taxed” at a 50% rate, so that a substantial amount of the fixed budget would be repaid to the College. This proved effective in smoothing cycles of equipment acquisition while reinforcing to students that their business plans (which are periodically updated) reflect financial realities. Also, our early decision to provide complimentary service to College faculty was probably a wise choice. Despite the considerable sophistication of the BSU.net technical infrastruc- ture today, it would actually be quite replicable by other universities. Advances in the features and integration capabilities of servers and network operating sys- tems would make it much easier to implement the basic access, e-mail, and other required services than when we started in 1996. A new endeavor might begin with a request for an isolated network segment on the organization’s wide area network and requests for surplus equipment. The local business community is a key source for donated equipment. An ISP can be launched with as little as one server and a firewall appliance, with the latest and fastest equipment not nec- essary. Donated items serve well during startup and in fact can provide valu-
- 4. 182 Teaching Brief able experience in working around legacy equipment issues. The most impor- tant factor is the interest level of both faculty and students to make the project a success. MEASURING LEARNING OUTCOMES Learning outcomes for the class are measured through a combination of non- traditional and traditional methods. Each student chooses a primary and secondary role in the business, and his or her participation and progress is monitored via personaljournalsoflearningactivities.Eachclassmemberalsoselectsanindividual learning project, with the joint goals of exploring a new technology or gaining a new skill and sharing the results with peers. The class as a whole also proposes a semester group project that will leave a lasting legacy to the ISP business. Both business metrics (such as 24-hour turnaround time for all customer requests) and network performance (such as 98% uptime for all major systems) are regularly monitored. The more traditional aspects of learning are measured through one combined in-class/take-home exam, which also lends structure to knowledge acquisition over the course of the term. Finally, each student is evaluated based on his or her individual growth as well as the team’s overall accomplishments and service levels. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION While we began with a goal to combine business and technology topics in an active learning approach, we believe we have also created a model for entrepreneurial efforts within a class environment. Someone wishing to replicate this approach need not choose the same product, service, or technology area as us or anticipate every hurdle in advance, because the goal is to immerse students in the business and technology decisions themselves—not to provide them ready-made answers. POSTSCRIPT Due to the shift in popularity toward broadband and wireless Internet access, it was decided to eliminate conventional dial-up service at BSU.net in the autumn of 2005. We are currently examining new opportunities for the class and ISP, possibly to include community wireless for underserved areas in Boise. We view this as just one more example of a real business adapting to its environment.