Students

COMP3260 – Cisco Networking I

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Frances Louise
frances.louise@mq.edu.au
Check on iLearn
Lecturer
Nathan Lin
nathan.lin@mq.edu.au
Check on iLearn
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
COMP2250 or COMP2270
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
COMP6260
Unit description Unit description

This unit is designed to impart practical skills in designing, configuring, installing, and troubleshooting computer internetworks using equipment such as routers and switches. This unit allows students to develop knowledge and expertise in key areas such as IP fundamentals, LAN Switching, IP addressing, and routing. It allows students to expand their skill set by providing exposure to Cisco equipment thereby enabling them to better understand the design and implementation of various networking technologies and protocols. Using various assessment tasks, this unit also aims to enhance students' skills in critical thinking and problem solving.

Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • ULO1: Develop an understanding of networking fundamentals.
  • ULO2: Understand, Build, configure and troubleshoot switched Ethernet LANs and Virtual LANs.
  • ULO3: Explain IP addressing schemes and troubleshoot IPv4 address problems.
  • ULO4: Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of IPv4 routing technology and implement and troubleshoot IPv4 routed network.
  • ULO5: Collaborate and communicate with others in a professional setting.
  • ULO6: Conduct professional work ethically with a high level of integrity, autonomy, and accountability.

General Assessment Information

Submission of assessable work

For all your assessments and for your professional life in the future, you are encouraged to

  • set your personal deadline earlier than the official deadline
  • keep backups of all your important files
  • make sure that no one else has access to your files or documents

 

Requirements to Pass this Unit

  • Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%

There are no hurdle requirements for the unit.

 

Late Submissions

Late assessments are not accepted in this unit unless a Special Consideration has been submitted and approved.

 

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment.

Weekly Practical: You need to demonstrate ongoing development of skills and application of knowledge in 80% of the weekly practical classes tasks. If you miss a weekly practical class due to a serious, unavoidable and significant disruption, contact your convenor ASAP, as you may be able to attend another class that week. If it is not possible to attend another class, you should still contact your convenor for access to class material to review in your own time. Note that a Special Consideration should only be applied for if you miss more than two of the weekly practical classes.

All other assessments: If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the written assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through the Service Connect portal.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Weekly Practical 10% No Weekly in Practical class Individual No Observed
Project 30% No 31/05/2026 Individual Yes Open
Lab Examinations 30% No Week 7 & 12 Individual No Observed
Module Exams 10% No 07/06/2026 Individual No Open
Final Examinations 20% No Exam Period Individual No Observed

Weekly Practical

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Weekly in Practical class
Weighting: 10%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Practical marks are obtained by making a suitable attempt at the practical work in the practical class session. To receive marks student must demonstrate completion of the section to the practical supervisor. Earning the marks will require not only a successful completion of the exercises, but presentation of appropriate documentation, as outlined in the question sheets. Students should complete the practical session in the week it is allocated.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand, Build, configure and troubleshoot switched Ethernet LANs and Virtual LANs.
  • Explain IP addressing schemes and troubleshoot IPv4 address problems.
  • Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of IPv4 routing technology and implement and troubleshoot IPv4 routed network.
  • Collaborate and communicate with others in a professional setting.

Project

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 38 hours
Due: 31/05/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

The project tests student's understanding of selected networking technologies, analysing, and performing problem solving on real-world networking scenarios including issues relating to security. Some aspects may require in-depth research. Students will need to explain and support their proposed solutions and be able to explain how the changes that are suggested will be of benefit to the organisation including describing how the changes will be managed and implemented.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop an understanding of networking fundamentals.
  • Understand, Build, configure and troubleshoot switched Ethernet LANs and Virtual LANs.
  • Explain IP addressing schemes and troubleshoot IPv4 address problems.
  • Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of IPv4 routing technology and implement and troubleshoot IPv4 routed network.
  • Conduct professional work ethically with a high level of integrity, autonomy, and accountability.

Lab Examinations

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 4 hours
Due: Week 7 & 12
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Two practical exams are to be held mid-session and at the end of the teaching period during the examination period.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand, Build, configure and troubleshoot switched Ethernet LANs and Virtual LANs.
  • Explain IP addressing schemes and troubleshoot IPv4 address problems.
  • Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of IPv4 routing technology and implement and troubleshoot IPv4 routed network.
  • Conduct professional work ethically with a high level of integrity, autonomy, and accountability.

Module Exams

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 07/06/2026
Weighting: 10%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

The module examinations ask students to answer conceptual questions about the unit material as well as solve simple networking problems.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop an understanding of networking fundamentals.
  • Understand, Build, configure and troubleshoot switched Ethernet LANs and Virtual LANs.
  • Explain IP addressing schemes and troubleshoot IPv4 address problems.
  • Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of IPv4 routing technology and implement and troubleshoot IPv4 routed network.
  • Conduct professional work ethically with a high level of integrity, autonomy, and accountability.

Final Examinations

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: Exam Period
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Two exams are to be held mid-session and at the end of teaching period during the examination period.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop an understanding of networking fundamentals.
  • Understand, Build, configure and troubleshoot switched Ethernet LANs and Virtual LANs.
  • Explain IP addressing schemes and troubleshoot IPv4 address problems.
  • Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of IPv4 routing technology and implement and troubleshoot IPv4 routed network.
  • Conduct professional work ethically with a high level of integrity, autonomy, and accountability.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Classes

Each week, you should watch the lecture recordings and a three-hour practical workshop.

Note that practical classes (lab sessions) commence in week 1. The week-by-week details of the practical classes will be available from iLearn.

You must attend the practical that you are enrolled in.

 

Textbook and Reading Materials

The textbooks for this semester are:

Unit Websites

The unit is administered via iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/).

Course material will be available on the Cisco Networking Academy site; details will be provided in the first practical class.

 

Technologies Used and Required

In this unit, you will be exposed to the following technology and tools:

  • Cisco Packet Tracer software.
  • Wireshark Packet Analyzer software.
  • Cisco Ethernet Switches and Routers.

 

General Notes

In this unit, you should do the following:

  • Watch the prerecorded lectures, take notes, and ask any questions that arise.
  • Attend your weekly Practical session. This is essential for your weekly practical requirements.
  • Ensure that you complete module exams at the end of each week to ensure that you are staying on top of the course materials.
  • Read the relevant sections of the text, add to your notes, and prepare questions to ask the teaching staff.
  • Work on any assessments that have been released.

Lecture notes will be made available each week, but these notes are intended as an outline of the lecture only and are not a substitute for your own notes or the recommended reading list.

 

Communication Methods

All announcements about unit-related matters will be communicated through iLearn. It is the student's responsibility to ensure they check iLearn announcements, forums, and FAQ sections regularly.

Students are encouraged to use the iLearn forums to ask questions about unit content and concepts. Where questions are about specific details in an assessment submission, this needs to be sent directly to the teaching staff (check iLearn for the best method of communicating this) to avoid the risk of breaching the university's academic integrity policy.

Students should use the appropriate iLearn forms for contacting staff. There may be occasions where unit staff will email a student directly to their @students.mq.edu.au email address. It is the student's responsibility to ensure they check their official university email regularly for communications from the university staff.

Unit Schedule

CCNA - Introduction To Networks (ITN)

  • Module 1 - Networking Today
  • Module 2 - Basic Switch and End Device Configuration
  • Module 3 - Protocols and Models
  • Module 4 - Physical Layer
  • Module 5 - Number Systems
  • Module 6 - Data-Link Layer
  • Module 7 - Ethernet Switching
  • Module 8 - Network Layer
  • Module 9 - Address Resolution
  • Module 10 - Basic Router Configuration
  • Module 11 - IPv4 Addressing
  • Module 12 - IPv6 Addressing
  • Module 13 - ICMP
  • Module 14 - Transport Layer
  • Module 15 - Application Layer
  • Module 16 - Network Security Fundamentals
  • Module 17 - Build a Small Network

CCNA - Switching, Routing, and Wireless Essentials (SRWE)

  • Module 1 - Basic Device Configuration
  • Module 2 - Switching Concepts
  • Module 3 - VLANs
  • Module 4 - Inter-VLAN Routing
  • Module 5 - STP
  • Module 6 - EtherChannel
  • Module 7 - DHCPv4
  • Module 8 - SLAAC and DHCPv6
  • Module 9 - FHRP Concepts
  • Module 10 - LAN Security Concepts
  • Module 11 - Switch Security Configuration
  • Module 12 - WLAN Concepts
  • Module 13 - WLAN Configuration
  • Module 14 - Routing Concepts
  • Module 15 - IP Static Routing
  • Module 16 - Troubleshoot Static and Default Routes

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such, we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page. 

Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was very positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from teaching staff. As such, no change to the delivery of the unit is planned. However, we will continue to strive to improve the level of support and the level of student engagement.

Unit information based on version 2026.02 of the Handbook