Equipping Today’s Instructors

for Tomorrow’s Students

CCNA R&S T3 Webinar
Cisco Networking Academy

Cisco Packet Tracer 6.0.1:

A Checklist for Instructor Trainers
Dennis C. Frezzo, PhD dfrezzo@cisco.com
Senior Manager, Learning and Collaboration Engineering
On behalf of the Simulation, Assessment, Game Engineering Team
July 2013

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 A Checklist for Instructor Trainers: Are You ….
1 Installing PT 6.0.1 for CCNA R&S?
2 Viewing Simulation Mode?
3 Using PTSAs?
4 Building Models?
5 Telling Stories?
6 Playing Games?
7 Writing Activities?
8 Collaborating?

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 1 Are You Installing PT 6.0.1 for CCNA R&S?
 Benefits: bug fixes, avoiding
misconceptions, better interactions with
assessment and gaming systems
 New features for you and your classes to
build better models. Oh, and see “Help”!
 PT 6.0.1 is REQUIRED to use many
curriculum practice activities, but also
quizzes, Chapter exams, Practice and
Actual Final Exams, and of course PTSAs

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Enhancements: IOS 15 Routers; IPv6 Features; HSRP;

Octal Cable
Server with 2 NICs

Host Based Firewalls

HSRP

HWIC-8A
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 2 Are You Viewing Simulation Mode?
• Scientific Visualization is a crucial part of
most STEM disciplines
• Consider PT Simulation mode a single-step,
entire-network, packet sniffer
• Research shows the power of animations,
packet tracing, and student “what if”
questions
• Check out the protocol list! Device tables!
Packet contents! Scenario features! QoS!
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 3 Are You Using PTSAs?
• Research indicates the utility of
performance-based assessments
• PTSAs can improve the validity, fairness,
and security of an your exam portfolio
• Automatically graded work product, process
logs, and extensive feedback
• Isomorphic tasks (“task families”) allow for
better security and/or multiple retakes for
mastery
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 Skills Assessment – PTSA

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 4 Are You Building Models?
• Research shows the power of learners
building their own network models
• This process may be described as
constructivist; as an “inquiry” process; as
“what ifs” with “aha” moments
• Scaffolding can be heavy (lots of guidance)
or minimal (more problem-based), individual
or in teams, in-person or via social
networking, compare/contrasting PT & real

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 5 Are You Telling Stories?
• Learning research emphasizes the
importance of context, especially for
motivation and transfer of learning to work
contexts. Consider .pkz (like zip, with gfx)
• Curriculum .pka files are often (not always)
written with a minimal amount of context to
avoid cognitive overload (distraction)
• Stories provide context; but many times the
best stories are localized to the learners

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Thanks to Bob Schoenerr, World Skills

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 6 Are You Playing Games?
• Research indicates that games have great
educational potential
• Many types of NetAcad resources can be
turned into games by social means
• We have two computer-based games,
Packet Tracer Multiuser (PTMU) and Aspire
• Educational games that are both fun and
teach useful networking skills are
challenging for Cisco to develop; help us.
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 PTMU: LAN Multiuser Agent

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 7 Are You Writing Activities?
• First, you need not, since there are:
• dozens of new PT 6.0.1 activities,
• hundreds of PT 5.3.x activities
• activities you personally have written
• But maybe you want to modify them?
Maybe you want to translate or localize?
• Maybe you alone, or you and your peers,
want to write your own, from “scratch”?

© 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 15
 Toolbox of Options:
Richer, more frequent feedback
Task Types Formative Assessments Summative Assessments

Understanding Performance Understanding Performance

Student Initiated Quizzes Packet Tracer Labs

To
To triangulate
triangulate what
what students
students know,
know, aa student,
student, their
their
instructor,
instructor, and
and NetAcad
NetAcad can
can draw
draw upon
upon this
this
Testlets Packet Tracer Simulations Assessment
Assessment toolkit.
toolkit.

Interactive Media (e.g., Drag-and- Learning Checkpoints

drop, Syntax Checker, etc.)
Learning Checkpoints Packet Tracer Media Objects
Moving
Moving toward
toward ubiquitous
ubiquitous
formative
formative assessment.
assessment.

Packet Tracer Media Objects

Shifting
Shifting from
from knowledge
knowledge feedback
feedback toto
Packet Tracer Simulations feedback about skills and abilities.
feedback about skills and abilities.

Instructor Initiated Course Chapter Exams Hands-on Labs Course Mid-term Checkpoint Packet Tracer Skills Assessments

Pre-Tests Packet Tracer Multiuser Game Course Final Hands-on-Equipment Skills

Skills Check Assessments
Practice Finals Packet Tracer Skills Assessments

Cisco Networking Academy, U.S./Canada NOTE:Cisco

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 Variable Manager
• Variables are associated with pools of
multiple values.
• Pools can be associated with seeds to
determine which set to use from the pool.

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 Isomorphs

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 PT Assessment – Add Your Own
• Create your own
• PT has hundreds
of gradable
components
• Add to your course
• Please see also
sessions entitled
“Packet Tracer 6.0
and Beyond!”, and
“Shake up and Shape
Up PT Activities with
Variable Manager
and IsoMorph”

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 8 Are You Collaborating?
• You are part of a complex activity system
• If your preferred mode of collaboration is
international, check out the PT community
• If your preferred mode of collaboration is more local, work with
Sew Hoon, Kevin, Karen, and Giuseppe and your peers
• There is immense power and openness in the Packet Tracer
Ecosystem. Be patient with Activity Wizard, Scoring Model and
Scripting, as we prioritize student-facing features, not AW UX
• WE. ARE. PARTNERS.
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 Resources on NetSpace

• Link to Packet Tracer Discussion Forum

• FAQs and Packet Tracer 6.0.1 Errata List
• Supplementary activities for curricula
• At A Glance
• Overview Presentation

• Instructor training materials

• Link to Instructor Guides

• Packet Tracer resource page

• Look for Upcoming PT 6.1 Beta (TBA)

Wildcard: virtual PT activity scripting conference?

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 Equipping Today’s Instructors
for Tomorrow’s Students
Academy Conference 2013
Cisco Networking Academy

Cisco Packet Tracer 6.0 and Beyond!

Addressing the Digital Divide
Dennis C. Frezzo, PhD
Senior Manager, Learning and Collaboration Engineering
On behalf of the Simulation, Assessment, Game Engineering Team

Cisco Networking Academy, U.S./Canada © 2013 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco confidential. 22
 Equipping Today’s Instructors
for Tomorrow’s Students
Academy Conference 2013
Cisco Networking Academy

Assessing Student Learning in 2013:

Surfing the Digital Ocean
How do we know what our students know?
Dennis C. Frezzo, PhD
Senior Manager, Simulation, Assessment, and Game Engineering (SAGE)
Telethia Willis
SAGE Program and Project Manager, Assessment
Cisco
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 Equipping Today’s Instructors
for Tomorrow’s Students
Academy Conference 2013
Cisco Networking Academy

Cisco Packet Tracer Multiuser

What it does and how to make it work
Brad Anderson
Product and Program Manager – Packet Tracer

Bob Schoenherr
Global Competition Lead
NetAcad
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 Equipping Today’s Instructors
for Tomorrow’s Students
Academy Conference 2013
Cisco Networking Academy

Shake up and Shape Up PT 6.0 Activities with

Variable Manager and IsoMorph
Steve Stiles Paul Burkholder
Instructor Instructor
Rhodes State College Rhodes State College

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 Thank you!

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