Course Coordinator:Shazi Saremi (ssaremi@usc.edu.au) School:School of Science, Technology and Engineering
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton BayUniSC Adelaide |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
Devices and networks form the backbone to modern internet communications and secure personal data and activities. You will be introduced to fundamental competencies and skills to effectively secure computer devices and networks and develop and test their competency. You will also develop an understanding of ethical hacking and vulnerability/penetration testing. You will work independently and in teams through problem based and case study activities and you will be able to diagnose and secure network devices.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Asynchronous online learning materials | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus theory and practical workshops | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Online | |||
| Learning materials – Asynchronous learning material | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online workshop | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
300 Level (Graduate)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Identify and describe device and network security vulnerabilities. | Knowledgeable |
| 2 | Identify data points and device/network behaviours that reveal vulnerabilities in the computer network. | Knowledgeable |
| 3 | Explain the role of data access restrictions, white-listing, administrative privileges, and related controls from a multi-actor perspective in an organisational context. | Knowledgeable |
| 4 | Diagnose device and network security vulnerabilities using online resources. | Empowered |
| 5 | Work as part of a team to effectively undertake and communicate security activities. | Engaged |
| 6 | Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills to present research and findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences. | Engaged |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
ICT211 or SEC301 or (SEC100 and ICT120)
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Weekly exercises will provide students with formative feedback weekly. Additionally, the group assessment in Task 2 will be designed to have regular formative feedback.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 10% | 1 hour |
Week 5 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2 | Artefact - Professional, and Written Piece | Individual and Group | 50% | 3000 words (total) |
Week 11 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 40% | 2 hours |
Exam Period | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Mid Trimester Exam | |||||||
| Goal: | You will become competent across a range of device and network security tools, security tradecrafts, and practices. |
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| Product: | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | ||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||
| Format: | Short answer questions on device and network security |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Group scenario project | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | You will work through a network security case study. You will review, investigate and action appropriate network security controls. |
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| Product: | Artefact - Professional, and Written Piece | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Format: | This is a collaborative project. More details will be provided on Canvas. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Final Exam | |||||||||||||
| Goal: | You will demonstrate discipline knowledge and skills through a number of short/long exams questions. |
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| Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | ||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||
| Format: | Individual exam covering security skills gained throughout course. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Applying technologies |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Recommended | Charles P. Pfleeger,Shari Lawrence Pfleeger,Jonathan Margulies | 2015 | Security in Computing | 5th | Pearson College Division |
This course requires access to computers and specialist software which is provided at USC campuses for student use. If you elect to do this course online, you may either; attend a campus at which it is available, discuss alternative solutions with your course coordinator that would enable you to demonstrate the learning outcomes, or if you prefer you may acquire this software (if necessary at your own expense). Some software providers may offer discounted or free academic licensing.
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
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For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
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