The three Quizzes constitute 15% of the total mark and serve as a feedback mechanism to monitor your progress in the unit.

Assignments constitute 35% of the total mark.All assignments are individual assignments. Assignment must be submitted on time. Late submission of the assignment will be accepted, but penalized at the rate of 5% per working day late.

Assignment work must be written clearly, with good grammar, correct word usage, correct punctuation, and lack of spelling errors. Poor or bad expression will be penalized. Wherever required, all written work must be properly referenced and conform to standard stylistic conventions.

General notes on assignment

 For all submittable assignment work you are encouraged to:

• set your personal deadline earlier than the actual one;
• keep backup of all important files;
• make sure that no one else picks up your printouts. 

ITEC851 is taught via lectures and informal tutorial sessions. 

Classes

Classes are held from 6-10 pm Thursday evenings. Lectures/Tutorials and other discussion are in E5A-230 in the lecture slot. 

Lectures

Lectures are used to introduce mobile network technologies, protocols and design and put them in a wider context. You are encouraged to ask questions of the lecturer, both during and outside the lecture, to clarify anything you might not be sure of.

It should be noted that no single text book completely covers the content of this unit. A large portion of the lecture material is drawn from research papers, white papers and standard documents . Students are encouraged to read the weekly recommended reading list to gain a solid understanding of the topics that are covered.

Quizzes

There will be three quizzes in the following weeks: 5, 8, and 12. A quiz is a short test that will be based on your previously covered lecture material. For example, week 4 quiz will be based on lectures done in weeks 1-4. The quiz questions will be handed over to you at the beginning of your Lecture class. These quizzes contribute 15% of the total mark and serve as a feedback mechanism to monitor your progress in the unit.

Tutorial

The tutorial gives you the opportunity to interact with your peers and with the lecturer. The tutorial sessions involve informal discussions with your peers and the lecturer. Each week you will  be given problems to solve prior to the tutorial; preparing solutions is important because it will allow you to discuss the problems effectively with your lecturer and maximise the feedback you get on your work.

Assignments

Your assignment is to be submitted online using Turnitin. Late submission of the assignment will be accepted, but penalised at the rate of 5% per working day late. If you cannot submit assignments on time because of illness or other circumstances, please contact the convenor at the earliest possible time.

General Notes

In this unit, you should do the following:

• Attend lectures, take notes, ask questions.
• Attend your tutorial, seek feedback from your lecturer on your work.
• Prepare for and strive to do well in the three quizzes
• Read appropriate sections of the text, add to your notes and prepare questions for your lecturer/tutor.
• Prepare answers to tutorial questions.
• Work on any assignments that have been released.

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 the recommended reading list.

Required and Recommended Texts

There is no single text book containing material that could address all topics of unit. All necessary reading material will be provided by the lecturers.

Other Useful Books (You need not buy unless you believe you need to own one)

• Aftab Ahmed, Wireless and Mobile Data Networks. John Wiley & Sons 2005. 
• A. Jamalipour, The Wireless Mobile Internet: Protocols, Architectures, and Services, John Wiley & Sons Publishers, Chichester, UK, 2003.
• M.  Grayson, K. Shatzkamer, K. Wierenga Building the Mobile Internet, Cisco Press, 2011
• J. Schiller,Mobile Communications, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall 2001.

Lecture Schedule (Tentative)

Some new lecture topics introduced.

Four standards, namely HD, D, CR, P summarize as many different levels of achievement. Each standard is precisely defined to help students know what kind of performance is expected to deserve a certain mark. The standards corresponding to the sample learning outcomes of this unit are given below:

Grading

At the end of the semester, you will receive a grade that reflects your achievement in the unit

• Fail (F): does not provide evidence of attainment of all learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; and incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the discipline.
• Pass (P): provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; and 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.
• Credit (Cr): 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; plus communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the discipline.
• Distinction (D): 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.
• High Distinction (HD): 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.

In this unit, the final mark will be calculated by combining the marks for all assessment tasks according to the percentage weightings shown in the assessment summary.The final examination in this unit is a hurdle requirement; you must get a mark of at least 40% in the examination to pass the unit. If you get a mark between 30% and 40% in your first attempt at the final examination, you will be given a second and final attempt.

Concretely, in order to pass the unit, you must obtain an overall total mark of 50% or higher, and a mark of 40% or higher in the final examination.

Students obtaining a higher grade than a pass in this unit will (in addition to the above)         

• • have a total mark of 85% or higher to obtain High Distinction;
  • have a total mark of 75% or higher to obtain Distinction;
  • have a total mark of 65% or higher  to obtain Credit.

 You are encouraged to:

• set your personal deadline earlier than the actual one;
• keep backups of all important assessed tasks;.
• make sure no one else picks up your printouts.

All work submitted should be readable and well presented.

You should never commit plagiarism in any of your submitted work, including tutorial and practical answers.