Outside the UK
This module is available outside the UK; however, unless you must study this course as part of your OU qualification, do not choose it if you will be unable to travel to the day schools. Students resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland might prefer to study for Cisco certification at a local academy.
Synchronous tutorials and communications could be difficult to deliver to students outside UK due to time differences. If you can’t attend the synchronous tutorials or make synchronous communications, you’ll have to use asynchronous alternative methods, such as watching recorded tutorials and emailing questions.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
All module tutorials are online – TM257 provides an induction tutorial and a subject specialist tutorial. As well as TMA and EMA support sessions. In addition to the tutorials, the module has a compulsory day school, taken closer to the end of your studies – this covers EMA assessment and industry network engineering skills. Students with a disability, carers or those serving in HM Forces are eligible to apply for a remote alternate experience.
You'll have a named tutor who will support your studies and mark and comment on your assignment work as well as manage your studies on the Cisco NetAcad platform; you can also seek academic advice and guidance from them. Your tutor will offer support through email, telephone and online forum discussions. Additionally, there will be online tutorials. We will advertise tutorials before the module starts; TM257 tutors will take them, but depending on the tutorial, not necessarily your own named tutor. We recommend you book online to attend these tutorials. The day schools are supported by a wider community of Cisco experts – the person delivering the session may be an OU TM257 tutor, however they may not be your named tutor.
Assessment
You can find the assessment details for this module in the facts box above.
You must use the online eTMA system to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs).
Residential school
The day school is a practical experience with Cisco Networking technologies and a Cisco assessment at the end. Your work during the day school will be linked to the end-of-module assessment. You must satisfactorily attend a day school to pass this course and gain the completion certificates from Cisco.
We’ll hold the day schools at specific venues on Saturdays (and some Sundays) near the end of the module. We’ll offer a choice of dates – usually over two different weekends at each venue.
The cost of day schools is included in the module fee, but you must make your own travel arrangements.
In exceptional circumstances, we can provide an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE). Exceptional circumstances include students who are registered disabled; the carer of a registered disabled person; members of HM Forces (or their dependants) serving abroad; or HM Government employees (or their dependants) working abroad. We will consider other applications for the ALE on an individual basis.
Future availability
Cisco networking (CCNA) part 1 (TM257) starts once a year in October (places are limited and in high demand, so enrol early).
This page describes the module that will start in October 2020.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2023.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations which are available on our
Student Policies and Regulations website.