{"id":388,"date":"2026-02-07T02:04:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T02:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/?page_id=388"},"modified":"2026-02-20T16:58:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T16:58:51","slug":"it-315-network-design-systems-thinking","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/it-315-network-design-systems-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"IT 315 \u2013 Network Design &amp; Systems Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Course Experience: IT 315 \u2013 Introduction to Networking &amp; Security<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Preview of my Ethernet Network Design Project showing layout planning, redundancy choices, and security segmentation decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"982\" height=\"668\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37254\/2026\/02\/Ethernet-Network-Design-Project-preview.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-420\" style=\"width:507px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37254\/2026\/02\/Ethernet-Network-Design-Project-preview.png 982w, https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37254\/2026\/02\/Ethernet-Network-Design-Project-preview-300x204.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37254\/2026\/02\/Ethernet-Network-Design-Project-preview-768x522.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37254\/2026\/02\/Ethernet-Network-Design-Project-preview-441x300.png 441w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 982px) 100vw, 982px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This experience comes from my IT 315 course, where I completed a comprehensive Ethernet Network Design Project. The project took place during the Spring semester and required designing a secure, scalable network for a multi-floor academic building. This experience was significant because it moved beyond basic networking theory and required applying concepts in a realistic, real-world scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Artifact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!selectors.core.file.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37254\/2026\/02\/Critical-Thinking-1-1.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Critical-Thinking-1-1.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-afde0215-19a6-4772-b9d9-8d9bcc3bd779\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37254\/2026\/02\/Critical-Thinking-1-1.pdf\">Critical-Thinking-1-1<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37254\/2026\/02\/Critical-Thinking-1-1.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-afde0215-19a6-4772-b9d9-8d9bcc3bd779\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This artifact includes the full network design, cabling layout, redundancy planning, security controls, and written justification for all technical decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reflection<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What role did you play, and what actions did you take?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I independently designed a complete Ethernet network by determining the appropriate cabling standards, switch placement, bandwidth requirements, and security mechanisms, including VLAN segmentation and firewall deployment. I also documented and justified each design decision based on performance, reliability, and security considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What challenges did you face, and how did you respond?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One challenge was balancing security, cost, and scalability while maintaining reliable network performance. I addressed this by evaluating multiple design options and selecting solutions that supported redundancy and future growth without unnecessary complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What did you learn about yourself, your discipline, or your future goals?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This project showed me that effective cybersecurity work requires systems-level thinking and careful planning, not just technical configuration. I realized that I enjoy evaluating infrastructure holistically and considering how design decisions impact long-term security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How does this experience relate to your broader professional development?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This experience strengthened my ability to analyze network environments from both a performance and security perspective. It directly supports my professional goal of working in cybersecurity by reinforcing how foundational network design decisions influence risk, resilience, and operational security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Connection to Skills &amp; Competencies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This course experience connects directly to my <strong>Critical Thinking<\/strong> and <strong>Technical Skills<\/strong> competencies, where I discuss applying analytical reasoning and technical knowledge to solve complex infrastructure problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Course Experience: IT 315 \u2013 Introduction to Networking &amp; Security Preview of my Ethernet Network Design Project showing layout planning, redundancy choices, and security segmentation decisions. Context This experience comes from my IT 315 course, where I completed a comprehensive Ethernet Network Design Project. The project took place during the Spring semester and required designing&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/it-315-network-design-systems-thinking\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":29797,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/388"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29797"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=388"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":421,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/388\/revisions\/421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/seconomos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}