CIS 63 - Networking Technologies
Course Syllabus
Cosumnes River College
Instructors: Mike Retherford
Semester: Fall 2001
Dates: Thursday (8/23/01 to 12/20/01)
Credit: 3 units
Location: Valley High School –D3
Time: 6:00 – 8:50 pm
Catalog Description
This course provides a comprehensive survey of Local Area Networks, technologies,
protocols, and connectivity as well as Wide Area Network concepts. Topics covered
include the Open Systems Interconnection seven-layer model for communication,
communication protocols and standards, data translation, transmission, media types,
network topologies and access methods. Consult the class schedule for specific topics.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to...
 compare and contrast network topologies including ring, bus, star and hybrid networks.
 name the seven layers of the OSI model. And five layers of the TCP model.
 describe functions and responsibilities of each layer of the OSI model.
 identify standards, protocols, and network connection devices for each layer of both
models.
 identify national and international standards organizations and the standards each have
developed.
 categorize standards as de facto, proprietary, or committee developed.
 compare and contrast analog vs. digital data, asynchronous vs. synchronous data
transmission, frequency-division vs. time-division multiplexing, simplex, half-duplex,
and full-duplex modes of transmission, broadband vs. baseband data transmissions.
 compare and contrast channel access methods, i.e., contention, polling, and tokenpassing.
 compare and contrast amplitude-shift keying, frequency-shift keying, and phase-shift
keying.
 compare and contrast digital data switching techniques, i.e. circuit switching, message
switching and packet switching.
 identify a variety of media types and their key characteristics including cost, ease of
installation, speed, capacity, and resistance to interference.
 Identify characteristics of emerging network technologies.
Prerequisite(s)
CIS 3 - Introduction to Computer Science and CIS 14A - Operating Systems
College policy requires that faculty enforce all prerequisites and co-requisites, and we
will strictly enforce that policy. Prerequisite and co-requisite requirements have been
implemented to ensure that you are adequately prepared for the class. It is YOUR
responsibility to ensure that you have taken ALL required prerequisites and/or corequisites. Please bring your transcript to the second class session for verification.
If you feel that you have knowledge and/or experience equivalent to what you would
learn in a prerequisite course, you must obtain a Prerequisite Challenge Form or a
Petition for Credit by Examination from the Business Division Office during the first
week of instruction. Please see a counselor to determine which option is best for you.
Return the filled-out form as instructed along with supporting documentation which will
help the Challenge Committee make the best decision in your case.
Note: Students who have not demonstrated that they have passed or challenged the
prerequisite(s) for this course may be dropped after the second week of class.
Advisory
None.
Text(s)

Required: Business Data Communications & Networking (3rd Edition), by Raymond
Panko, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-088262-3
 Recommended: Raymond Panko's Lecture Slides
All textbooks and other materials are available for purchase in the CRC Bookstore.
Office Hours
Office hours for the Fall 2001 Semester are...
 Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The office is room D-3, located at Valley High School
You can also reach me by sending e-mail to mretherf@edcenter.egusd.k12.ca.us or by calling
(916) 683-1339 (ask to leave a message for me). Contacting me by e-mail allows me to best
research the answer to your question.
Lab Hours
You may utilize the CRC computer lab during open hours. Some lab space will be
available at the Valley High School lab during other class times. Please let me know
your specific needs so I can coordinate to meet your needs.
Course Requirements
Attendance is vital to the course. If you need to miss a class, you are responsible for the
material covered. Please realize that I cannot possibly review the entire content of a
lecture with you in five minutes. You should find a "buddy" who is willing to share notes
with you if you have to miss lecture.
If, for any reason, it is necessary for you to drop the course, it is your responsibility
to process the drop card.
Lecture vs. Lab
Of the 3 hour block a portion will be allotted to lab time during which you will review the
topics presented during lecture. For your benefit, I will not tolerate the preparation of
lab assignments during lecture. You are expected to spend additional time outside
class and lab time to complete assignments and/or further review the topics presented.
Assignments
As we go through lectures you will be assigned reading and hands-on lab assignments to
enhance your understanding of course content. All graded assignments can be found on
the assignment calendar at http://www.rcip.com/crc It may be a good idea to print this
out for easy daily access.
Magazine Article Summaries
You are required to research magazine articles about current topics related to
networking. These topics include, but are not limited to, new standards, networkingrelated hardware, network infrastructure, new network applications etc. The articles
should come from newspapers, magazines, books, or the Internet, but no source can be
older than three months.
Submitting Magazine Article Summaries
You must submit your Magazine Article Summaries with appropriate documentation.
If you do not include the appropriate URL for the article (i.e., if you did not find your
article on the Internet), it is your responsibility to get a paper copy of the actual article to
me along with the summary.
Please be sure to include your analysis and opinion of the article in the summary.
I use the following structure to evaluate Magazine Article Summaries:
 Quality of summary: 40%
 Quality of article chosen: 20%
 Quality of your analysis/opinion statement: 40%
 Quality of submission details (documentation…ie the correct URL or full article
copy): required
 Spelling and grammar errors: -5% for each error, up to -50%
Since spelling and/or grammatical errors will reduce your score by up to one-half of the
magazine article summary's total possible point value, we strongly suggest that you use
the spelling and grammar checking features of your word processing software.
We will NOT accept handwritten assignments unless we have specified otherwise.
Please see the assignment calendar for due dates.
Class Presentation
You are to give a 5 to 10-minute class presentation about current topics related to
networking. Presentations will be given as indicated on the assignment calendar.
You will hand in a list of at least three verifiable references at the time of your
presentation. (no presentations heard without references) The use of Microsoft®
PowerPoint® or a similar presentation graphics program is strongly encouraged. (as a
visual/graphic enhancement…not to give you something to read from.) You must sign up
for a presentation date by the 4th week of class.
Student Profile Assignment
One of your first assignments (see the calendar) is to tell me more about yourself. You
will submit a profile to me via e-mail. To receive credit for this assignment, you must
submit it before the third class meeting, whether or not you are already enrolled in the
course or are attempting to add it. Any late submissions will NOT receive credit.
Note: Due to the number of these profiles please do not take offense if I cannot reply.
Late Assignment Policy
All assignments are due at the beginning of class according to the dates on the
assignment calendar. One late assignment per student can be submitted for 75% credit on
that assignment. Hand the assignment personally to me with a note attached stating that
it is late. If you cannot make it to class for whatever reason I expect that you will be able
to get your homework to class, to my office, or to the Business Area office at Valley
High School before the assignment is due.
Make-Up Policy
I will give one make-up examination per student, if necessary, at my convenience. You
can earn no more than eighty five percent (85%) of the original points for a make-up
exam. You must make up any missed examinations within one (1) week of when the
exam was originally scheduled. E-mail me to make arrangements if something terrible
caused you to miss class. If you make these prior arrangements, you will still be subject
to the 85% limitation on points for that examination as outlined above. Regardless of
prior arrangements for an examination, you must still turn in all other assignments on or
before the due date. You CANNOT make up pop quizzes, group discussions, or the
Final Exam.
Plagiarism Policy
It is inappropriate, and a violation of academic policy, to copy information from any
source (including, but not limited to, textbooks, magazine articles, newspaper articles and
Internet articles) without giving proper credit to the author by using standard quotation
procedures such as in-line quotes, footnotes, endnotes, etc. Quotes may not exceed 25%
of the assignment's total length. You will receive no credit (0 points) for any assignment
that copies any material from any other source without giving proper credit to the
author(s). Repeat offenders of this policy are subject to academic discipline as outlined in
the policies published by the college.
Free Web-based E-mail for Cosumnes River College Students (ZipMail)
Thanks to CRC's computer support staff and the Internet Center at American River
College, our students now have access to ZipMail, a web-based electronic mail (e-mail)
system designed especially for them. With a ZipMail account and an Internet connection,
CRC students may access their e-mail anywhere in the world.
To sign up for an account or to check your e-mail, visit http://zip.crc.losrios.cc.ca.us/.
Note: You must be located at a computer lab at one of the LRCCD facilities to be able to
create a ZipMail account.
Evaluation of Assignments
Assignment Type
Examinations
Chapter Questions
Class Presentation
Case Studies
Magazine Articles
Pop Quizzes
Student Profile
No. Points Possible Total Points Possible
3
12
1
2
2
10
1
100 points ea.
10 points ea.
50 points ea.
25 points ea.
15 points ea.
10 points ea.
10 points ea.
Total Points Possible
660
Grading
594 points or higher
528 points - 593 points
462 points - 527 points
396 points - 461 points
less than 396 points
300
120
50
50
30
100
10
A
B
C
D
F
Your
Total