Students

COMP1000 – Introduction to Computer Programming

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, Lecturer
Charanya Ramakrishnan
charanya.ramakrishnan@mq.edu.au
By appointment
Lecturer
Matthew Roberts
matthew.roberts@mq.edu.au
By appointment
Matthew Roberts
matthew.roberts@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is an introductory computer science unit, providing a practical introduction to basic computing and programming concepts. Students gain an understanding of, and practical experience in, computer programming; practical experience in implementing informal prose descriptions of problem solutions using an imperative language; an understanding of, and practical experience in, designing, coding, testing and debugging simple algorithms; and an understanding of the principle of incremental development. Other topics include: the concept of program correctness; the differences between high-level languages, assembly languages and machine languages; the role played by compilers; and the execution of programs by computer hardware.

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: apply problem solving skills to develop algorithms that solve small to medium-sized computational problems
  • ULO2: design and write code to implement a program description in an imperative programming language
  • ULO3: use standard software engineering practices to document, debug and test their programs
  • ULO4: understand and apply appropriately the concepts of variables, loops, functions, conditionals and compound data in the implementation of programmed systems
  • ULO5: identify and describe ethical issues in an academic environment and demonstrate active engagement in the learning process

General Assessment Information

Assessments Information

Weekly SGTA Tasks

Every week in your registered SGTAs, you will be given tasks to work on. You will be submitting these tasks within the workshop hours to be eligible for these marks. Every week is worth 1% and you can score a maximum of 10%. 

Programming Assessments

Out of the 40% for the programming assessments

  • 10% is for assignment-1,
  • 30% is for assignment-2 (15% for the evaluation of submitted work and 15% for the viva). 
  • Viva will be held in the registered workshops. If you do not participate in the viva, you will not be provided marks for the submitted work either.

Module exams 

There are 3 module exams together worth 50%. You must pass the module exams collectively. If you fail the exams, you will be given another attempt to pass the exams since this assessment is a hurdle. Failing this assessment means an automatic fail in the unit. 

Requirements to Pass

  • Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%, AND

  • Achieve at least 50% in the module exams collectively.

Hurdle Assessments

Applying problem-solving skills to solve computational problems by writing codes is crucial in understanding programming.

The hurdle assessment in this unit is passing the module exams collectively which are designed to demonstrate your learning outcomes for the unit. This means you must score 50% of the 50%, i.e. 25/50 to pass the module exams.

You will have the opportunity to repeat all the exams to improve your marks ONLY if you fail the hurdle. If you fail the module exams collectively, a second attempt will be given but the mark will be capped at the passing mark. This second attempt will be held during the examination period (after Week-13)

If a student scored 3/5 in Module-1 and 4/5 in Module-1 Second attempt- 4/5 will be counted.

If a student scored 14/20 in Module-2 and 4/20 in Module-2 Second attempt- 14/20 will be counted.

If a student scored 4/25 in Module-3 and 14/25 in Module-3 Second attempt- 14/25 will be counted.

So now, the student's score will be 32/50, but marks will be capped at 25/50.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day a written report or presentation assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period will be provided to students who experience a technical concern. For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, please apply for Special Consideration. 

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted 

In this unit, late submissions will be accepted as follows: 

  • Programming Assessments: YES
  • Module Exams: NO
  • Weekly SGTA Tasks: NO

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Weekly SGTA Tasks 10% No Weeks 1-12
Module Exams 50% Yes Weeks 3, 6, and 11
Programming Assessments 40% No Weeks 7, 12, and 13

Weekly SGTA Tasks

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Weeks 1-12
Weighting: 10%

 

Weekly tasks during the SGTAs that students need to complete. Students must attend the SGTA and show their work to the tutor to be eligible for the mark.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply problem solving skills to develop algorithms that solve small to medium-sized computational problems
  • design and write code to implement a program description in an imperative programming language
  • use standard software engineering practices to document, debug and test their programs
  • understand and apply appropriately the concepts of variables, loops, functions, conditionals and compound data in the implementation of programmed systems
  • identify and describe ethical issues in an academic environment and demonstrate active engagement in the learning process

Module Exams

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 42 hours
Due: Weeks 3, 6, and 11
Weighting: 50%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

A number of exams spread through the semester. Students will have the opportunity to repeat any exam to improve their mark.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply problem solving skills to develop algorithms that solve small to medium-sized computational problems
  • design and write code to implement a program description in an imperative programming language
  • use standard software engineering practices to document, debug and test their programs
  • understand and apply appropriately the concepts of variables, loops, functions, conditionals and compound data in the implementation of programmed systems
  • identify and describe ethical issues in an academic environment and demonstrate active engagement in the learning process

Programming Assessments

Assessment Type 1: Programming Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Weeks 7, 12, and 13
Weighting: 40%

 

Multiple programming tasks spread through the semester where students put all their skills to work creating games or demos.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • apply problem solving skills to develop algorithms that solve small to medium-sized computational problems
  • design and write code to implement a program description in an imperative programming language
  • use standard software engineering practices to document, debug and test their programs
  • understand and apply appropriately the concepts of variables, loops, functions, conditionals and compound data in the implementation of programmed systems
  • identify and describe ethical issues in an academic environment and demonstrate active engagement in the learning process

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

Each week you should attend

  • a two-hour lecture and 
  • a two-hour practical class

For details of days, times and rooms, consult the timetables webpage.

Note that Lectures and Practical classes commence in Week 1.

You should have selected a practical class during enrolment. You should attend the practical class in which you are enrolled. You won't always get the class of your choice. Check availabilities via eStudent regularly. If ALL practical classes are full, only then, contact the convenor.

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn.

Texts and Materials

Lecture notes: https://softwaretechnologymq.github.io/

Online tutorials on Processing website: https://processing.org/tutorials/

Learning Processing site (examples, exercises, videos): http://learningprocessing.com/ 

Textbook: 

Learning Processing: A Beginner's Guide to Programming Images, Animation, and Interaction, by Daniel Shiffman. Second edition, 2015. ISBN: 978-0123944436. IMPORTANT: Online/Digital version is available here on MQ Library. Click on "Elsevier ScienceDirect Books - Single Purchased Titles", log in using OneID credentials, and "Download all chapters".

Technology

Programming environment: Processing IDE 

Flowchart generator: https://code2flow.com/

Web sequence diagram generator: https://www.websequencediagrams.com/

Diagrams: https://app.diagrams.net/ (lucid chart is better but this one is free)

Discussion Boards

The unit makes use of forums hosted within iLearn. Please post questions there, they are monitored by the unit staff.

COVID Information

For the latest information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please refer to the Coronavirus infection page on the Macquarie website: https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs. Remember to check this page regularly in case the information and requirements change during semester. If there are any changes to this unit in relation to COVID, these will be communicated via iLearn.

Unit Schedule

Week Topic Pre-class reading Assessment 
1 Foundations of Programming transition to processing, academic integrity module, study skills, how to use google  
2 Foundations of Programming primitive operations, algorithms  
3 Variables & Conditionals variables, debugging in processing, conditions Module Exam-1 (5%)
4 Variables & Conditionals variables, debugging in processing, conditions  
5 Loops loops  
6 Loops   Module Exam-2 (20%)
7 Functions functions Assignment-1 (10%)
Two-Week Teaching Break (Please use this time to study using results and feedback provided so far)
8 Functions scope  
9 Compound Data compound data

 
10 Compound Data reference semantics  
11 Program Design and Problem Solving refactoring Module Exam-3 (25%)
12 Program Design and Problem Solving case study

Assignment-2 (15%)
13 Revision  

Programming Assessment Vivas (15%)
Please note Every week from Week-1 to Week-12, you will have weekly tasks for submission in your workshop worth 1% each

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:

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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Academic Integrity

Using the work or ideas of another person, whether intentionally or not, and presenting them as your own without clear acknowledgement of the source is called Plagiarism. 

Macquarie University promotes awareness of information ethics through its Academic Integrity Policy. This means that:

  • all academic work claimed as original must be the work of the person making the claim;
  • all academic collaborations of any kind must be acknowledged;
  • academic work must not be falsified in any way; and
  • when the ideas of others are used, these ideas must be acknowledged appropriately.

All breaches of the Academic Integrity Policy are serious and penalties apply. Students should be aware that they may fail an assessment task, a unit or even be excluded from the University for breaching the Academic Integrity Policy.

 

 

Assessment Policy

Students should familiarise themselves with their responsibilities under the Assessment Policy, and notably the  Final Examination Procedure.

Grade Appeals

A student who has been awarded a final grade for a unit has the right to appeal that grade as outlined in the Assessment Policy. Grade appeals apply to the final mark and the grade a student receives for a unit of study. They do not apply to results received for individual assessment tasks.

Grade appeals must be submitted via ask.mq.edu.au within 15 working days from the published result date for the relevant unit. Before submitting a Grade Appeal, please ensure that you read the Assessment Policy and note valid grounds for appeals.

Students are expected to seek feedback on individual assessment tasks prior to the award of a final grade. Students also have the right to request generic feedback from the teaching staff on their overall performance in the unit, including in a final examination. This can be done at any time in the six-month period starting from the day on which the final grade of the relevant unit is published.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link on the iLearn page.

Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was very positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from the teaching staff. As such, no change to the delivery of the unit is planned, however, we will continue to strive to improve the level of support and the level of student engagement.

Computing Drop-in Centre

COMP1000 is supported by the Computing Drop-in Centre (CDC) that operates daily (weekdays) from,

  • 09:00 to 11:00 (trial, at least during the first half of S2 2023),
  • 12:00 to 14:00, 
  • 15:00 to 17:00,
  • 18:00 to 20:00 (online)

The web page at https://students.mq.edu.au/study/faculties/science-and-engineering/drop-in-centre

contains further information including,

  • location,
  • the service agreement about what the centre can and cannot help you with,
  • week in which the service begins,
  • other units supported by the centre,
  • roster (as not all time slots will have staff supporting every unit),
  • zoom links for the evening sessions.

Unit information based on version 2023.05 of the Handbook