Each week tutorial problems will be posted in iLearn related to the lecture content for that week. 

By the end of each week you are required to submit your responses in the manner specified in the questions for that week. Your answers will need to demonstrate appropriate depth of understanding.

General notes on Weekly Problem Submissions

The weekly problem submissions are important for your learning.  Each week we set a number of questions that you should think carefully about.  Some of those questions are identified for submission, and must be submitted electronically as specified in ilearn.  Don't be late -- ilearn is a program and there is a strict cutoff time. Always try your hardest with these questions -- you only get the learning benefit if you think carefully. But don't worry if you're not completely sure about your answer.  The important thing is to have a go and submit the best answer you have.

We'll try to ensure that the weekly questions don't involve too much writing.  Lots of thinking, but not much writing!  So you should expect that you can answer each week's questions in just a page or so.

The weekly problem submissions are compulsory, but will only be "sample" marked in detail (a small sample of student submissions will be fully marked). Feedback about the questions will be given in lectures, and if you'd like individual feedback or if you'd like to discuss a question in more detail you should raise it with your tutor or the lecturer concerned.  The questions are meant to help your learning, so we will usually award you the full marks available each week if you have completed a reasonable attempt at the specified questions.

The practical work in this unit makes up 10% of your mark. The practical work is divided up into twelve sections and you are expected to complete them all. The first two will be available before the semester begins. Each section contributes up to 1% of your total mark for the unit (so you can achieve full marks by completing perfectly ten sections, but do be sure to attempt all twelve).

To receive your marks you must attend the practical section and demonstrate your completion of the section to your practical supervisor. Earning the marks will require not only successful completion of the exercises, but presentation of appropriate documentation, as outlined in the question sheets. You should complete the practical session in the week it is allocated. (The practical material is arranged to correspond with the lecture material with this in mind).

Note that there are 12 practical sections but 13 practical sessions. This allows you to catch up on a missed practical section. It is possible to complete all 12 practical sections in the available practical classes and you should strive to complete all 12 sections so that you gain a good understanding of the topics covered.

General notes on Practicals

The practical sections can be submitted at your own pace. However, practicals are performed in groups so you should aim to stay in step with the weekly set practical sections. If you miss a week or fall behind, you may catch up in week 8 of the semester, but if you fall several weeks behind then it may not be possible to catch up. No allowance will be made for students who fail to finish work because they have left themselves insufficient time. Note that students must be supervised in the lab and it is not possible for you to access the practical lab outside of your enrolled practical session times.

Note that while the practical material is coordinated with the lecture material, you need to keep in mind that there will not always be a direct correspondence between the practical exercises and the lecture topics. This is because you need some practical sessions to get acquainted with new tools and devices thus limiting the number of practical time slots available to experiment with technologies discussed in some lectures.

The first assignment tests your understanding of local area networks, routing, and IP addressing. 

Late submission of the assignment will be accepted, but penalised at the rate of 15% per day late. If you cannot submit assignments on time because of illness or other circumstances, please contact the convenor at the earliest possible time.

The second assignment tests your understanding of various networking technologies. 

Late submission of the assignment will be accepted, but penalised at the rate of 15% per day late. If you cannot submit assignments on time because of illness or other circumstances, please contact the convenor at the earliest possible time.

General notes on assignments

 For all submitable assignment work you are encouraged to:

• set your personal deadline earlier than the actual one;
• keep backup of all important files;
• make sure that no one else picks up your printouts. 

The final examination allows us to individually and securely assess each student's mastery of the coursework material. The examination will assess material covered by learning outcome #1. The examination will be closed book and three (3) hours in length.

Regarding the examination process, note that

• you must attend all required classes and submit all required assessments, otherwise the Executive Dean of the Faculty or delegated authority has the power to refuse permission to attend the final examination

• the University Examination period for First Half Year 2015 is from Monday 8th June to Friday 26th June

• you are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable

• no early examinations for individuals or groups of students will be set. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, that is the final day of the official examination period

• if illness or unavoidable disruption prevents you from sitting the examination at the designated time, you should contact the University in accordance with the Disruption to Studies policy. You will need to provide documentary evidence of the circumstances.