AE1 — Personal Learning Record · Your complete step-by-step guide to understanding and completing this assignment
All your practical work and written analysis must relate to this fictional company. Everything you write about — tools, techniques, and methods — must be framed in the context of testing Southants Solutions' network.
Don't write about tools or techniques in isolation. Always connect them back to this company's specific infrastructure and business context.
Think about ALL aspects of their network — web servers, IoT devices on the solar/wind farms, internal systems, staff workstations, and remote access points. The more specific to Southants, the better your marks.
You must complete labs for all 9 modules (Modules 2–10) on the EC-Council iLabs website (accessible via SOL). This is not optional — evidence of completion is required for marks.
The evidence needed is your dashboard transcript showing start and end times for each lab. The more hours you put in, the higher your marks in this criterion.
You only write about 6 modules (Module 2 is excluded — an example is already provided). You choose which 6 from Modules 3–10 to write up in depth.
Pick the modules you found most interesting or most relevant to the Southants Solutions case study — this will make your writing stronger.
Yes, really! Each of your 6 module write-ups must be written in Shakespearean style — think Elizabethan language, dramatic flair, poetic phrasing. This makes your PLR unique and tests your creativity alongside technical knowledge.
You still need to demonstrate technical understanding; the style is the vehicle, not a replacement for substance.
Each of your 6 written modules must contain the following components, all tied back to the Southants Solutions case study:
Your entire PLR — all 6 module write-ups + all evidence of lab completion — must be submitted as a single Word document. No zip files, no multiple files, no PDF.
Only ONE submission link is available. Drafts will not be accepted. Submit your final version only.
Module 2 (Scanning Networks) is excluded from write-ups — an example has already been provided. Choose 6 from Modules 3–10.
A thorough, well-argued discussion of 6 modules beats shallow coverage of all 9. Quality of analysis is what pushes you from a C to an A.
Submit via SOL before this date for full marks consideration.
If submitted within 7 calendar days of the deadline, your mark is capped at 40% (pass mark). You cannot score higher even if your work merits it.
If submitted more than 7 days late, it is treated as a non-submission and awarded zero.
You can self-certify for genuine short-term exceptional circumstances. Apply via the EC procedure on the university portal with supporting evidence.
All work must be your own. Using AI to write your coursework is not permitted — only for background research. Plagiarism, collusion, and contract cheating are all covered under Academic Misconduct policies. Violations can result in serious penalties.
Upon passing this module, you can add the following skills to your professional Living CV via the Solent Futures Online platform: