The first two TMAs done and dusted, and I am still enjoying Cyber Security (TM256). There is an engaging mix of reading, activities, and practical exercises. It should be a good primer for next year’s Level 3 Systems Penetration Testing module.
The only downfall of TM256 Cyber Security is that errors continue to plague the TMAs. This is less so with the third TMA, which I am currently working on, but particularly affected the first two TMAs.
It is fair to say that students were not happy, and the module team came in for a lot of criticism on the module forums. To their credit, they apologised, and things seem to have improved with the third TMA.
This is also only the second run of this module. Things take time to gel. Hopefully, the exam will go without issue this year. Last year, a link in one of the questions didn’t work so students had difficulty completing the question. With the TMAs, students have time to spot and get the errors corrected. No such luck with an exam, though the module team have emphasised that no one would lose out if this were to happen again.
I am also finding the practical exercises fun. We have all been given a Netlabs account, which allows us access to a series of online laboratories to hone our cyber skills. Each exercise comes with a step-by-step guide and integrates well with the module text. Sadly, we only get access for the duration of the module and not for the whole degree. I would love to hang onto it!
M269 is fading into the rear-view mirror. All three TMAs now long since submitted and the result expected next month. I should pass but will look and see if there is a better external course of some kind so that I can truly get to grips with algorithms.