Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will learn how Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure supports the operation of modern organisations. You will investigate the structure of the Internet, design wired and wireless networks, and deploy applications using virtualisation and cloud computing. You will discover mechanisms for securing ICT infrastructure and applications by studying the motivation of attackers and the common vulnerabilities they exploit. You will also learn frameworks and tools organisations use to manage cloud infrastructure, reduce cyber security risks, and deliver IT services to customers. As you explore cyber security and Internet technologies via hands-on laboratory tasks, you will reflect on the impact of those technologies on society, and your responsibilities as a future ICT professional. This unit gives you the broad knowledge of networking and cyber security that all ICT professionals require and is a starting point for a career as a cyber security analyst, cloud engineer, or network operations specialist.
Details
| Level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 8 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
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 3 - 2026
Term 3 - 2026 Profile
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate 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
To see assessment details from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 75.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 32.79% 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: Unit Coordinator reflections
While GitHub is required for the journal and project, some students are not using it regularly, leading to a large amount of work just before deadlines and problems with teamwork.
Include tasks in tutorials that require students to analyse and reflect on their own GitHub contributions and the contributions of students in their class, and update the marking criteria to give more weight for using GitHub.
A tutorial task was included that asks students to reflect on their contributions in the project so far, and compare them to their GitHub contributions (including a screenshot of their contributions). The project also has marks for professionalism, which include GitHub contributions. We have observed an increase in the number of GitHub contributions from each student across the terms.
Source: Feedback from tutors and student evaluations
Students are rushed in some tutorials, limiting their time to gain an in-depth understanding of important concepts.
Identify tutorial tasks that can be simplified (to reduce time allocated), moved as optional tasks, or removed entirely.
All tutorials were reviewed with input from tutors, and a number of tasks were removed or shifted to optional homework tasks.
Source: Unit Coordinator reflections and feedback from tutors
Some students are not clear on what is expected/allowed when collaborating with other students and using generative AI for seeking information.
Provide additional examples to students on how generative AI can be used and what sharing of information is (not) acceptable in this unit, and discuss the implications regarding academic integrity.
A tutorial task was introduced, requiring students to review the academic integrity policy within one week and evaluate a hypothetical scenario against the policy in a later week. The discussions in class appear valuable to those who actively participate.
Source: Feedback from students and tutors, and Unit Coordinator reflections
The end-of-term in-class quiz has some questions that can be answered using gen AI, and therefore may not accurately measure real student performance.
Replace the in-class quiz with a formal exam that allows students to demonstrate their understanding of fundamental concepts in networking and cyber security.
In Progress
Source: Student evaluations and Unit Coordinator reflections
The project is time-consuming to complete for some groups, especially with the effort needed to manage contributions from each group member. The project also lacks hands-on practice, resulting in low engagement in some parts.
Revise the project to focus on practical tasks of configuring a network and basic security services, reducing the amount of design and research. The practical tasks should also be introduced in the tutorials, which should reduce the total assessment workload and allow for easier distribution of tasks among group members.
In Progress
Source: Student evaluations
The feedback on the journal and project is sometimes unclear or too generic.
Update the marking rubrics and processes so that more detailed feedback is provided, and so it is easier to connect the feedback to specific parts of the submission (e.g., refer to specific sections).
In Progress
To see Learning Outcomes from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.