Distance Education

1. Distance Education SNA step 1

2. Team members • Step 1 experts • Adrian Sia • Xavier Appé • Step 2 experts • Anoop Georges • Salvador Gonzales • Step 3 experts • Augustine Ani (Team leader) • Zijian Cao • Step 4 experts • Smit Gupta • Joe Ondercin

3. Schedule • One meeting every two weeks at 1PM on Saturday • 09/15/01 1st project meeting – step 1 discussion (completed) • 09/20/01 client interview with Mel Rosso (completed) • 09/22/01 2nd project meeting – step 1 presentation dry run (completed) • 09/25/01 client interview with Michael Carriger (completed) • 09/26/01 Step 1 presentation • 10/13/01 3rd project meeting – step 2 discussion • 10/27/01 4th project meeting – step 2 presentation dry run • 10/31/01 Step 2 presentation • 11/10/01 5th project meeting – step 3 presentation dry run • 11/14/01 Step 3 presentation • 11/24/01 6th project meeting – step 4 and final report discussion • 12/1/01 7th project meeting – step 4 presentation dry run • 12/5/01 Step 4 presentation • 12/12/01 Project report submittal • Note: additional client interview(s) may be conducted when deemed necessary.

4. Business mission • To offer the same high quality MSE courses currently available to resident students, to distance education students

5. Network topology Ethernet 100Mb/s

6. Software components Admin server Product server Admin server Win NT 4.0 last Service pack Oracle 7.0 Product server Linux Apache, MySQL Imeet, IRCd as backup

7. Server functions Product server Linux Apache, MySQL Admin server Win NT Oracle Admin server Course Management Program management Billing Student information Product server Calendar Assignment Files Reading Forum

8. List of user • Director, associate director • Administrative staff • Technical staff • DE instructor • Courseware specialist • Content developer • Students

9. Organisation Chart Content Developer DE instructor Video grapher

10. Role: Director • Spearheads the Distance-Education (DE) initiative • Evaluates new & relevant technologies to • improve quality of course delivery & better interactivity • reduce turn-around time for course content preparation

11. Role: Technical Support • Maintains Admin and Products servers and its web services. • Updates information at the Product Server (Student registration info, Coursewares). • Tracks all emails that send to the course site and disseminate to respective parties.

12. Role: Administrative Staff • Provides administrative support to students and Instructors. • Maintains & updates student info, instructor info, billing info, course and program info at the Admin Server. • Sends email to Tech support to update Product Server. • Updates course grade manually outside DE ’s network (on external eGrade tool under HUB)

13. Role: Content Developer • Works with DE instructor to develop course materials for DE. • May also be the DE course instructor. • Provides content to courseware developer.

14. Role: Courseware Developer • Develops web products to support a DE course. • Provides couseware to Technical support for loading into Product Server.

15. Role: DE Instructor • Delivers the DE courses using the course materials (delivered to students in CDs). • Provides interactive sessions through webchat during scheduled class. • Communicates with students using email. • Marks & grades assignment.

16. Role: Student • Access to the DE site for : • Downloading of assignments/materials • Web-chating • Submitting homework • Communciates with instructors through Email, attend interactive classes using webchat. • Contact HUB for course grade. • 100 students at present.

17. Information Flow Product Server Admin Server Admin DataBase Product DataBase 4 DE Instructor 2 3 3 2 5 1 Admin Staff Technical Support Content Developer 2 2 Courseware Developer Student 1 1

18. Workflow: Registration email updates Admin Staff Tech Support Update records Fall Courses Student info Instr info Billing -- OK Course/Program Student 1 Student 2 Student 1, 2 Student 1,2 Student 2 Course 3 Course 1 Course 2 Chat, Email Chat, Email Chat, Email Home Work Home Work Home Work Admin Server Product Server

19. Workflow: Course Creation Content Developer DE Instructor Technical Support Courseware Developer Product Server Fall Courses Course 3 Course 2 Course 1 Chat, Email Chat, Email Home Work Home Work Chat, Email Home Work

20. Workflow: Student Access Product Server Fall Courses Student 1 Student 1, 2 Student 2 Instr 1 Instr 2 Instr 3 Course 3 Course 2 Course 1 Chat, Email Chat, Email Home Work Home Work Chat, Email Home Work Assignment download submit CDs Student 2 Student 1

21. Critical Assets Web-services • Cousesite access (Product Server) • webchat (Product Server) • Emails (External – CMU Network) are needed on 24x7 basis as they are critical for the DE delivery.

22. Vendor Dependency Dependent on vendors for support on an adhoc basis without formal engagement procedures: • Microsoft - NT • Oracle - Database Dependent on CMU Computing Services for general services pertaining to the wider CMU network.

23. Security policy • No elaborate security policy • No online payment • Priviledge of each user on the machines Product server : Admin server : • root : Technical staff - administrator : Technical staff • access from web : students - Oracle (read/write access) : administrative staff - Oracle (read access) : director, associate director

24. Security features • No encryption of data transmission • Student authetification done through clear text by Apache • No copy protection on CD • Default log information from Apache and Oracle (saved and reviewed every month) • Login and Password of students sent by emails

25. Attack experience • One virus experience on the admin server this month (Nimda) • No other detected attacks

26. Product Server Fall Courses Student 1 Student 1, 2 Student 2 Course 3 Course 2 Course 1 Home Work Chat, Email Home Work Chat, Email Chat, Email Home Work Future • Product server may be replaced by BLACKBOARD or other better tools • Provide Streaming capability • Handle 500 students using same setup