Students
COMP3120 – Advanced Web Development
2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convener, Lecturer
Steve Cassidy
Contact via Email
By appointment
Lecturer
Zhu Sun
Contact via Email
By appointment
Tutor
Samantha Kuhn
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above including COMP2110 or COMP249
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit develops on the student's basic understanding of web technologies to look at the tools and techniques used in modern web development. Topics will include the software development lifecycle in web development, the use of continuous integration, deployment of web applications, the use and provision of API services, security and e-commerce. The unit is practically focused but aims to equip students to be able to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of tools in web development. |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: Demonstrate an understanding of the architecture of web applications and the technologies used to build them
- ULO3: Implement a significant web application that integrates front-end and back-end components
- ULO2: Evaluate alternate implementation technologies for web applications
- ULO4: Assess the security risks in web applications
- ULO5: Communicate clearly and effectively
General Assessment Information
The goal of the assessment in this unit is to have you complete two web application development projects in the semester and to have you reflect what you have learned about the broader web development landscape in two report submissions. You will be working on two assessments for the whole semester (as well as completing weekly tasks). You are encouraged to work on both of these each week rather than leaving either of them to the last minute. Both are important and both are major learning activities as well as assessment tasks.
Workshop Hurdle
The workshop is a hurdle requirement, you must get 8 out of the possible 10 marks to pass the hurdle but you will have a total of 12 weeks where you could meet the requirement - hence you can miss at most four weeks of workshop tasks.
Late Submission
No extensions will be granted without an approved application for Special Consideration. 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 for an assignment worth 10 marks – 20% penalty or 2 marks deducted from the total. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly problem set | 10% | Yes | Weekly |
| Technology Report | 15% | No | Week 6 |
| Individual Web Development Project | 20% | No | Week 7 |
| Security Report | 15% | No | Week 11 |
| Group Web Development Project | 40% | No | Weeks 8-13 |
Weekly problem set
Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Students will complete a weekly problem set submitted online.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the architecture of web applications and the technologies used to build them
- Evaluate alternate implementation technologies for web applications
- Assess the security risks in web applications
Technology Report
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 15%
A report evaluating alternate web implementation tools, for example, a survey of contemporary front-end tool-kits.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the architecture of web applications and the technologies used to build them
- Evaluate alternate implementation technologies for web applications
- Communicate clearly and effectively
Individual Web Development Project
Assessment Type 1: Programming Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 20%
This assignment asks you to implement a small web application using some of the tools covered in the unit. The requirements will be made available but implementation details are up to the student to develop.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the architecture of web applications and the technologies used to build them
- Evaluate alternate implementation technologies for web applications
- Communicate clearly and effectively
Security Report
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 11
Weighting: 15%
A report on web application security.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the architecture of web applications and the technologies used to build them
- Assess the security risks in web applications
- Communicate clearly and effectively
Group Web Development Project
Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Weeks 8-13
Weighting: 40%
Students will form groups to implement a major web application. Different groups will take responsibility for different components and negotiate requirements and interfaces with each other. This will involve all stages of the development cycle from requirements gathering to deployment and testing.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the architecture of web applications and the technologies used to build them
- Implement a significant web application that integrates front-end and back-end components
- Evaluate alternate implementation technologies for web applications
- Assess the security risks in web applications
- Communicate clearly and effectively
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
Classes
The majority of teaching materials for this unit will be made available online in the form of videos and linked readings. We will post a number of videos each week and you should watch these and follow up on the readings before the weekly Q&A session.
The Q&A session (Zoom) is a one hour class that gives you the opportunity to ask and answer questions about the content each week. In particular these sessions will take a broader view and look at things outside of the more practically focused course notes. You will get the most out of this session if you are prepared. Turning up without watching the videos, reading the notes and trying examples will mean you can't ask useful questions and can't take advantage of the discussion. Make the most of our time together!
Workshops each week will run either on-campus or via Zoom for students who are not able to come to campus. There will be tasks each week related to the topic we are covering. These sessions will be practically focused and aim to support you in learning to use the chosen tools to build web applications. These exercises are an important part of your learning, they may seem trivial but ignoring them to concentrate on the major assessment tasks will be a mistake. There will be a mark each week associated with the workshop - either something to submit or some other way of measuring your participation. You must complete 8 out of the possible 12 weeks to pass the unit.
Required Texts
The unit will be based on the online course:
Deep Dive Into Modern Web Development - Full Stack Open 2020
The materials provided on this site will form the foundation of this unit but we will look beyond them to study the broader landscape of web development. In particular, while the online course covers React, students are encouraged to review and even make use of other frameworks to understand how they might meet the needs of a particular project.
Required Technology
This unit makes use of Javascript as the core implementation technology and you should install the tools as outlined in the online course linked above. Students may also choose to explore other web toolkits at their discretion.
We will make use of GitHub to manage source code for student projects. Students should establish a GitHub account if they don't already have one. Use your real name for your account as it will become the basis of your portfolio and you will want to show future employers the projects you have completed.
Unit Schedule
The following is intended as a guide to the planned schedule for the semester. In particular, we expect that the second half of the unit may changed based on our experience with the first half topics.
|
Week |
Topic |
Reading |
Assessment |
|
1 |
Fundamentals of Web apps |
Part 0 |
|
|
2 |
Introduction to React |
Part 1 |
|
|
3 |
Communicating with servers |
Part 2 |
|
|
4 |
Programming a Server |
Part 3 |
|
|
5 |
Testing Servers, User Admin |
Part 4
|
|
|
6 |
Testing React Apps |
Part 5 |
Technology Report |
|
7 |
State Management |
Part 6 |
Individual Development Task |
|
Break |
|
|
|
|
8 |
Practical Web Security |
|
Group Project Proposal |
|
9 |
Big Picture: Frameworks |
|
|
|
10 |
Buy or Build |
|
Group Project Progress Report |
|
11 |
Progressive Web Applications |
|
Security Report |
|
12 |
Recommender Systems |
|
|
|
13 |
Recommender Systems |
|
Group Project delivery |
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
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.
Changes from Previous Offering
This is the first offering of this unit as Advanced Web Development. The previous unit COMP344 eCommerce Technologies was very different and was designed to meet different goals. This unit has been designed as part of the new major in Web and Mobile Application Development and will complement the two other core units COMP2110 Web Technology and COMP3130 Mobile Application Development (to be offered in 2021).