Flash-Based Platform for Teaching Stored Program-Controlled Switching Courses

Abstract

Stored program controlled switching (SPCS) is crucial to communication, especially to the Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN). With the rapid development of telecommunication, networking and switching technology the SPCS course is showing its importance in Electrical/Communication Engineering (ECE) or other related engineering disciplines in communication. In this paper, a Macromedia Flash based platform is developed for undergraduate SPCS course. Because there are many complex processes in signaling and switching, such as calling process, operation of different switching mode and signaling system in SPCS course, it is too difficult for undergraduate students to understand these concepts. All those concepts in SPCS course are animated with Macromedia Flash, and related texts and sounds are followed by the animation. Comparing with the traditional methods, the platform showed better efficiency during the SPCS course teaching because of visualizing many theories in the course.