COMP8250  is taught via lectures, informal tutorial  and practical sessions. 

Classes

Classes are held on Thursday: 10am - 12pm at 14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue.

Checks the timetable for Practical/Tutorial  class timings. 

Lectures

Lectures are used to introduce communication protocols, ISP network architecture 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.

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.

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 two quizzes in the following weeks: 5 and 10. A quiz is a short test that will be based on your previously covered lecture material. For example, week 5 quiz will be based on lectures done in weeks 1-4 while week 10 quiz will be based on lectures done in weeks 5-9.

Assignments

Your assignment is to be submitted online using Turnitin. There will be a deduction of 5% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved. If you cannot submit assignments on time because of illness or other circumstances, please contact the convenor at the earliest possible time.

Tutorial

Problem solving session: Tutorials are posted every Friday on ilearn. Even though these tutorial exercises are not formally assessed, it is important that students solve them on a weekly basis as these questions are often previous exam questions or structured like test/exam questions. The more practice you have at such questions, the more likely you are to do yourself justice in quizzes/exams. Solutions to these exercises will be regularly posted on ilearn unit site. If need be, this will also allow you to discuss the problems effectively with your lecturer/peers and maximise the feedback you get on your work. In case of any difficulty, seek help from the teaching staff.

Practicals

The purpose of practical classes is to reinforce the concepts that are covered in the lecture materials.

Note: Practical classes are not held every week. Refer to your ilearn unit page for practical schedule.

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 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.

Each week you should attend the class which is three to four hours. For details of days, times and rooms consult the timetables webpage. 

Please note it is to your benefit to attend most of the classes, prepared to participate in discussions, ask and answer questions, and provide perspectives from your own background and workplaces. Resources to assist your learning Digital recordings of lectures are available as Echo360 through iLearn login. These are provided for review material and in case of missing lectures. Recordings should not be relied upon and copyrighted material may be omitted. iLearn is used for out-of-class communication as well as forums where active discussion of issues is encouraged. iLearn can be found at can be found at http://learn.mq.edu.au. You are encouraged to review iLearn weekly and to do background reading before each class.

TEXT

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

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

Douglas. Comer, Computer Networks and Internets (5^th Edition) , Prentice hall

James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross, Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (5h Edition) , Pearson/Addison-Wesley, Inc.

Douglas Comer, Internetworking with TCP/IP volume 1: Principles Protocols, and Architecture, 6th edition, Prentice Hall.

The entire unit has been redesigned. Some older obsolete topics that are no longer relevant have been discarded. New prac material has been added.

Grades 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.

• Fail Hurdle (FH):  has obtained a raw mark over 50, yet failed all available attempt of at least one hurdle assessment. 

• 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.

NOTE

If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the interval between the regular exam period and the start of the next session. By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. You can check the supplementary exam information page on FSE101 in iLearn (bit.ly/FSESupp) for dates, and approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.

And additionally, for COMP8250 with a final examination hurdle: If you are given a second opportunity to sit the final examination as a result of failing to meet the minimum mark required, you will be offered that chance during the same supplementary examination period and will be notified of the exact day and time after the publication of final results for the unit. 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.