Abstract:

This paper presents a case study on the redesign of a practical troubleshooting exam component in a university level Computer Networks Administration course. Redesing was implemented with the purpose of enhancing fairness and pedagogical effectiveness of student assessment. The original format, which was graded exam involving the identification and correction of multiple network misconfigurations in a simulated Packet Tracer environment, proved to be either too simple or overly difficult, with disproportionate influence on the final grade. The existing troubleshooting exam was redesigned to a binary pass/fail format, requiring students to find and fix a single misconfiguration error, decoupled from grade weighting but mandatory for course completion. We discuss motivation behind these changes and implementation details, offering qualitative observations regarding student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. This paper argues that such practical, non-graded assessment provides more realistic preparation for real-world networking tasks while still reflecting student's understanding of network operations.

Keywords:

Computer Networks, Troubleshooting, Practical Exam.