Theory that Matters! Problem-based learning towards 5G Communication System and Standard

Cabrera, Juan A.

Fitzek, Frank H.P.

Nguyen, Giang T.

Pandi, Sreekrishna

Radeke, Rico

Schmoll, Robert-Steve

Publikationsserver der Universität Tübingen

Theory that Matters! Problem-based learningtowards 5G Communication System and StandardsGiang T. Nguyen∗†, Juan A. Cabrera∗†, Robert-Steve Schmoll∗,Sreekrishna Pandi∗, Rico Radeke∗, and Frank H.P. Fitzek∗†∗TU Dresden, Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks†SFB 912 - HAEC Email: { firstname.lastname }@tu-dresden.deAbstract—In this manuscript, we advocate for our “Theorythat Matters!” approach for teaching the next generation ofresearchers and engineers. By the example of one teachingactivity at TU Dresden for graduate students, we present how thenew communication standards in the 5G context are integratedin our curriculum. The core of the approach is the combinationof lectures, hands-on group sessions, and individual projectsholistically covering the 5G communication standardization land-scape including softwarization concepts such as software definednetworking and network function virtualization. After beingtrained on the appropriate standards, technologies and tools suchas OpenFlow, Docker and OpenStack, students apply the lessonslearned to one group project and several individual ones.Index Terms—5G, NFV, SDN, problem-based learningI. INTRODUCTIONTeaching the next generation of young researchers andengineers is highly important for industry as well as researchinstitutions. While basic teaching courses did not change theircurriculum dramatically over the years, the teaching on currentand future technologies is prone to dramatic and fast changes,making it hard to keep the curriculum up to date. We are facingsuch a situation currently with the 5th generation (5G) ofcommunication technology. Enabling technologies for 5G suchas software defined networking (SDN) and network functionvirtualization (NFV) are discussed at various venues, suchas ITU-T, ETSI, 3GPP, and especially IETF. To the best ofour knowledge, the traditional approach of teaching maturedstandards only is insufficiently active to keep up the pace. Thelag between understanding the standardized technologies andtransferring the knowledge to students limits their competenceto stay at the edge of technology advancements. We believethat higher education institutions can proactively engage grad-uate students and junior researchers alike earlier and to agreater extent in the standardization process. To minimizethe risk of wasting efforts on technologies which fail to beadopted, we need to design the curricula in a flexible manner,allowing for shifting technology focus without changing thecurriculum’s structure.In this article, we introduce our “Theory that Matters!”approach with regard to teaching, consisting of continuousrefinement of our curricula. Subsequently, we share our ideaof adopting problem-based learning in our Future Com-munication Networks module. We build the content of themodule in accordance with IETF’s topics which are activelydiscussed towards standardization. The module consists ofnot only a series of traditional lectures, but also tutorials,hands-on group sessions, and individual short projects. Theadvantages of that module design are three-fold. First, itprovides students knowledge about state-of-the-art technology,multi-disciplinary skills, a problem-solving mindset and subse-quently makes them capable of solving practical technologicalproblems that they might face in their future career. Second,PhD students (or junior researchers) can quickly transfertheir knowledge to students and renew their competenciesvia guiding master students. Last, the module adapts quicklyto new knowledge from state-of-the-art technologies whileinheriting the stability from current overall curricula of thefaculty at the same time.II. FUTURE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS MODULEWe first describe in this section the “Theory that matters!”approach which allows for a continuous refinement of ourcurriculum, followed by the idea and the module design.A. “Theory that matters!” approachThe underlying idea of the approach is to explore newknowledge that might be applied in real-life scenarios withproducts and industrial standards. While acknowledging theimportance of fundamental research, we advocate the appli-cability of research outcomes that can be applied in reallife. The approach enables a continuous refinement of bothresearch areas and respective curriculum. In this process, theapplicability of solutions with tangible outcomes is testedat various phases, from fundamental research to algorithmand protocol design, evaluation methodologies, and finallyperformance evaluation as illustrated in Fig. 1(a).B. Idea of the Future Communication Networks moduleWith regard to teaching, we deploy the “Theory that mat-ters!” approach in the “Future Communication Networks”module. The module content stems directly from the 5G con-cepts and novel technologies, which are being standardized.As illustrated in Fig. 1(b), the module is the intersectionof the “Theory that matters!” approach, 5G communicationsystems and IETF active topics. Following the progress atIETF’s quarterly meetings, one should be able to spot openproblems which are actively and openly discussed towardsstandardization. Those open problems are of interest for ourmodule. The way we deploy our module is through applyingthe problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogical technique [1].(a)Lectures 14 sessionsTutorials 14 sessionsLecture series Practical sessionsHands-on7sessionsProject7 sessions“Future Communication Networks” module“Theory thatmatters”approachIETF’s active topics5G comm. system(b)Fig. 1. (a) “Theory that matters” approach to enforce a continuous refinement of the research area and teaching: selection loops at various stages to filterout research branches which fail to find its way to applicable outcomes. (b) Future Communication Networks module: i) Formation of the module as theintersection of the ”Theory that matters!” approach, IETF’s active topics and 5G communication system (upper) and ii) Structure of the module (lower).PBL teaches concepts and skills to students through theprocess of solving a predefined problem. Students are requiredto work in small groups and fulfill a project, that is, a time-limited process with a tangible outcome [2]. Consequently, thestudents not only gain the required knowledge but also developskills such as project management, bibliography retrieval andteam cooperation. With PBL, every year the lectures arerenewed towards the problems that students need to solve.Two factors facilitate this renovation: (i) the students are themain characters in the search of knowledge, and the lecturersprovide guidance; (ii) several junior researchers are involved inthe teaching of different topics and tools, therefore the renewalprocess is propagated.C. Design of the Future Communication Networks moduleThe module comprises of lecture series and practical ses-sions. The lecture series consists of self-contained presenta-tions on a variety of 5G topics and with a special focus onNFV and SDN. Additionally, students need to learn suitabletools and problem-solving skills to be able to solve real-worldproblems. The module, therefore, needs to include a substantialamount of practice, devoting two third of the overall modulefor practical sessions. The module includes series of tutorials,hands-on group sessions and individual short projects, besidestraditional lectures series, as illustrated in Fig. 1(b). Tutorialsin the module focus on the practical aspects of 5G-enablingtechnologies, especially tools which are publicly available andwidely used in research and industrial environment such asOpenStack for NFV and Kodo [3] for network coding [4].In addition to that, hands-on group sessions train studentsabout problem solving by working in groups. We give allstudents one common problem which is also of interest andbeing actively discussed at IETF. As an example, Figure 2illustrates the hands-on group session with Lego robots, inwhich students needs to deploy robot controlling softwares asvirtualized network functions running on commodity servers.The goal is to teach students tools and techniques needed in the5G ecosystem. Finally, topics for individual short projects areproposed by junior or senior researchers of the group. Juniorresearchers will assist and guide students, but the studentsshould be able to apply the right tool and solve the problemthemselves. By the end of the semester, students have totake an examination for this module which consists of twoparts: an oral examination to test tests students their ability tocomprehend a broader landscape of taucht technologies anda presentation with demonstration of the project work to testtheir deep knowledge on a specific tool set.NFV Infrastructure ServersVirtualization Control instances132Wireless AP(a) (b)Fig. 2. Hands-on sessions with Lego robots: a) Overall scenarios applyingvirtualization, deploying control instances to remotely control Lego robots; b)Practical setup with Lego robots, detecting and following predefined paths.III. SUMMARIESIn this manuscript we describe our teaching approach atTU Dresden, referred to as “Theory that matters!”, that isused to convey 5G standardization activities into the teachingcurriculum by the Future Communication Networks module,including lecture series, tutorials, hands-on group sessions, aswell as individual projects. The described approach is timeconsuming as the material needs to be adapted and compiledon a semester basis, but it guarantees a high quality teachingapproach for the students.REFERENCES[1] F. Dochy, M. Segers, P. Van den Bossche, and D. Gijbels, “Effectsof problem-based learning: A meta-analysis,” Learning and instruction,vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 533–568, February 2003.[2] Problem-based Learning (PBL), Aalborg University, Accessed onJanuary 2017, Available: http://www.pbl.aau.dk/[3] M. V. Pedersen, J. Heide, and F. H. P. Fitzek, “Kodo: An Open andResearch Oriented Network Coding Library”, NETWORKING LectureNotes in Computer Science, vol 6827, pp. 145–152, May 2011.[4] M. Medard, F. Fitzek, M.-J. Montpetit, and C. Rosenberg, “Networkcoding mythbusting: why it is not about butterflies anymore,” IEEECommunications Magazine, vol. 52, no. 7, pp. 177–183, July 2014.

Theory that Matters! Problem-based learning towards 5G Communication System and Standards

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Theory that Matters! Problem-based learning towards 5G Communication System and Standards

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