The SIGCOMM 2026 Education Workshop brought together networking educators to discuss teaching approaches in an era of artificial intelligence. The central takeaway is that effective networking education should focus on teaching principles and design tradeoffs rather than simply having students memorise protocols, as AI tools can handle routine technical knowledge. This matters because it shapes how the next generation of network engineers develop deeper understanding of the field's fundamental challenges.

Key speakers and examples included Jim Kurose, author of a leading networking textbook, who stressed that quality presentation materials matter alongside practical exercises in driving textbook adoption and student learning. Karen Sollins described how law school case study methods can be applied to systems classes, where students discuss design decisions and constraints rather than being lectured. The overarching philosophy is to help students understand broader challenges—such as reliable transport's difficulties with round-trip time estimation and system stability—rather than simply learning how technologies like TCP work mechanically.