Students
COMP8851 – Major Project
2021 – Session 1, Special circumstances
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online 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
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convener/Lecture
Amin Beheshti
Lecture
Abhaya Nayak
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
20
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
((Admission to MDataSc and 40cp at 8000 level) or (Admission to MInfoTechNetworking or MInfoSysMgmt or MInfoTechCyberSec and 60cp at 8000 level))
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit provides the option of either an industry-based internship or an internally supervised research project as a major project experience for students in the Masters program. An internally supervised project 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. The industry-based internship helps students gain experience in industry. Students work with both industry and academic supervisors to complete a major project or a few smaller projects in situ. Project topics will be agreed between the university, the student and the industry partner. Candidates may complete the project work at the industry partner's location or their own place of employment, subject to University approval. Assessment will be based on a combination of written reports and presentations. This unit provides an opportunity for students to complete an internship working part-time over the course of a semester. |
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: Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
- ULO2: Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
- ULO3: Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
- ULO4: Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.
General Assessment Information
From semester1-2021, there have been major changes introduced to Comp8851 (now called Major Projects). It effectively combines the Internal Project (ITEC810/COMP8871) as well as the Internship unit (COMP8851). This means that the students who plan to the Internal Project OR Internship should take the COMP8851unit.
The unit is assessed through 4 components: Mid-term Report & Presentation, and final Report & Presentation.
The unit does not have hurdle assessments.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-semester presentation | 10% | No | Week 6 |
| Mid-term report | 30% | No | Week 6 |
| Final presentation | 10% | No | Week 12 |
| Final Project Report | 50% | No | Week 12 |
Mid-semester presentation
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 10%
Presentation to the class on the industry-based internship or an internally supervised research project, so far.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
- Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
- Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
- Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.
Mid-term report
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 30%
A report describing, in a systematic manner the progress made in the project.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
- Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
- Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
- Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.
Final presentation
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 10%
A presentation to the class at the end of the semester covering the final project outcomes.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
- Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
- Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
- Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.
Final Project Report
Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 50%
A report on the final outcomes of the project.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
- Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
- Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
- Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.
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
This unit (20 Credit Points) combines the Internal Project as well as the Internship unit.
For details of days, times and rooms consult the timetables webpage (https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2021/).
Report submissions and presentations have to be submitted on ilearn.
Presentations are held in week 6 and week12 in a Postgraduate workshop and schedule will be declared on ilearn.
Details about internship, can be found HERE.
Unit Schedule
For details of days, times and rooms consult the timetables webpage (https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2021/).
There is no final examination but you are expected to submit 2 reports and attend presentations. If you apply for Disruption to Study for your final report, you must make yourself available for weeks 6 and 12. If you are not available at that time, there is no guarantee an additional examination time will be offered. Specific examination dates and times will be determined at a later date.
There are no hurdles in this unit. Second-chance hurdle examinations will also be offered in the week 14. Results will be released by end of week 14. You will be notified shortly after that date of your eligibility for a hurdle retry and you must also make yourself available during that week to take advantage of this opportunity.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). 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
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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
From this semester, there have been major changes introduced to Comp8851 (now called Major Projects).It effectively combines the Internal Project (ITEC810/COMP8871) as well as the Internship unit (COMP8851). This means that, the students who plan to the Internal Project OR Internship, should take the COMP8851unit. In the first week of the unit, the students can choose between the Internal Project OR Internship. To be able to choose an internship, you will need to be (1) in your last semester; (2) have 75+ WAM; and (3) have a company sponsoring your internship. Details can be found HERE.
For internship students only: Other than the master of Data Science, other Master students (Management, Networking, and Cyber) should be able to do both full-time and part-time internships this semester. In particular, if you have COMP8860 available as an option to enroll in, then you should be able to do the full-time internship.
- Part-time Internship (20 cp): you should enroll in COMP8851 unit
- full-time Internship (40 cp): you should enroll in COMP8851+COMP8860 units
There will be some changes in the internship program for the students who will start their master program from s1-2021. In particular, other than MIT in Cyber Security, other master students starting from s1-2021can mainly do a part-time internship.
Unit information based on version 2021.03 of the Handbook