Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics & Education

COIS20027
Digital Telecommunications and Networks

What is this course about? This course provides students with a sound knowledge of the concepts and techniques of
digital telecommunications and networks from a management perspective. The course
covers the theoretical and technical foundations underlying the use of computer
networks and the issues related to the networks' environment. This enables students to
be able to communicate effectively with other professionals and stakeholders in the
organisation.

What are the expected On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
outcomes of the course?
1. describe the concepts and terminology relating to telecommunications and
networks
2. acquire a knowledge of telecommunications and networks standards and
regulations
3. describe data communications in networks using the Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI) reference model
4. differentiate among the common types of networks media
5. describe LAN and WAN, including both theoretical and practical alternatives,
implications, and requirements
6. identify and evaluate a wide range of current and emerging network applications
in business
7. understand management issues related to the development, implementation, and
operations of networks
8. apply the above knowledge in practical exercises which consider facilities and
services available from common carriers and IT vendors.

When is it offered? 2010 Term Three

For those of you taking the course on campus, the schedule will be published at
http://timetabling.cqu.edu.au

Where is it offered? Brisbane, Flexible Learning, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney

How is it assessed? Approved assessment for this course is:

Examination 60%
Other 40%
Assessment 1 20% Assignment 1 ALL
Assessment 2 20% Assignment 2 ALL

What textbooks do I need Prescribed

to obtain? ● Fitzgerald, J & Dennis, A 2009, Business data communications and networking,

10th edn, John Wiley & Sons, London.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 1

 Who do I contact?
Coordinator: Wei Li
Email: w.li@cqu.edu.au
Phone: +61 7 4930 9686

Additional contact details may be found at:

http://lecturer.cqu.edu.au/lecturer.jsp?term=2103&course=COIS20027

Copyright CQUniversity

Information for Students for this Offering

Study Schedule
Week Begin Date Module/Topic Chapter Events and
submissions

Week 1 01 Nov 10 Introduction to Data Communications; Application Chapter 1 ;

Layer Chapter 2

Week 2 08 Nov 10 Physical Layer Chapter 3

Week 3 15 Nov 10 Data Link Layer Chapter 4

Week 4 22 Nov 10 Network and Transport Layers Chapter 5

Week 5 29 Nov 10 Local Area Networks Chapter 6

Week 6 13 Dec 10 Wireless Local Area Networks Chapter 7 Assessment item 1

All Students
Assignment 1
Due: 17 Dec 10

Week 7 20 Dec 10 Backbone Networks Chapter 8

Week 8 04 Jan 11 Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks Chapter 9

Week 9 10 Jan 11 The Internet Chapter 10

Week 10 17 Jan 11 Network Security Chapter 11 Assessment item 2

All Students
Assignment 2
Due: 21 Jan 11

Week 11 24 Jan 11 Network Design Chapter 12

Week 12 31 Jan 11 Network Management Chapter 13

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 2

Assessment Submission
Hard Copy (when required)
Off-campus students
● Submit hard copy, signed assignments to the Student Contact Centre, Building 5, CQUniversity, Rockhampton
QLD 4702.
● Access CQUcentral to print a personalised Assessment Cover Sheet for each assignment submission. Instructions

for generating your coversheet are at: http://dtls.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=23407

On-campus students
Submit hard-copy, signed assignments to Assignment Boxes located on your particular Campus - if none are available
then submit to the Administration Office.
● Central Queensland Campus Students should access CQUcentral to print a personalised Assessment Cover Sheet
for each assignment submission. Instructions for generating your coversheet are via the link above.
● Australian International Campus Students should access the personalised coversheet available at your Campus.

Electronic Delivery (when required)

All assignments submitted electronically must be through the Student Portal http://mycqu.cqu.edu.au/portal/dt
As submission methods may vary from the above please check details on your course website or with your course
coordinator if in doubt.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR ASSESSMENT
Students must familiarise themselves with the following policies and procedures:
Assessment and examination policy and procedures - http://policy.cqu.edu.au/Policy/policy_file.do?policyid=701
Assignment preparation and presentation Guide for Students -
http://content.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=26491
Presentation - http://fbi.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=17724
Referencing style
The Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics & Education generally uses the Harvard (Author/date) style of referencing
except for education, history and law courses. More information on the styles used by various schools can be found at
http://facultysite.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?page=3955
For LAWS courses http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/cite/law/index.html
Applying for extensions - http://content.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?site=534
Assignment grading - http://policy.cqu.edu.au/Policy/policy_file.do?policyid=437
What is plagiarism? - http://facultysite.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?page=3952
General student information (CQUcentral) - http://navigatecquni.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=26605

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 4

Faculty Guide
Guide for Students http://content.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?page=9177

OTHER IMPORTANT DATES

Examinations:
Standard Examinations 7 - 11 February 2011
Deferred/Supplementary Examinations 4 - 8 April, 2011
Note: A recess is held during term. Please consult the CQU handbook for specific dates and other information at:
http://handbook.cqu.edu.au
Contacting Teaching Staff
During the course, students should initially contact their local teaching staff to answer any queries related to the course
that they may have. Contact details for local teaching staff can be found on the course website. If local teaching staff
cannot fully answer the query or it is of a personal nature, students can contact the Course Coordinator.
Student Contact
A directory of assistance containing information for both on-campus and off-campus students will be provided on the
web, before term starts, at: http://content.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?site=534
The university allocates every student an individual email address, the format of which is student
number@student.cqu.edu.au (e.g. S00011123@student.cqu.edu.au). This is the official email address that the
university will use for all email correspondence. Student emails can be accessed through http://webmail.cqu.edu.au or
http://mycqu.cqu.edu.au. Students are expected to check their official email address on a frequent and consistent basis
(at least once weekly). Students are encouraged to review the new university policy relating to email communication at
http://policy.cqu.edu.au/Policy/policy.jsp?policyid=642 which has been introduced to ensure all course and program
updates are received.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 5

Course information
It is recommended that students use the course mailing list. ALL enrolled students will be automatically
subscribed to the course list using their official university email address
(i.e.studentnumber@studnet.cqu.edu.au). List membership subscriptions are refreshed daily. It is not
recommended that students subscribe to the course mailing list using al alternative email address. If so, these
will only be effective until the next daily refresh process. This reflects the new CQU Student Email Policy.
Student use of the course website is mandatory. This is provided using the Learning Management System
(LMS) which can be accessed through the MyCQU Student Portal: http://mycqu.cqu.edu.au/portal/dt. This
course uses Moodle LMS. If you have difficulty logging in, please contact Helpdesk on (07) 4930 9233.
Regular student access to email is required for this course.
Regular student access to the Internet is required for this course.
Students are expected to follow a self directed study schedule which meets the required deadlines.

Assessment
Continuous assessment / examination
To be eligible for a passing grade in this course a student MUST:
 score at least 50% of the marks available in the examination; AND
 score at least 50% overall.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 6

Assessment details for ALL students

Assessment item 1—Assessment 1

Due date: 4:00pm AEST, Friday Week 6 ASSESSMENT

Weighting: 20%

Length: 2,500 words 1

Objectives
This assessment item relates to the course learning outcomes stated on page 1.

Topic: Review of Physical Layer

The Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) Model is a theoretical, seven-layered model of how networks work.
Among these layers, physical layer is the layer one of the OSI model. This is the physical connection between
the computers and/or devices in the network. It is responsible for bit-level transmission between network
nodes. For instance, in wire based network, the Physical Layer is responsible for defining specifications for
electrical signals. On the other hand, in fiber optic networks, it is responsible for defining the characteristics
of light signals. The physical layer is briefly covered by Chapter 3 of the textbook, so you should ensure that
you fully understand the basics of this layer before starting this assignment. You are expected to perform
further research to extend your knowledge on physical layer to complete this assignment.

Part 1: General Review of Circuit Configuration

a) Multipoint circuit configuration is comparatively cheaper than point-to-point configuration. Why?
Explain.
b) How is the full duplex transmission differing than simplex and half duplex? Discuss with necessary
figures.
c) Why does Time Division multiplexing (TDM) give the illusion of simultaneous transmission?
d) How does Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) make use of diffraction? Explain.

Part 2: General Review of Communication Media

a) What is thermal noise? How does it create problem in the communication media?
b) Describe the three types of optical fiber and recommend one to the professional people.
c) What are the four main causes of attenuation in optical fiber? Explain.

Part 3: Demonstration of Analog and Digital Transmission

a) When analog signals are distorted by noise, why can we not restore them to their original form?
b) How is baud rate related to signal bandwidth? How can the bit rate be increased without increasing the
baud rate?
c) How does a modem play the analog and digital communication? Explain.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 7

General Information
Your review should be a combination of information you have read in the set textbook for this course and
information you have found from other textbooks, journal articles, professional publications, magazines and
websites. You should not use too much (more than 50%) unpublished/unedited website information. You may
need to search websites on the Internet for journal articles, edited reports, white papers, product reference
manuals and books. You are only limited in the number of unpublished/unedited websites. If you find a
published report, journal article, white paper, etc. on a website, you can use it as a published article, not as an
unpublished web article. Just remember to correctly reference the material as journal articles, edited reports,
white papers, product reference manuals or books - not just as a basic web page. Refer to referencing section
below. At minimum you must include at least 5 referenced sources in your final submission.
The review should be in an essay format, not in a bullet point format. You will need to present your review in
clear and concise paragraphs. Your assignment should be presented in a formal way that has a neat, logical
and professional layout and follows the key headings listed above. Total length of this review should be about
2,500 words (you are required to place a Total Word Count on your title page) – if your word count is 20%
over or 20% under you will receive a penalty deduction.
A report writing exemplar will be available on the course web site. Students should read this exemplar before
doing this assignment.

Referencing
Duplicating the summaries from the text, lecture slides or weekly notes is not acceptable and will be given
zero marks. Content should be written in your own words. You should research widely and then write your
understanding of the material researched – referencing the original author. If you do not know how to do this,
please see staff at your Learning Skills Unit (LSU) or Communications Learning Centres (CLC). Ignorance is
not an excuse for plagiarism, particularly at Postgraduate level. If you do not reference ideas from other
sources directly in-text, you will receive zero for that part of the assignment. Listing sources of information
only in a reference list is not correct and complete referencing.
Any use of an external source (either from the textbook or any other source) must be referenced appropriately.
Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and will be penalised with the result of zero for the assignment as this is
a deliberate act to disguise someone else’s words as your own and take undue credit for them.
The use of web-based encyclopaedias as sources of information should be used sparingly. Students should
research published papers (journals and conferences), textbooks, reports and other sources.
The official Faculty Referencing style is Author-Date (Harvard style),
http://facultysite.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=5763
Booklets on how to reference can be obtained from your local Library, CLC, or LSU. Please see the Faculty
Guide for Student for more details on referencing.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 8

Marking Criteria
Marking Criteria Marks

Part 1: General Review of Circuit Configuration

a.) Multipoint circuit configuration is comparatively cheaper than point-to- 1.0
point configuration. Why? Explain.
b.) How is the full duplex transmission differing than simplex and half 3.0
duplex? Discuss with necessary figures.
c.) Why does Time Division multiplexing (TDM) give the illusion of 2.0
simultaneous transmission?
d.) How does Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) make use of 2.0
diffraction? Explain.

Part 2: General Review of Communication Media

a.) What is thermal noise? How does it create problem in the 2.0
communication media?
b.) Describe the three types of optical fiber and recommend one to the 2.0
professional people.
c.) What are the four main causes of attenuation in optical fiber. Explain. 2.0

Part 3: Demonstration of Analog & Digital Transmission

a.) When analog signals are distorted by noise, why can we not restore them 2.0
to their original form?
b.) How is baud rate related to signal bandwidth? How can the bit rate be 2.0
increased without increasing the baud rate?
c.) How does a modem play the analog and digital communication? Explain. 2.0
20.0
Total for Assignment 1

Length Penalty (-1.0 mark)

Format Penalty (-1.0 mark)

Late Penalty (-5% each calendar day)

Plagiarism Penalty

Final Marks

 Full marks: very clear, in-depth explanations to show good understanding of the required issues. Writing
the report in your own words and giving enough in-text referencing and enough references at the end of
the report.
 0 mark: nothing correct or just copy of resources and very poor referencing.
 Other marks: marks will be given based on your explanations, referencing, understanding and the
completeness for the required issues.
 If copy is found, the plagiarism incident report will be raised. Penalty will be applied according to CQU
plagiarism policy.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 9

Submission
 Online submit your assignment as a single Microsoft Word document.
 The submission must have an appropriate balance between the referenced material and your own thoughts.
References should back up your arguments not solely be your arguments.
 Please be aware of what constitutes plagiarism and copying. Copying directly from the textbook, or any
other source, is plagiarism.
 Before completing this assignment, I suggest you to visit the CQU Referencing website and revise how to
reference properly. Assistance is also available at CLC and LSUon each campus.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 10

Assessment item 2—Assignment 2
Due date: 4:00pm AEST, Friday Week 10 ASSESSMENT

Weighting: 20%

Length: 2,500 words 2

Objectives
This assessment item relates to the course learning outcomes as stated on page 1.

Topic: Review of Wireless Local Area Networks

A network basically consists of two or more computers that are linked in order to share resources (for instance,
printer), exchange files, or allow electronic communications. The computers on a network may be linked
through cables, telephone lines, radio waves, satellites, or infrared light beams. A wireless local area network
basically uses radio wave carriers to transmit signals among its nodes. The evolution of wireless
communication systems and networks in recent years has been significantly contributed in human life in terms
of application and job. For instance, people can’t move without mobile phone. In this assignment, you are
asked to demonstrate knowledge of Wireless Local Area Networks used in modern telecommunication. The
Wireless Local Area Networks is briefly covered by Chapter 7 of the textbook so you should ensure you fully
understand the basics of Wireless Transmission before starting this assignment. You are expected to perform
further research to extend your knowledge of Wireless Local Area Networks to complete this assignment.

Part 1: General Review of Wireless local Area Networks (WLANs) Components

a) What major factor distinguishes WLANs from LANs (Local Area Networks)? Explain with an example.
b) What type of radio waves use by radio transceiver to ensure the wireless communication?
c) Briefly explain four types of antenna are generally using for WLANs.
d) Is wireless network signal hazardous for human health? Explain with evidence.

Part 2: General Review of Wi-Fi and WiMAX

a) How can you say Wi-Fi is a better option than WAN? Explain.
b) Summarize the differences among 4 IEEE 802.11 series as like below tabular form.

Protocol Release Date Operating Data Rate Indoor Range Outdoor Range
Frequency
802.11a
802.11b
802.11g
802.11n

c) Do you prefer WiMAX for your Laptop? Why?

d) What kind of devices can participate in a Bluetooth group?

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 11

Part 3: Demonstration of WLAN Design.
a) What are the pre requirements of the WLAN design?
b) How will you determine the bandwidth for each user during your WLAN design?
c) How can you define the size of the area where high-speed coverage is desired? Explain.
d) How is the network security working in the below diagram? Explain.

Source: Google Images.

General Information
Your review should be a combination of information you have read in the set textbook for this course and
information you have found from other textbooks, journal articles, professional publications, magazines and
websites. You should not use too much (more than 50%) unpublished/unedited website information. You may
need to search websites on the Internet for journal articles, edited reports, white papers, product reference
manuals and books. You are only limited in the number of unpublished/unedited websites. If you find a
published report, journal article, white paper, etc. on a website, you can use it as a published article, not as an
unpublished web article. Just remember to correctly reference the material as journal articles, edited reports,
white papers, product reference manuals or books - not just as a basic web page. Refer to referencing section
below. At minimum you must include at least 5 referenced sources in your final submission.
The review should be in an essay format, not in a bullet point format. You will need to present your review in
clear and concise paragraphs. Your assignment should be presented in a formal way that has a neat, logical and
professional layout and follows the key headings listed above. Total length of this review should be about
2,500 words (you are required to place a Total Word Count on your title page) – if your word count is 20%
over or 20% under you will receive a penalty deduction.
A report writing exemplar will be available on the course web site. Students should read this exemplar before
doing this assignment.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 12

Referencing
Duplicating the summaries from the text, lecture slides or weekly notes is not acceptable and will be given
zero marks. Content should be written in your own words. You should research widely and then write your
understanding of the material researched – referencing the original author. If you do not know how to do this,
please see staff at your Learning Skills Unit (LSU) or Communications Learning Centres (CLC). Ignorance is
not an excuse for plagiarism, particularly at Postgraduate level. If you do not reference ideas from other
sources directly in-text, you will receive zero for that part of the assignment. Listing sources of information
only in a reference list is not correct and complete referencing.
Any use of an external source (either from the textbook or any other source) must be referenced appropriately.
Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and will be penalised with the result of zero for the assignment as this is
a deliberate act to disguise someone else’s words as your own and take undue credit for them.
The use of web-based encyclopaedias as sources of information should be used sparingly. Students should
research published papers (journals and conferences), textbooks, reports and other sources.
The official Faculty Referencing style is Author-Date (Harvard style),
<http://facultysite.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=5763>.
Booklets on how to reference can be obtained from your local Library, CLC, or LSU. Please see the Faculty
Guide for Student for more details on referencing.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 13

Marking Criteria
Marking Criteria Marks

Part 1: General Review of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) Components

a.) What major factor distinguishes WLANs from LANs (Local Area Networks)? 2.0
Explain with an example.
b.) What type of radio waves use by radio transceiver to ensure the wireless 1.0
communication?
c.) Briefly explain four types of antenna are generally using for WLANs. 2.0
d.) Is wireless network signal hazardous for human health? Explain with 1.0
evidence.
Part 2: General Review of Wi-Fi and WiMAX
a.) How can you say Wi-Fi is a better option than WAN? Explain. 2.0
b.) Summarize the differences among 4 IEEE 802.11 series as in the table of 2.0
the assignment.
c.) Do you prefer WiMAX for your Laptop? Why? 1.0
d.) What kind of devices can participate in a Bluetooth group? 1.0
Part 3: Demonstration of WLAN Design.
a.) What are the pre requirements of the WLAN design? 2.0
b.) How will you determine the bandwidth for each user during your WLAN 2.0
design?
c.) How can you define the size of the area where high-speed coverage is 2.0
desired? Explain.
d.) How is the network security working in the diagram in the assignment? 2.0
Explain.
20.0
Total for Assignment 2

Length Penalty (-1.0 mark)

Format Penalty (-1.0 mark)

Late Penalty (-5% each calendar day)

Plagiarism Penalty

Final Marks
 Full marks: very clear, in-depth explanations to show good understanding of the required issues. Writing
the report in your own words and giving enough in-text referencing and enough references at the end of
the report.
 0 mark: nothing correct or just copy of resources and very poor referencing.
 Other marks: marks will be given based on your explanations, referencing, understanding and the
completeness for the required issues.
 If copy is found, the plagiarism incident report will be raised. Penalty will be applied according to CQU
plagiarism policy.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 14

Submission
 Online submit your assignment as a single Microsoft Word document.
 The submission must have an appropriate balance between the referenced material and your own thoughts.
References should back up your arguments not solely be your arguments.
 Please be aware of what constitutes plagiarism and copying. Copying directly from the textbook, or any
other source, is plagiarism.
 Before completing this assignment, I suggest you to visit the CQU Referencing website and revise how to
reference properly. Assistance is also available at CLC and LSU on each campus.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 15

Examination
Due date: During examination period at end of term
Weighting: 60%

Length: Duration 3 hours

Examination conditions
 It is a closed book examination. Closed book examination means you are not permitted to take any
materials into the examination room with you unless specified.
 You may take a non-programmable, not text retrieval, silent only calculator into the examination room in
accordance with CQU Policy.
 You may take a non-electronic, concise, direct translation dictionary into the examination room in
accordance with CQU policy. The dictionary must not contain any notes or comments.

View the University’s policy on examination in the Assessment of Coursework Policy at:
http://policy.cqu.edu.au
View important examination information at:
http://handbook.cqu.edu.au/Handbook/information.jsp?id=126
The examination timetables will be made available later in the term. View the examination timetable at:
http://www.cqu.edu.au/studinfo/admin/timetabling/index.htm

Further information on the examination will be available on your course website later in the term and within
your revision lecture.
NOTE: The examination information provided in this Course Profile also relates to
Deferred/Supplementary Examinations. No separate advice will be provided in the case of a
deferred/supplementary examination.

Course Profile for: COIS20027, 2010 Term Three - Page 16