Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor, Lecturer
A/Prof Manolya Kavakli-Thorne
Contact via email
E6A-372
11am - 12pm, Tuesdays
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MInfoTech and ITEC812
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
Depending upon a candidate's specialist stream, interests and employment circumstances, this unit may comprise literature research, a case study, a software project development, or a project sponsored by the candidate's employer. Candidates are expected to demonstrate initiative and independence in researching, executing and documenting an involved information and communications technology project as well as its ethical implications.
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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:
Each assessment task submitted will be given a numerical mark as an indication of the standard reached.
At the end of the semester, you will receive a final grade based on the sum total of all the marks you receive in different assessment tasks. Specifically, in order to pass the unit, you should earn a total of at least 50 marks out of the maximum possible 100 marks in the unit. The Final Grade that you receive reflects your overall achievement in the unit. Different grades are defined in general terms as follows.
With respect to the quality of the projects in particular, the higher grades have the following connotation:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Project Progress | 5% | No | As agreed with supervisor. |
Project Abstract | 10% | No | Week 3; Friday noon |
Project Proposal | 15% | No | Week 5; Friday noon |
Project Report Outline | 15% | No | Week 9; Friday noon |
Final Report | 55% | No | Week 13, Friday noon |
Due: As agreed with supervisor.
Weighting: 5%
Students will be assessed by, and based on their regular consultative meetings with, respective supervisors.
Due: Week 3; Friday noon
Weighting: 10%
Due: Week 5; Friday noon
Weighting: 15%
Due: Week 9; Friday noon
Weighting: 15%
Due: Week 13, Friday noon
Weighting: 55%
ITEC810 is taught via seminars and presentations. The feedback that you receive from your supervisor plays also a crucial role in your learning.
Make sure you are completely familiar with the content of the official Unit Outline. You are expected to regularly meet your supervisor by making an appointment. You should also attend all the lectures and presentations.
A significant proportion of the class time in this unit focuses on communication skills, but we don't have the time or space to go into some matters in as much detail as some people would like. If you would like to improve your skills in academic writing, you should check out the Postgraduate Academic Literacy Workshops.
You have many opportunities to seek for and to receive feedback. During seminars, you are encouraged to ask the lecturer questions to clarify anything you might not be sure of. Each week, you will be given assignments to complete. This will at times involved contributing to a group of students and presenting solutions to the class. The comments and the solutions provided will help you to understand the objectives of the unit, prepare you for the work in assignments. It is important that you keep up with these assignments every week.
Discussion Boards The unit makes use of discussion boards hosted within iLearn. Please post questions of general interest there (for example, about assessment tasks), they are monitored by the staff on the unit.
Student Support Services Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.
If you have exhausted all other avenues, then you should consult Director of Postgraduate Program or the Head of Department. You are entitled to have your concerns raised, discussed and resolved.
Technology Used and Required
The written reports and presentations are expected to make use of MS Word, MS Excel and MS Powerpoint (or equivalant). Programming languages and technologies to be used depend on the requirements of the project. You may consult your project supervisor regarding these.
Submission Methods
All assessment task are expected to be submitted on ilearn.
Extensions
Extensions for the assessments are allowed only in exceptional circumstances. You must discuss this with the unit convenor prior to the submission deadline.
Penalties
Penalties are applied for late submissions. 10% of the total marks for each assignment will deducted for every 24 hours after the submission deadline.
Resubmission
Resubmission of assessment tasks may be allowed in exceptional circumstances. You must discuss this with the unit convenor after the submission deadline.
What to submit
Classes are scheduled for Fridays from 6pm to 9pm, and held together with itec812, itec897 and itec898 classes. We will meet less frequently in the later half of the semester. The first scheduled class is in Week 1, and the current schedule for all weeks is shown below. Note that this schedule is still provisional, and the particular Fridays we use may change at short notice, depending upon circumstances: so you should be prepared for attendance every Friday during semester.
In general, on each occasion that we meet, around half of the class time will be in the form of a lecture and discussion session on material that is relevant to an upcoming assessable activity; the other half of the class will be occupied by class members giving short presentations on progress on their projects.
Date | Class Topics | Assignment Due |
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WEEK 1 Friday |
Class Logistics; Assessment and Expectations; Writing Up Your Project Proposal; | |
WEEK 2 Friday |
NO CLASS |
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WEEK 3 Friday |
Writing an Abstract Brief Presentation of Initial Project Abstracts |
Project Abstract |
WEEK 4 Friday |
NO CLASS |
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WEEK 5 Friday |
Ethics lecture Presentation of Project proposals |
Project Proposal |
WEEK 6 & 7 Friday |
NO CLASS | |
--MID-SEMESTER BREAK -- | ||
WEEK 8 Friday |
NO CLASS | |
WEEK 9 Friday |
Report Writing Report Outline Presentations |
Report Outline |
WEEK 10 Friday |
NO CLASS |
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WEEK 11 Friday |
NO CLASS |
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WEEK 12 Friday |
NO CLASS |
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WEEK 13 Friday |
Postgraduate Workshop | Final Project Report Due |
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_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
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.
No extensions for assignments will be granted. Late assignments will be accepted up to 72 hours after the submission deadline. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty).
If you are unable to submit an assignment on time due to unavoidable disruption (such as illness) then you should (1) notify the convenor immediately by email (2) submit what you have achieved by the deadline and (3) formally lodge a notification of disruption.
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://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources 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:
The assessment task submitted will be given a numerical mark indicating the standard level reached: unsatisfactory, developing, functional, proficient and advanced. These standard levels summarize different levels of achievement in relation to learning outcomes as defined below.
Learning Oucome #1 |
Unsatisfactory |
Developing |
Functional |
Proficient |
Advanced |
Use research methods in the planning, analysis, design, implementation, delivery and maintenance of software systems, considering the importance of professional ethics, and of how to recognize and address ethical issues when they arise. | Unsatisfactory or poor understanding of IT principles as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, and Final Report. Significantly more work is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Developing understanding of IT principles as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, and Final Report. Improvement is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Satisfactory understanding of IT principlesas assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, and Final Report. | Good to very good understanding of principles as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, and Final Report. | Superior understanding of principles as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, and Final Report. |
Learning Oucome #2 |
Unsatisfactory |
Developing |
Functional |
Proficient |
Advanced |
Plan and execute a project from a brief initial specification through to a complete set of agreed outcomes and demonstrate an advanced understanding for systems analysis and/or development projects in the area of IT. | Unsatisfactory implementation of IT project or the analysis work as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, Report Outline, and Final Report. Significantly more work is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Developing ability to implement IT applications or systems analysis as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, Report Outline, and Final Report. Improvement is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Satisfactory implementation of IT project or systems analysis as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, Report Outline, and Final Report. | Good to very good quality IT project as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, Report Outline, and Final Report. | Superior quality IT project with the addition of originality and/or creativity as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Project Proposal, Ethics Assignment, Report Outline, and Final Report. |
Learning Oucome #3 |
Unsatisfactory |
Developing |
Functional |
Proficient |
Advanced |
Write a survey as a collection of literature or background information, drawing out the key themes and issues and draw comparisons between previous research studies and the research methods used for investigation and implementation of software systems. | Unsatisfactory survey in the IT project as assessed in Project Proposal and Final Report. Significantly more work is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Developing ability in surveys for IT applications as assessed in Project Proposal and Final Report. Improvement is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Satisfactory surveys for IT applications as assessed in Project Proposal and Final Report. | Good to very good quality IT surveys as assessed in Project Proposal and Final Report. | Superior quality IT survey with the addition of originality and/or creativity as assessed in Project Proposal and Final Report. |
Learning Oucome #4 |
Unsatisfactory |
Developing |
Functional |
Proficient |
Advanced |
Develop academic skills such as academic writing and oral presentation, note-taking and revision, locating information, and managing deadlines and heavy reading loads; as well as an ability to give clear, concise and coherent verbal presentations. | Unsatisfactory reporting and presentation skills as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Initial presentation, Project Proposal, Report Outline, Final presentation, and Final Report. Significantly more work is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Developing ability in reporting and presentation of IT projects as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Initial presentation, Project Proposal, Report Outline, Final presentation, and Final Report. Improvement is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Satisfactory reporting and presentation skills as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Initial presentation, Project Proposal, Report Outline, Final presentation, and Final Report. | Good to very good quality reporting and presentation skills as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Initial presentation, Project Proposal, Report Outline, Final presentation, and Final Report. | Superior quality reporting and presentation skills with the addition of originality and/or creativity as assessed in Progress Report, Project Description, Initial presentation, Project Proposal, Report Outline, Final presentation, and Final Report. |
Learning Oucome #5 |
Unsatisfactory |
Developing |
Functional |
Proficient |
Advanced |
Develop better understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, and ability to utilise these. | Unsatisfactory reporting skills in the IT project as assessed in Progress Reports. Significantly more work is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Developing reporting skills in the IT project as assessed in Progress Reports. Improvement is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Satisfactory reporting skills in the IT project as assessed in Progress Reports. | Good to very good quality reporting skills in the IT project as assessed in Progress Reports. | Superior quality reporting skills in the IT project with the addition of originality and/or creativity as assessed in Progress Reports. |
Learning Oucome #6 |
Unsatisfactory |
Developing |
Functional |
Proficient |
Advanced |
Clearly present the results of work carried out in a detailed and appropriately structured report and communicate effectively in both spoken and written academic forms. | Unsatisfactory reporting skills in the IT project as assessed in all assessment items. Significantly more work is needed to achieve final grade of Pass | Developing reporting skills in the IT project as assessed in all assessment items. Improvement is needed to achieve final grade of Pass. | Satisfactory reporting skills in the IT project as assessed in all assessment items. | Good to very good quality reporting skills in the IT project as assessed in all assessment items. | Superior quality reporting skills in the IT project with the addition of originality and/or creativity as assessed in all assessment items. |