Students

COMP3120 – Advanced Web Development

2024 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convener, Lecturer
Michael Lay
Lecturer
Kate Stefanov
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
COMP6120
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
  • ULO2: Evaluate alternate implementation technologies for web applications
  • ULO3: Implement a significant web application that integrates front-end and back-end components
  • 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.

Group Project

Your major assessment is a group project where you will be free to design and develop a web application as a group.  You should begin thinking about this early as your proposals are due in week 7.   The assessment of this task is split between different activities including a proposal, four weekly 'sprint reports' in the workshops and a final deliverable. Details will be in iLearn. 

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.

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

  • Individual Project – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies 

  • Technology Report – NO, Standard Late Penalty applies 

  • Security Report – NO, Standard Late Penalty applies 

  • Group Project - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted 

  • Workshop Tasks - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted 

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit you must:

  • Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%, and
  • Participate in, and undertake all hurdle activities for, a minimum of 8 out of the 12 weekly workshops.

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.  

Weekly Workshop tasks: To pass the unit you need to demonstrate ongoing development of skills and application of knowledge in at least 8 out of 12 of the weekly workshop classes. If you miss a class, you should ensure that you follow the workshop materials available online and contact your tutor or the lecturer if you have questions. Note that a Special Consideration should only be applied for if you miss more than three of the weekly workshop classes.

Group Project:  This assessment task has a number of submission points, both individual and group submissions.  If you are affected by an unavoidable disruption for one of these submissions you should apply for Special Conisderation and an extension of time will usually be granted. For a group submission, an extension for the whole group will be considered.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Workshop Tasks 10% Yes Weekly
Individual Web Development Project 20% No Sunday 11:55pm Week 6
Technology Report 15% No Sunday 11:55pm Week 8
Group Web Development Project 40% No Sunday 11:55pm Week 7 + Week 14
Security Report 15% No Sunday 11:55pm Week 11

Workshop Tasks

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
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)

 

Each week there will be a task or question as part of the workshop that must be completed within the workshop. Your teaching staff will review your work in class. Each week is worth 1 mark up to a maximum of 10. This is a hurdle task, you must complete at least 8 weeks out of the total of 12 to pass the unit.

 


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
  • Communicate clearly and effectively

Individual Web Development Project

Assessment Type 1: Programming Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Sunday 11:55pm Week 6
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

Technology Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Sunday 11:55pm Week 8
Weighting: 15%

 

Present a short report on alternate and emerging web technology tools and comment on the reports of other students.

 


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

Group Web Development Project

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Sunday 11:55pm Week 7 + Week 14
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will form groups to implement a major web application. 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
  • Evaluate alternate implementation technologies for web applications
  • Implement a significant web application that integrates front-end and back-end components
  • Assess the security risks in web applications
  • Communicate clearly and effectively

Security Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Sunday 11:55pm Week 11
Weighting: 15%

 

Present a short report on security in web applications and comment on the reports of other students.

 


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

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 lecture. 

The lecture is a one hour class where we will review and discuss the content of the 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 take advantage of the discussion. Make the most of our time together!

Workshops each week will run on-campus from Week 2 to Week 13. There is a non-workshop task for Week 1.  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

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.

Methods of Communication

We will communicate with you via your university email or through announcements on iLearn. Queries to teaching staffs can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent emails from your university email address.

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

The following is intended as a guide to the planned schedule for the semester.  Topics may change based on feedback from the class.

Week

Topic

Assessment

1

Background

 

2

Server Side Programming

 

3

Handling Forms, Page Templating

 

4

Authentication and MongoDB

Individual Project Checkpoint

5

React

 

6

More React

Individual Project

7

Project management, documentation, more React

Group Project Proposals

8

Front end and Back end Testing

Technology Report
   

 

9

Web Security, more authentication

Group Sprint 1

10

Continuous Integration

 

11

Advanced Deployment

Group Sprint 2, Security Report

12

More Web Technologies

Group Sprint 3

13

Professional Web Development

Group Sprint 4
14 Exam Week 1 Group Project Final

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 connect.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.

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 the Service Connect Portal, 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 have swapped the content around a bit to put server-side development at the start of the unit. This is to enable the individual project to be a server-side only project and means that we don't have to rush through React in the first few weeks to enable you to do this assignment.   In this way, everyone will do a server-side project to add to the client side work you did in COMP2110.  In the group project you will do a full-stack project as a group.   In past offerings, the pace of material early on has been too high and by week 6 it is hard for students to get enough expertise in React to do an effective project. 

Group project sprint 2 onwards (inclusive) pushed back a week to avoid public holiday issues.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
18/07/2024 Assessment dates for the group project moved back (towards the end of semester) a week to avoid public holiday issues.

Unit information based on version 2024.03 of the Handbook