The computer networks course: will it all fit?

Change in the content of Computer Science and Information Systems courses is a certainty. Perhaps no other course has changed in the last few years to such an extent as the Computer Networks course. Traditional content such as serial communications, reference models, and protocols now share time with "Net-Centric Computing," Client-Server Computing, and Internet technologies. An approach that attempts to balance the presentation of these materials in a required course for CS and IS majors is presented. The course utilizes closed laboratories for hands-on work and various programming and analysis type projects for out-of-class assignments. The laboratory utilized for this course, partially funded by NSF, provides an excellent opportunity for experience with contemporary technologies.