Abstract
Subnetting is a foundational competency in computer networking, yet many students treat it as a memorisation task and cannot explain why a network begins at a particular address or why the last address in a block becomes the broadcast address. This two-cycle action research evaluated Subnetting Master, an innovation that sequences instruction from concrete to visual, then procedural, then gamified practice. Its components are the Kek Network analogy, a physical Subnet Slider, the Magic Number shortcut, and Subnetting Bingo. The study involved 20 first-semester Diploma in Information Technology students at Kolej Vokasional Sungai Buloh over five weeks, with content limited to Class C subnets from prefix /25 to /28. Data were collected through initial and final diagnostic tests, answering-time records, an observation checklist, document review and short interviews, and were triangulated across these sources. The mean diagnostic score rose from 45 per cent to 88 per cent, the pass rate from 60 per cent to 100 per cent, and observed active participation from 30 per cent to 100 per cent, while the mean time to complete one full subnetting question fell from 6.2 minutes to 2.0 minutes. The four recurring errors identified at baseline declined after the intervention, and students became more willing to explain their working aloud. The findings are reported as practitioner evidence from a single intact class without a comparison group or inferential testing, and the main contribution is a reusable teaching protocol rather than a generalisable claim of effectiveness.
Abstrak: Subnetting merupakan kemahiran asas dalam bidang rangkaian komputer, namun ramai pelajar menganggapnya sebagai tugasan hafalan dan tidak dapat menerangkan mengapa sesuatu rangkaian bermula pada alamat tertentu atau mengapa alamat terakhir dalam sesuatu blok menjadi alamat broadcast. Kajian tindakan dua kitaran ini menilai inovasi Subnetting Master yang menyusun pengajaran secara berperingkat daripada konkrit kepada visual, kemudian kepada prosedur pengiraan dan akhirnya kepada latihan bergamifikasi. Komponennya terdiri daripada analogi Kek Network, Subnet Slider fizikal, teknik Magic Number dan permainan Subnetting Bingo. Kajian melibatkan 20 orang pelajar Semester 1 Diploma Teknologi Maklumat di Kolej Vokasional Sungai Buloh sepanjang lima minggu, dengan skop kandungan dibataskan kepada subnet kelas C bagi prefix /25 hingga /28. Data dikumpulkan melalui diagnostik awal dan akhir, rekod masa menjawab, senarai semak pemerhatian, semakan dokumen serta temu bual ringkas, dan ditriangulasikan antara sumber tersebut. Purata markah diagnostik meningkat daripada 45 peratus kepada 88 peratus, kadar lulus daripada 60 peratus kepada 100 peratus, dan penglibatan aktif yang diperhatikan daripada 30 peratus kepada 100 peratus, manakala purata masa menyiapkan satu soalan subnetting lengkap menurun daripada 6.2 minit kepada 2.0 minit. Empat kesalahan lazim yang dikenal pasti pada peringkat awal berkurangan selepas intervensi, dan pelajar menjadi lebih bersedia menerangkan jalan kerja secara lisan. Dapatan dilaporkan sebagai bukti amalan guru daripada satu kelas utuh tanpa kumpulan perbandingan dan tanpa ujian inferensi, dan sumbangan utamanya ialah protokol pengajaran yang boleh diguna semula.