A workbook Blueprint
So now and then I see the question popping up about which R&S Lab workbook is the best. I will ask a different question: Is there a way to objectively measure an R&S Lab workbook?Â
You have probably read this again and again; it is all about the technologies! So, one of the most important workbook would be the technology labs workbook.
Cisco tells us what we need to know for the CCIE R&S lab exam. Here is the link: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/rs/lab_exam_blueprint.html.
So logically our technology lab workbook has to include at least all the topics in Cisco’s lab exam blueprint. This is our first objective measurement tool. Since some technologies can’t be explained well before explaining some other technologies first, there is some level of dependency in the topics covered on the exam blueprint. Another order of leveraging is the distinction between core and noncore topics.
So you will want a workbook which begins with the core topics first and in their right order of dependency. OK, so far we have three measurement points;
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The workbook has to include at least all the exam blueprint topics
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The workbook must present the topics in their right dependency order
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The workbook must begin with the core topics firstÂ
The most important aspect of the workbook will be its didactical value! For that we need to explain the natural learning process which most of us follow. When we are learning something we want to be as efficient and effective as possible. This means that we don’t want any complexity if it is not needed but we do want to know what the technology is all about. Ask yourself the following questions;
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Do you want at this level of learning to be teased by wordings?
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Do you want at this level of learning to be teased by unnecessary complex topologies?
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Do you want a narrator style of explanation which shows you the thought process of a fictive candidate?
The above three points is what you probably don’t want. You want to be as efficient and effective as possible and you want to be helped to form your thought process but you don’t want to be bothered by some fictive thought process.
After creating the framework into which to put the workbook we need the content. The best content is the one written from an author with a sound knowledge in didactical theory and with a lot of teaching hours/experience and an absolute mastery of the content. This is a tough combination to find in one person!
I looked at the following technology workbooks;
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IPexpert Volume 1 Lab Workbook and Proctor Guide                       Â
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Internetwork Expert Lab Workbook Volume 1 Version 5.0 (beta)
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Net-Workbooks Advanced CCIE Routing and Switching - Technology Focused                          Â
At this moment the workbook which most comply with the measurement method presented above is, when looking at the complete product, the Net-Workbook Advanced CCIE Routing and Switching. This workbook is missing some  blueprint topics though (for instance L2 .1q tunneling) so it needs some work. But looking at the overall product this is the winner for now. A superb alternative is the upcoming IE Volume I version 5 workbook. Although this workbook is not finished yet and is still in beta, it looks very very promising.
The one thing I like most about the Net-Workbook Advanced CCIE Routing and Switching is the level of explanation presented. The level of explanation is so detailed that it makes this workbook more of a blend between a study guide and a CCIE workbook. This is really an added bonus which makes the total didactical value of this workbook most superb.
10 Responses to “A workbook Blueprint”
July 20th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
One problem with the technology workbooks out there is how boring they are….build a lab, verify, erase the config, build the next lab. It’s drudgery. Where’s the narrative? Where’s the reasoning? Um…where’s the didacticism?
There are some good authors out there that demonstrate effective approaches. There’s Luc De Ghein who wrote “MPLS Fundamentals”. He uses clear sentences. He effectively reintroduces a topic just when you are reaching up to scratch your head. Another expert author is Eric Vyncke who wrote “LAN Switch Security”. He introduces technologies to address specific problems. His book reads like a detective novel. I’m not sure who wrote “Troubleshooting When BGP Routes Are Not Advertised” (Cisco DocID:19345), but whoever it is has an easy-to-read methodical approach. I wish he’d write more tech notes.
It would be nice if the guys who write CCIE technology workbooks thought about their materials from the readers’ perspective. Make it interesting; make it juicy. How about some humor, some analogies? Each lab should have a point, an insightful ah-ha moment, a punchline. After finishing a lab you should feel like you’ve learned some new aspect about the technology. The reader should feel enlightened. It’s not easy, I know — but that’s what’s missing.
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:07 am
Are you affiliated with Net-workbooks?
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:56 am
I do agree with Lucio that a lot of stuff out there focusses on the wording where it is imperative that you understand the technology.
I think the most important thing in preparation is a sound and easily recallable knowledge of the core technologys. The fuzzy wording of tasks will then be easier to solve, because you will explicitly know the boundary’s of the technology concerned.
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:31 am
@Bam: I would recommend you to look at the latest versions of the technology workbooks. I really agree with Lucio that they are becoming a combination between a study guide and workbook. I don’t have any experience with the Net workbooks, but the IPexpert and InternetworkExpert version 5 workbooks both have a way of ‘building’ the lab. For one topic you start with question 1 and you don’t have to erase your config untill you finished the total technology section.
And about the humor thing, read and listen the material from Scott Morris
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:49 am
Ethan,
It is great to have you back….now comments on workbook (particular Net-Workbook), I think this one is the winner….the main reason is the detail explanations about the technologie been implemented….another thing super great about this work book is the “before and then the after)….This is super winning fact….because it will tell you the current status of your routing table before applying new configuration changes….and then new current status after applying new configuration changes….the idea behind is for us to understand the implication of the new configuration changes….Narbik is doing a super job in order to make sure that we not only are ready to pass the lab but to become better engineers by fully understanding the technology and how it really does works….
My two cents
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:13 am
CCIECandidate.com isn’t affiliated with any one specific vendor. None of the authors (that I know of) work for training vendor, including Lucio, the author in this case. I don’t even get money for the banner ads in the left column.
I haven’t used the IPExpert workbooks, but I have used both the InternetworkExpert.com and Net-Workbooks.com workbooks that Lucio mentioned, and I agree with Lucio’s assessment. Narbik Kocharians, the author of the Net-Workbooks series, employs a teaching method that works for some people, including me. Narbik knows how to get a concept across using the bare minimum of words - no filler. This comes through in his workbook, where he uses a technology training approach that builds one concept on top of another, with many of the steps accompanied by his concise explanations of the technology. I haven’t seen anything else quite like it; that workbook was instrumental in my lab success.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:27 am
cblm
I do not work for Net-workbooks nor do I sell their workbooks or receive any profits from any workbook they sell.
What I have presented here has been done in pure honesty.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:59 am
I happen to be the owner of IPexpert Volume1 technology workbook ,I realy like there approach.This is newest series Version 10 .
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:07 am
Thank you for your response. I appreciate your review/candor and I have started the long lonely journey towards the CCIE mountain top. Your unbiased review of the workbooks will help me decide on how I will spend my hard earned money….
July 29th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
@Ismail
If I compare only the IPexpert and the Internetworkexpert technologies workbook I have this to say.
The internetworkexpert vol I version 5.0 and the IPexpert Vol I version 10 technology workbooks has a different approach. The Internetworkxpert workbook is better suited if you are fresh and learning the technologies for the first time or have little experience with the technologies. On the other hand if you have some experience with the technologies and you have viewed some cods/vods than the IPexpert workbook is smarter, more fun and you will learn more from it.
So it really depends on your experience.
On comparing the workbooks my point of view was that of a candidate which has just begun learning the technologies and needs as much help as she/he can get. I picked a winner and I still believe it is.
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