COIT11238 - Networked Infrastructure Foundations

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will provide you with the foundation knowledge of computer and network infrastructure that underpins Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in modern organisations. You will study networking essentials including virtualisation, wireless networks, cloud computing, cyber security, and risk management. By the end of this unit, you will be able to build and manage basic computer networks. You will conduct hands-on practical activities with industrial-grade networking equipment and cyber security tools to enhance the security of built networks.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Anti-requisite: If students have undertaken COIT11233 Information and Communication Technology Foundations, then this unit should not be taken.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2024

Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Brisbane
Cairns
Melbourne
Online
Rockhampton
Sydney
Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Brisbane
Cairns
Melbourne
Online
Rockhampton
Sydney
Term 3 - 2024 Profile
Brisbane
Melbourne
Online
Sydney

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 30%
2. Written Assessment 30%
3. Portfolio 40%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 87.88% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 20.50% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Online student feedback
Feedback
Some students, especially online students, find the assessment timeframes challenging.
Recommendation
Review the assessment tasks in terms of their timeframes.
Action Taken
The assessment tasks in terms of their timeframes were reviewed and the written assignment was set as the final assessment task in the 'Review/Exam Week' which was previously due in Week 12.
Source: DDLT, DL and the Heads of Course.
Feedback
A section could be created to introduce the practical lab exercises on the Moodle website.
Recommendation
Create a new section in the unit Moodle website to provide clear instructions and information about the network lab-based practical exercises.
Action Taken
A new section has been created in the unit Moodle website to provide clear instructions and information about the network lab-based exercises and the required network devices for online students.
Source: Discipline Lead and Head of Course feedback
Feedback
At the introductory level, the unit should enhance the cybersecurity content to align with ACS accreditation requirements.
Recommendation
Enhance the introduction of cybersecurity with reference standards and practical exercises linking to core networking infrastructure and applications.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student and the teaching team feedback
Feedback
The virtual machines available on the CyberIoT lab computers for on-campus students, intended for lab exercises starting from Week 03, should undergo pretesting to verify their proper functionality.
Recommendation
Pretest the virtual machines and check the provided network devices in the CyberIoT lab prior to Week 03.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain the role of hardware and software components in computer networks
  2. Recognise the importance of protocols, standards, and layered architectures in building computer networks
  3. Explain the selection of network components, topologies, and technologies to meet business requirements
  4. Describe challenges and solutions in securing computer networks and infrastructure
  5. Interpret the use of forwarding and encapsulation to deliver data securely in computer networks
  6. Discuss techniques for managing cyber security, documenting, and troubleshooting computer networks.

The Australian Computer Society (ACS), the professional association for Australia's ICT sector, recognises the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). SFIA is adopted by organisations, governments, and individuals in many countries and provides a widely used and consistent definition of ICT skills. SFIA is increasingly being used when developing job descriptions and role profiles. ACS members can use the tool MySFIA to build a skills profile.

This unit contributes to the following workplace skills as defined by SFIA 8 (the SFIA code is included):

  • Network Support (NTAS)
  • IT Infrastructure (ITOP)
  • Security Administration (SCAD)
  • Systems Installation/Decommissioning (HSIN)
  • Problem Management (PBMG)
  • Information Security (SCTY).

The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Framework defines knowledge, skills and tasks needed to perform various cyber security roles. Developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the NICE Framework is used by organisations to plan their workforce, including recruit into cyber security positions.

This unit helps prepare you for roles such as Systems Security Analyst, Network Operations Specialist and Systems Administrator, contributing to the following knowledge and skills:

  • K0001 Knowledge of computer networking concepts and protocols, and network security methodologies.
  • K0010 Knowledge of communication methods, principles, and concepts that support the network infrastructure.
  • K0011 Knowledge of capabilities and applications of network equipment including routers, switches, bridges, servers, transmission media, and related hardware.
  • K0029 Knowledge of organization's Local and Wide Area Network connections.
  • K0050 Knowledge of local area and wide area networking principles and concepts including bandwidth management.
  • K0053 Knowledge of measures or indicators of system performance and availability.
  • K0060 Knowledge of operating systems.
  • K0061 Knowledge of how traffic flows across the network (e.g., Transmission Control Protocol [TCP] and Internet Protocol [IP], Open System Interconnection Model [OSI], Information Technology Infrastructure Library, current version [ITIL]).
  • K0071 Knowledge of remote access technology concepts.
  • K0077 Knowledge of server and client operating systems.
  • K0108 Knowledge of concepts, terminology, and operations of a wide range of communications media (computer and telephone networks, satellite, fiber, wireless).
  • K0111 Knowledge of network tools (e.g., ping, traceroute, nslookup)
  • K0113 Knowledge of different types of network communication (e.g., LAN, WAN, MAN, WLAN, WWAN).
  • K0136 Knowledge of the capabilities of different electronic communication systems and methods (e.g., e-mail, VOIP, IM, web forums, Direct Video Broadcasts).
  • K0137 Knowledge of the range of existing networks (e.g., PBX, LANs, WANs, WIFI, SCADA).
  • K0138 Knowledge of Wi-Fi.
  • K0332 Knowledge of network protocols such as TCP/IP, Dynamic Host Configuration, Domain Name System (DNS), and directory services.
  • S0033 Skill in diagnosing connectivity problems.
  • S0035 Skill in establishing a routing schema.
  • S0041 Skill in installing, configuring, and troubleshooting LAN and WAN components such as routers, hubs, and switches.
  • S0073 Skill in using virtual machines. (e.g., Microsoft Hyper-V, VMWare vSphere, Citrix XenDesktop/Server, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, etc.).
  • S0151 Skill in troubleshooting failed system components (i.e., servers)
  • S0154 Skill in installing system and component upgrades. (i.e., servers, appliances, network devices).

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Online Quiz(zes)
2 - Written Assessment
3 - Portfolio
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
6 - Information Technology Competence
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10