Submission Methods

All assessment task are required to be submitted on ilearn. Each assessment task submitted will be given a numerical mark as an indication of the standard reached.

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. 

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.

Technology Used and Required

The written reports are to be submitted as PDF files. Students would use MS Word, Latex or some other word-processing tool to prepare the source-document from which the PDF files are generated. For presentations students are expected to make use of MS PowerPoint (or equivalent). Programming languages and technologies to be used depend on the requirements of the project. You may consult your project supervisor regarding these.

What to Submit

1. There are altogether eight items to submit: four "reports" and four sets of presentation slides.
   • The four reports are: preliminary proposal, revised proposal, preliminary report, and final report.
   • The four sets of slides correspond to the four written submissions.
2. Submission of each set of slides is followed by an associated presentation.
3. The reports and associated presentation slides will need to be submitted by appropriate deadline. All submissions must be in appropriate format, and be appropriately named.
4. All submissions (reports as well as presentation slides) must be submitted via iLearn.

Final Grades

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.

• Fail (F) -- total mark less than 50 -- 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. That is, overall work is unsatisfactory or still developing according to the standards defined above.
• Pass (P) -- total mark between 50 and 64 -- 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 or functional in relation to the specified outcomes.
• Credit (Cr) --total mark between 65 and 74 -- 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. The overall learning attainment is proficient.
• Distinction (D) --total mark between 75 and 84 -- 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. The overall learning attainment is advanced.
• High Distinction (HD) -- total mark of 85 or above -- 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. The overall learning attainment is outstanding.

With respect to the quality of the projects in particular, the higher grades have the following connotation:

• High Distinction: Outstanding quality IT projects with the addition of originality and/or creativity achieved by an outstanding understanding of concepts. Students are expected to go beyond the limits of lecture material.
• Distinction: Superior quality IT projects achieved by superior understanding of concepts. Students are expected to master the lecture material. They are expected to successfully achieve all the goals defined in the IT project.
• Credit: Good understanding of concepts and good quality IT projects. Students are expected to have good understanding of the lecture material. They are expected to successfully achieve most of the goals listed in IT project.

COMP8871 is taught via seminars and presentations. The feedback that you receive on writing and presentations plays a crucial role in your learning. The feedback will be provided in lectures, presentation classes, on iLearn forums and consultations.

Make sure you are completely familiar with the content of the official Unit Outline. You are expected to regularly consult your supervisor. You should also attend all the lectures and presentations.

1. Note that we will be using iLearn as the central web-based communication point for this unit. If you are enrolled in the unit, it is essential that you check the iLearn site once a day, since important information will always be posted there in the News Forum. You should be able to login to iLearn using your MQ student ID and password; if you experience any problems, contact the Faculty of Science IT Help Desk. The IT help desk website is located at http://web.science.mq.edu.au/it/doc//helpdesk/.
2. The core of this unit is a project. You will be working on a project agreed upon with the unit convenor.
3. Classroom and class time can be found at https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2020/. Note that for this unit you are also expected to be working on your project during the recess, so there are really 15 weeks that are relevant for scheduling purposes.  Make sure you are familiar with the class schedule.
4. Check out how the assessment for the unit works.
5. The unit culminates in an end-of-semester workshop where everyone gives a presentation on their project.

Other Resources

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 receive feedback. During seminars, you are encouraged to ask the lecturer questions to clarify anything you might not be sure of. You will be regularly given assignments to complete. This will at times involve 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 on a timely fashion.

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.

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 meet 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.