SOI Asia Online Course: Participating in the Internet

The Participating in the Internet course offers a comprehensive introduction to the Internet, covering its historical evolution, technical foundations, operational structure, standardization processes, and the global coordination behind Internet governance. Designed for undergraduate students and general learners with no prior technical background, the course explains how the Internet works and how it is organized. It also highlights the role played by individuals as citizens of the global cyberspace.

The course begins with the fundamental question: “What is the Internet?” Learners examine key concepts such as digital data, IP addresses, and data transmission, and gain a deeper understanding of how the Internet emerged and evolved. The course then examines the core technologies that enable the Internet to function with a focus on communication protocols and the design principles that support its scalability and resilience. Learners explore various communication models of Internet-based applications, including client-server and peer-to-peer (P2P), and the architecture of the modern web, including the foundations of secure communication like Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Together, these topics illustrate how the Internet has adapted to meet the diverse and growing needs of users over time.

Study Requirement: 3 weeks, 3 hours per week

Topics Covered in This Course

This course offers learners the ability to:

What is the Internet?
- How is the world connected?
- What is digital data?
- The foundation of the Internet
- How does data travel on the Internet?
How is the Internet working?
- Design of the Internet
- Quality of the Internet
- Technology for the Internet infrastructure
Applications on the Internet
- Client-server model
- Secure communication
- Network engineering
- Network computing
Internet-based society
- Global collaboration for Internet technology
- Global coordination for the Internet operation
- Global collaboration for governance
- REN – Research and Education Network
- Challenges to the global cyberspace

Learning Outcomes

This course offers learners the ability to:

Describe the Internet ecosystem including organisations and communities support running the Internet
Explain the brief history of the Internet
Explain the concept of the multi-stakeholder model in the Internet ecosystem
Explain different governance aspects of the Internet from both Internet “of” and Internet “on” perspectives
Discuss the importance of global collaboration to make the Internet work healthier
Contribute to local, regional or global forums related to the Internet

Related Courses

APIE IG e-Workshop
- APIE e-Workshop is a bi-weekly interactive online series where guest speakers — including professionals from the Internet industry, academia, and Internet governance — share their experiences, insights, and engage with APIE learners.

Note: The APIE e-Workshop is part of the APIE IG Course and is designed to be taken alongside the SOI Asia online courses Understanding the Internet and Operating the Internet to enrich the learning experience. Learn more about the APIE Core Course at apie.soi.asia.

Prerequisite

No prerequisite to study this course.

Criteria

This badge was awarded to the learners who completed the following criteria:

Active participation and contribution to social learning.
Submission of required assignments.
90% completion of the course content, including videos, articles, quizzes, and discussions.