Learning > What the Internet Needs to Thrive

What the Internet Needs to Thrive

What is this course?

The Internet was created with the ability to empower users across borders to collectively shape its evolution. A shared set of goals guide our collective journey to a better Internet. These goals tell us how we want the Internet to be, now and in the future.

By viewing proposed changes in policies, technologies, and applications in relation to these goals, we can better understand whether we are on track for a thriving Internet or straying from our targets. In this course, we provide an overview of the shared set of goals for the Internet and how supporting characteristics, or “enablers,” help attain these goals.

What are the course objectives?

Describe the enablers of the open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet
Explain how the enablers can be used to simplify the task of analyzing the potential effects of proposed changes in relation to the goals
Provide examples of various developments that have a positive or negative impact on the enablers and, consequently, on the attainability of the Internet goals.

What are the expected outcomes of this course?

Describe important enablers and their contribute to an (open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet)
Understand the enablers roles play in facilitating internet global connectivity growing and security
Propose changes / developments might impact these enablers
Evaluate the effects of proposed changes in relation to the overall goals of the Internet being (open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet)
Provide examples of how (positive & negative) developments related to the enablers
Assess the results and effects of these developments on the internet being (open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet)
Apply knowledge and understanding of enablers impacts to real (scenarios & case) studies
Use knowledge, creativity and analytical skills to propose solutions or improvements based on the course and real-world knowledge

Who should attend this course?

You should take this course if:

You are a policymaker, technologist, or advocate working on issues related to Internet regulation
You have a base understanding of how the Internet works and would like to learn about the critical foundation that keeps it working for everyone
You want to build awareness of the importance of protecting the critical foundation of the Internet
You want to be able to advocate to prevent a policy, technology, or trend from harming the Internet’s foundation
You want to know the basic considerations to include in an Internet impact assessment

Prerequisites:

You need to have a good understanding of the Internet Way of Networking and its critical properties

How do I enroll in a course?

How do I access the learning platform as an Internet Society member?

As an Internet Society member, you can log into learning.internetsociety.org with your member login credentials. There is no need to create a new account. If you do not remember your login information, select Forgot Login? to be emailed your username and receive a link to reset your password. Once logged in, you will be able to view the course catalog and select the course you’d like to enroll in.

How do I access the learning platform as a non-member?

Both guests and Internet Society members can access the learning platform. To register as either, click Register on the login box at learning.internetsociety.org. Next, either register as a member or click on the guest registration form to register as a guest. Once you create an account, you can use the credentials you created (username and password) to log into learning.internetsociety.org. Once logged in, you will be able to view the course catalog and enroll in courses.

How do I enroll in a course?

Browse available courses in the course catalog or use the search bar to find the course you would like to enroll in. On each course page, click the “Enroll” button in the top right corner of the page to immediately be added to a course. Once you have successfully been enrolled, you will be able to see the course under “My Courses and Learning Plans”. You will also be able to see information about the course instructor, view the course’s forums, and access any modules that are available. If the course has not yet started, you will not see any modules until the day the course begins.

How do I join the waitlist for a course?

If you are on a course page and the button in the top right corner of the page reads “Enroll (Waiting List)”, this means the course has reached the maximum number of participants able to enroll. You can click the button to join the waitlist for the course and you will be notified if a spot becomes available.

How do I select the right course format?

When browsing the course catalog, you will see multiple versions of the same course available. All courses are available in English, French, and Spanish so first select the right language for you. You can do this by selecting the language of your choice in the left-hand filter in the course catalog or choosing the course that denotes the correct language (EN=English, FR=French, ES=Spanish).

You also have the option to choose the format that will work best for your connection type. All courses have 3 format options: high bandwidth, low bandwidth, and text-based for all connections. You can filter by bandwidth option in the left-hand filter on the course catalog or select the “Additional Information” tab when viewing a course to see which bandwidth connection you have selected.

If you have any questions about which version is best for you, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] to get assistance.

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Self-paced tutorial

Duration:
approximately 10 hours

Available in
English, French and Spanish

Offered online all year

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