Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will explore how modern IP networks support secure and scalable communication for small to medium enterprises. You'll learn to build and manage network infrastructure using technologies such as VLANs, NAT, DHCP, and IP routing, and deploy Internet-based services including secure web servers, DNS, VPNs, and cloud-hosted applications. Through hands-on labs and projects, you'll use tools like GNS3, Git, and Ansible to automate network configuration and streamline operations. Working in teams, you'll troubleshoot network issues and develop collaborative solutions, preparing you for real-world roles in network administration and support.
Details
| Level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 9 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Prerequisite: COIT20246 Cyber Security and Networking. 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 2 - 2026
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 83.33% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 47.37% 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: Student feedback
Consider incorporating more practical activities, e.g. cloud computing, into the assessments to enhance hands-on learning and reinforce students' understanding of the learning materials.
Integrate hands-on lab exercises using cloud computing tools such as Microsoft Azure into the unit. Assessing one or more of the lab activities should serve to reinforce student learning and enhance their practical experience.
The incorporation of hands-on practice with physical devices has demonstrably enhanced student understanding, as evidenced by their reflections. Efforts are currently underway to integrate additional networking practices into the unit, further strengthening learning outcomes.
Source: Student feedback, reflection
Ensure feedback on assessment is clear, informative and practical to students.
Establish a minimum standard for delivering marker feedback that emphasises clarity, informativeness, and practicality to students. This should ensure a benchmark consistency across campuses and staff in providing feedback that meets student expectations.
Guidance has been provided to the markers to ensure the feedback on the assessment is clear and informative.
Source: Students' feedback.
Previous actions have introduced more practical networking tasks. Continue strengthening the practical component by expanding the scope of lab-based exercises and integrating real-world networking scenarios to better balance theory and application.
The balance of practical learning should be enhanced by incorporating more hands-on networking tasks alongside the theoretical content.
In Progress
Source: Unit Coordinator's reflection.
Balancing authentic skill assessment with academic integrity in online tests is increasingly complex in the context of generative AI.
Review the current in-class test structure and consider introducing a small practical project to better assess applied skills while maintaining assessment integrity.
In Progress
To see Learning Outcomes from an earlier availability, please search via a previous term.