KF5003 - Network Technology 2

There is an emphasis on practical work in the delivery of the module and you will have an opportunity to work directly with industry standard networking hardware and software.

Lectures are the main vehicle for introducing fundamental concepts and principles and for providing context and motivation. You will be expected to prepare for lecture topics and deepen your understanding of course material by studying course texts and technical literature. Laboratory sessions are a key element in providing you with opportunities to identify and apply appropriate techniques for network configuration and design. Out-of-class exercises are used for reinforcement of learning and identification of misunderstanding. The assessment strategy of the module is designed to reinforce your learning and to further both your practical and reflective skills within a computer networking context. The practical group assignment will also give you the opportunity to learn as part of a team. Your tutors will support you throughout your assessments, including the allocation of groups for the group assignment.

The core content of the module is derived from the syllabus for Cisco Certified Network Associate CCNA 2. The learning and teaching strategy is designed to ensure that the CCNA content is incorporated into the module and, where necessary, supplemented, in such a way as to ensure that you attain the level of professional competence and understanding required for a BSc degree. This approach is exemplified in this module by its requirements for you to demonstrate an understanding of fundamental theoretical concepts and an ability to adopt a more critical and reflective approach based on a broader understanding of the context of networking problems and their solutions.

During your lab classes, academic support will be available to you to guide you through the exercises, with a strong focus on practical work on industry standard hardware and software. You will receive informal feedback on your progress throughout your lab classes. Homework exercises using the provided network simulator are designed to give you automated detailed feedback on your completion rate of the exercises undertaken. You will also have the opportunity to take weekly online feedback tests as part of the Cisco Academy learning if you wish.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1) Analyse and evaluate the function and implementation of routers and switches in modern computer networks.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2) Solve well defined network problems through configuration, troubleshooting and maintenance of both industry standard routers and switches as part of a team.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
3) Effectively formulate responses to well defined problems in both written and oral form.

Formative assessment:

You are given the opportunity to be formatively assessed on a weekly basis throughout the semester through short online feedback tests as part of your online CCNA 2 learning.

Summative assessment:

(1) a group assignment (30%). This assignment covers LO 2 and LO 3.
The assignment gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your practical skills in configuring a basic network as part of a team.

(2) an individual assignment (70%). This assignment covers LOs 1 and 3.
The individual assignment allows you to research topics covered during the module further. This assignment gives you the opportunity to analyse and evaluate the function of routers, switches, and related technologies and protocols in modern Local Area Networks.

KF4002 Network Technology 1

None

You will be provided with a detailed, technical introduction to the problem of routing and switching data packets in computer networks and to the design and implementation of Local Area Networks using routers and switches. A particular feature of the module is that it closely follows the programme for CCNA 2 of Cisco’s Networking Academy programme.

There is an emphasis on practical work in the delivery of the module and you will have an opportunity to work directly with industry standard networking hardware and software.

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to ensure that the CCNA content is incorporated into the module and, where necessary, supplemented, in such a way as to ensure that you attain the level of professional competence and understanding required for a BSc degree. This approach is exemplified in this module by its requirements for you to demonstrate an understanding of fundamental theoretical concepts and an ability to adopt a more critical and reflective approach based on a broader understanding of the context of networking problems and their solutions.