MODULE EXAMS

There are four module exams:

1. Fundamentals: Worth 10%
2. ArrayLists: Worth 10%
3. Classes and Objects: Worth 15%
4. Recursive Data Structures: Worth 15%

Students have up to THREE attempts for each of the module exams.

Second attempt marks for each module exam are capped at 84, which is the upper bound of Distinction grade. Only students with marks below 84 can sit the second attempt for a given module exam.

Third attempt marks for each module exam are capped at 64, which is the upper bound of Pass grade. Only students with marks below 64 can sit the third attempt for a given module exam.

Universal design for learning (UDL) - Module exams have been designed with universal design strategies in mind, which may remove the need for individual reasonable adjustments. All students will have up to 40 minutes to complete these exams which have been designed to be completed in 25 minutes. This extra time has been applied to all students. Students with IEAP arrangements do not need further overrides, and if they have more questions about UDL, they should contact the accessibility team at accessibility@mq.edu.au.

ASSIGNMENTS

There is one major assignment worth 30% with multiple checkpoints and deliverables. More information will be provided on iLearn. 

SGTA TASKS

There will be some small exercises in the SGTAs and the 8 best out of 12 exercises from weeks 1 to 12 will count towards the final grade.

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. For example, if the assignment is worth 8 marks (of the entire unit) and your submission is late by 19 hours (or 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds), 0.4 marks (5% of 8 marks) will be deducted. If your submission is late by 24 hours (or 47 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds), 0.8 marks (10% of 8 marks) will be deducted, and so on.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted

• Assignment: YES, Standard Late Penalty applies 
• Module exams: NO
• SGTA Tasks: NO

Requirements to Pass this Unit: Achieve 50 or more marks overall.

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.

RESOURCES

We have developed several resources that can help you get a headstart as well as assist you over the session to stay on top of the game. These include,

• Practice questions
  • Codingbat: https://codingbat.com/home/gaurav.gupta@mq.edu.au
  • CodeRunner practice questions (on iLearn)
• YouTube videos
  • https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA7fpUXGfHnEtL13WVPmz6eYO8QjgT-H1
• Computing Drop-in Centre - The support centre is located in 4RPD G02 across Esc Cafe, and is open every weekday from 10:00-12:00, 13:00-15:00, 16:00-18:00. Although almost all support assistants are proficient in COMP1010, please use the live roster (to be announced on iLearn) to check which sessions have a support person skilled to help with COMP1010.

CLASSES

Each week you should attend

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

For details of days, times, and rooms, consult your personalized timetables page.

WEEK 1 CLASSES

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.

TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

Lecture notes are available online at https://softwaretechnologymq.github.io/

Practical classes and Video teaching materials: details to be announced via iLearn

Recommended Textbooks: 

1. T. Gaddis, Starting out with Java: From control structures through objects (Pearson), Global edition (6th). ISBN 9781292110653
   • Online edition of this book is available through MQ Library. There can be up to 5 simultaneous accesses.
2. Kathy Siera, Bert Bates, Head First Java, 2nd edition. ISBN 9780596009205

TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

Audio and Video Lecture

Digital recordings of lectures are available from within iLearn via Active Learning Platform.

Technology

• Java SE - download the latest Java SE to be compatible with the labs.
• Visual Studio Code (preferred, troubleshooting provided) or Eclipse (if you are proficient, independent) - the IDEs we shall be using during the session.
• Learning Management System iLearn.
• https://code2flow.com/ for a better understanding of control flow.
• http://codingbat.com/ for programming exercises.
• https://pythontutor.com/java.html for tracing your code.

Discussion Boards

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

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn.

IMPORTANT -

1. Use discussion forums for general queries (that relate to a significant portion of the cohort)
2. Email the teaching team at comp1010@mq.edu.au for queries specific to you

Note that three important themes will pervade the entire unit:

1. Problem-solving. A crucial skill for all of the weekly topics will be to write appropriate code to meet a given problem specification. This theme relates to the first two learning outcomes for this unit.
2. Software development. The use of JUnit testing framework is an important development practice that will be taught from the beginning and used throughout the unit. This theme relates to the third learning outcome of this unit.
3. Comparing different solution methods. Very often different algorithms are available for the same problem. Another important skill to develop throughout this unit is the ability to compare different algorithms in terms of efficiency and other criteria. This theme relates to the fourth learning outcome of this unit.

The schedule of activities is presented below.

1. No practical exam
2. Number of assignments reduced to 1
3. Assessments re-introduced during SGTA classes

COMP1010 is supported by the Computing Drop-in Centre (CDC) that operates daily (weekdays) from,

• 10:00 to 12:00 
• 13:00 to 1 5:00
• 16:00 to 18:00

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),