Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Rolf Schwitter
Contact via rolf.schwitter@mq.edu.au
E6A 333
by prior appointment
Lecturer
Diego Molla-Aliod
Contact via diego.molla-aliod@mq.edu.au
E6A 331
by prior appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
COMP344 or COMP348
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
A thorough introduction to the fundamentals of web data technologies, emphasising the use of XML (eXtensible Markup Language) as a tool for structuring, transporting and storing complex dynamic information, and alternatives to XML such as JSON. Topics include document computing (XML, XSLT, DOM, XPath and XQuery), semantic web data formats (RDF/XML, RDFa, JSON-LD) and related formats and standards, designing and application of meta-data, and XML databases.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
---|---|---|
Six Practical Tasks | 10% | Week 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 |
Assignment 1 | 20% | Week 8 |
Assignment 2 | 20% | Week 12 |
Final Examination | 50% | TBA |
Due: Week 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
Weighting: 10%
These are six individual practical programming tasks, each worth 2 marks. Note that you can only get 10 marks in total for these six tasks; that means you can get full marks if you submit 5 perfect solutions.
You have to submit the solutions to these tasks via iLearn at a specific date. No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the solution prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 20%
In this individual assignment students will use XSLT technologies to extract information from different XML documents and transform this information into an HTML format that can be displayed in a web browser with the help of a cascading stylesheet.
Students have to submit the solution to this assignment via iLearn at a specific date. No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the solution prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for special consideration has been made and approved beforehand.
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 20%
In this individual assignment students will review the state-of-the-art of a Semantic Web technology and summarise their findings in a survey paper. Additionally, students will give a 10-minute oral presentation that introduces the selected technology to a general audience which is not familiar with that technology.
Students have to submit the survey paper and the slides used for the presentation via iLearn at a specific date and give an oral presentation in class. No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the survey paper and the slides for the oral presentation prior to the deadline and do not present the results of their research in class will be awarded a mark of 0 for this assignment, except for cases in which an application for special consideration has been made and approved beforehand.
Due: TBA
Weighting: 50%
The final examination will be a three-hour examination held during the usual University examination period and will cover all topics of this unit.
Delivery
ITEC830 is taught via lectures and practical sessions in the laboratory. Lectures are used to introduce new material, give examples of the use of XML technologies and related technologies and put them in a wider context. While lectures are largely one to many presentations, you are encouraged to ask the lecturer questions to clarify anything you might not be sure of. Practical sessions give you an opportunity to practice your design and programming skills under the supervision of a practical demonstrator. Each week you will be given a number of problems to work on and a number of these problems will be assessed; it is important that you keep up with these tasks as doing so will help you understand the material in the unit and prepare you for the work in assignments.
Each week you should:
Lecture notes will be made available each week but these notes are intended as an outline of the lecture only and are not a substitute for your own notes or assigned reading material.
Resources
There is no required textbook for ITEC830 but a recommended one that is available as eBook in Macquarie University's library:
Additionally, we will provide notes or references to freely available material where relevant.
We will use the following software in ITEC830:
Note that we only use software that is available for free. That means you can download this software and use it at home as well as in the computer labs.
WEEK | TOPIC | Recommended Reading |
1 | XML Introduction | Beginning XML, Fawcett et al., 2012: Chapters 1-3 |
2 | XML DTD, Validation | Beginning XML, Fawcett et al., 2012: Chapters 4 |
3 | XML Schema | Beginning XML, Fawcett et al., 2012: Chapter 5 |
4 | XML XPath | Beginning XML, Fawcett et al., 2012: Chapter 7 |
5 | XML XSLT | Beginning XML, Fawcett et al., 2012: Chapter 8 |
6 | XML XQuery | Beginning XML, Fawcett et al., 2012: Chapter 9 |
7 | XML DOM and SAX | W3C DOM |
8 | JSON | JSON |
9 | RDF, RDFS, SPARQL | RDF Primer |
10 | Linked Data | W3C Linked Data |
11 | Description Logic | Description Logic Primer |
12 | OWL | OWL 2 Primer (Second Edition) |
13 | Review for Exam |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
If you apply for Special Consideration and it is judged by the Department of Computing that your performance on an examination has been affected adversely by the circumstances documented in the consideration request, you will be required to sit a Supplementary Examination. The Supplementary Examination will normally be scheduled after the official examination period, but may be earlier in the case of a mid-semester examination. For details see the Special Consideration policy specific to the Department of Computing.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by:
This year we will focus less on XML and spend more time on other web data formats such as JSON and RDF/SPARQL. In previous offerings the first as well as the second assignment were programming assignments. This year we will replace the second programming assignment by an assignment where student have to write a survey paper on an emerging Semantic Web technology and present their findings in an oral presentation to the class.
We will use standards based assessment to reflect the level of performance students achieve in this unit. The standard levels (HD, D, CR, and P) summarize different levels of achievement in relation to learning outcomes (LO1-LO4) and are defined below.
Grade | LO1 | LO2 | LO3 | LO4 |
Explain the main XML technologies such as: XML, XML Schema, XPath, XSLT, and XQuery. |
Design and develop functional end-to-end applications that feature XML technologies. |
Critically evaluate the most appropriate XML technologies for a range of applications. |
Compare existing and assess emerging Semantic Web Technologies. |
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HD | Demonstrate extensive knowledge and understanding of XML technologies. Show deep insight into how these technologies depend on each other. | Can design and implement XML-based applications that are fully compliant with a given specification. Show sophisticated programming skills and write excellent code documentation. | Suggest the best combination of XML technologies for novel application scenarios. Provide convincing and creative arguments for the selection of these technologies. | Outstanding Semantic Web survey. In-depth understanding and very clear presentation of this topic. Excellent writing skills with a highly realistic assessment of emerging technologies. |
D | Demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of XML technologies. Able to explain how these technologies depend on each other. | Can design and implement XML-based applications that are compliant with a given specification. Show good programming skills and write good code documentation. | Propose a good combination of XML technologies for novel application scenarios. Provide good arguments for the selection of these technologies. | Good Semantic Web survey. Thorough understanding and clear presentation of the topic. Good writing skills with a realistic assessment of emerging technologies. |
CR | Demonstrate satisfactory knowledge and understanding of XML technologies. Able to explain how these technologies depend on each other in most cases. | Can design and implement XML-based applications that follow a given specification. Show sound programming skills and write understandable code documentation. | Put forward a combination of XML technologies for novel application scenarios. Provide satisfactory arguments for the selection of these technologies. | Satisfactory Semantic Web survey. Sound understanding and acceptable presentation of the topic. Sufficient writing skills with a mostly realistic assessment of emerging technologies. |
P | Demonstrate basic knowledge and underderstanding of XML technologies. Able to sketch how some of these technologies are used in isolation. | Can design and implement XML-based applications that mostly follow a given specification. Show basic programming skills and write elementary code documentation. | Communicate how standard XML technologies for novel application scenarios can be used. Provide basic arguments for the use of these technologies. | Basic Semantic Web survey. Fundamental understanding and presentation of the topic. Basic level writing skills with unrealistic assessment of emerging technologies. |
Your final grade will depend on your performance in each part separately. In order, to pass the unit you must:
All assignments and submissions to practical tasks should be handed in via iLearn by the time stated in the relevant specification.
If you cannot submit on time because of illness or other circumstances, please contact the lecturer before the due date, otherwise we cannot accept your submission.
Grade Descriptors
The following grade descriptors are used that provide university-wide standards for awarding final grades.
High Distinction Provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critical evaluation of problems, their solutions and their implications; creativity in application as appropriate to the discipline.
Distinction Provides evidence of integration and evaluation of critical ideas, principles and theories, distinctive insight and ability in applying relevant skills and concepts in relation to learning outcomes. There is demonstration of frequent originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience.
Credit Provides evidence of learning that goes beyond replication of content knowledge or skills relevant to the learning outcomes. There is demonstration of substantial understanding of fundamental concepts in the field of study and the ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; convincing argumentation with appropriate coherent justification; communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the discipline.
Pass Provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; routine argumentation with acceptable justification; communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the specified outcomes.
Fail Does not provide evidence of attainment of learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; missing, undeveloped, inappropriate or confusing argumentation; incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the discipline.
Date | Description |
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20/07/2015 | Assignment 1 is due in Week 8 and not in Week 7. |