Students

COMP4093 – Software Engineering Research Thesis B

2024 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Kate Stefanov
kate.stefanov@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
20cp at 4000 level and (COMP4092 or COMP410)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

In this unit students will conduct the second half of their individual research thesis on a topic in Software Engineering major under the direction of an academic supervisor. Students will implement the previously developed project plan conducting the experimental and theoretical work to obtain results and analysis presented in the form of a final research thesis.

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: Undertake a complex engineering specific research project, based on a discipline specific research question, and involving the development of new knowledge, using appropriate technical and/or laboratory skills, data management and synthesis, critical analysis and interpretation of results, culminating in an effective written dissertation and oral presentation to a variety of audiences in research fora.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate technical writing and presentation skills at a standard that would be acceptable in a professional engineering workplace.
  • ULO3: Identify, formulate and solve complex open-ended software engineering research problems in an ethical manner.
  • ULO4: Apply discipline specific research principles, research methods, and technical standards to identify and provide solutions to complex problems in software engineering.

General Assessment Information

Grading and passing requirement for unit

In order to pass this unit a student must

  • obtain a mark of 50 or more for the unit (i.e. obtain a passing grade P/ CR/ D/ HD), and 
  • pass the hurdles

For further details about grading, please refer below in the policies and procedures section.

Hurdle Requirements

The Thesis is a hurdle requirement. A grade of 50% or more on the Thesis is a condition of passing this unit. If you are given a second opportunity to submit your thesis as a result of failing to meet the minimum mark required, your submission will be due during the supplementary examination period and will be notified of the exact day and time by the unit convenor. The second attempt at a hurdle assessment is graded as pass fail. The maximum grade for a second attempt is the hurdle threshold grade.

Regular meetings with thesis supervisor is a hurdle requirement. Students are required to attend at least 6 out of 12 weekly meetings from Week 1 to Week 12. See details in assessment task description.

Late Submissions and Re-submissions

All assessments must be submitted by 23:59pm (Sydney Time) on their due date. Should the activities be missed due to illness or misadventure, students may apply for Special Consideration, as detailed below.

  • Thesis Report: Late submissions are not allowed unless there is an approved special consideration request. Resubmissions are not allowed. 
  • Presentation: Late submissions are not allowed unless there is an approved special consideration request. Special considerations for presentations are approved only if there are long delays due to extenuating circumstances. Resubmissions are not allowed. 
  • Logbooks (Management and Engagement): Late submissions are not allowed unless there is an approved special consideration request.  Resubmissions are not allowed. 

Project Implementation 

If your project requires on-campus lab attendance and you are not able to get back to campus on time, please contact with the unit convenor and your supervisor as soon as possible. 

Written submissions

Software engineering frequently requires written reports, and such reports need to be, as far as possible, of professional quality.  Students need to strive to present work which is written clearly, with good grammar, correct word usage, correct punctuation and correct spelling.  All written work must be properly referenced and conform to standard stylistic conventions.

A thesis is an especially significant formal document that represents both academic research, and in this case a substantial individual software engineering project.  It takes a very significant amount of time and multiple drafts to properly prepare such a document.

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
Thesis 70% Yes Week 13
Meeting with Supervisors 0% Yes All Session
Management and Engagement 10% No Week 13
Presentation 20% No Week 14-16

Thesis

Assessment Type 1: Thesis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 70%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Students are required to prepare a thesis report about their projects, including the literature review, technical execution of the project, discussion and understanding of results, and conclusions and added value of work.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Undertake a complex engineering specific research project, based on a discipline specific research question, and involving the development of new knowledge, using appropriate technical and/or laboratory skills, data management and synthesis, critical analysis and interpretation of results, culminating in an effective written dissertation and oral presentation to a variety of audiences in research fora.
  • Demonstrate technical writing and presentation skills at a standard that would be acceptable in a professional engineering workplace.
  • Identify, formulate and solve complex open-ended software engineering research problems in an ethical manner.
  • Apply discipline specific research principles, research methods, and technical standards to identify and provide solutions to complex problems in software engineering.

Meeting with Supervisors

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: All Session
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

Students are required to meet with their supervisors on a weekly basis, once the project commences. Such weekly meetings should aim to seek feedback and steer the project, and would normally last at least 15-30 minutes or more. In order to pass this unit, a student must attend at least 6 out of 12 weekly meetings from Week 1 to Week 12. In case a face-to-face meeting is not possible, a meeting must be conducted using telephone or video-conference. Meetings should be logged using the consultation meeting log sheet provided on iLearn.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Undertake a complex engineering specific research project, based on a discipline specific research question, and involving the development of new knowledge, using appropriate technical and/or laboratory skills, data management and synthesis, critical analysis and interpretation of results, culminating in an effective written dissertation and oral presentation to a variety of audiences in research fora.
  • Demonstrate technical writing and presentation skills at a standard that would be acceptable in a professional engineering workplace.
  • Identify, formulate and solve complex open-ended software engineering research problems in an ethical manner.
  • Apply discipline specific research principles, research methods, and technical standards to identify and provide solutions to complex problems in software engineering.

Management and Engagement

Assessment Type 1: Log book
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 10%

 

Students are required to actively engage with the project-related activities, and to demonstrate a professional demeanour towards project management and record-keeping. Students are also required to maintain a logbook for this unit, where dated records of day-to-day activities associated with the project are maintained.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Undertake a complex engineering specific research project, based on a discipline specific research question, and involving the development of new knowledge, using appropriate technical and/or laboratory skills, data management and synthesis, critical analysis and interpretation of results, culminating in an effective written dissertation and oral presentation to a variety of audiences in research fora.
  • Demonstrate technical writing and presentation skills at a standard that would be acceptable in a professional engineering workplace.
  • Identify, formulate and solve complex open-ended software engineering research problems in an ethical manner.
  • Apply discipline specific research principles, research methods, and technical standards to identify and provide solutions to complex problems in software engineering.

Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 14-16
Weighting: 20%

 

Students are required to deliver a comprehensive oral presentation about their project outcomes at the end of the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Undertake a complex engineering specific research project, based on a discipline specific research question, and involving the development of new knowledge, using appropriate technical and/or laboratory skills, data management and synthesis, critical analysis and interpretation of results, culminating in an effective written dissertation and oral presentation to a variety of audiences in research fora.
  • Demonstrate technical writing and presentation skills at a standard that would be acceptable in a professional engineering workplace.
  • Identify, formulate and solve complex open-ended software engineering research problems in an ethical manner.
  • Apply discipline specific research principles, research methods, and technical standards to identify and provide solutions to complex problems in software engineering.

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

Unit Delivery

This is a project-based unit. Development of knowledge and skills will be guided by both weekly sessions with the unit convenor and also regular interaction with your supervisor.

The one-hour sessions (lectures / workshops / discussions) with the unit convenor start in Week 1.

Logbook

This unit requires a logbook. The students should maintain an individual logbook which should contain a dated log of day-to-day activities undertaken in relation to the project.

Technology Used and Required

The students are required to discuss with their supervisor about the software/hardware resources required for analysis, simulation, testing and experiments related to their project. In addition, word processing software (MS Word, Latex etc.) will be required to produce the preliminary thesis and MS PowerPoint or equivalent software will be required for presentation slides.

Unit Webpage 

Access from the online iLearn System at http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

Required and Recommended Texts/Materials

There is not set textbook for this unit. The students are required to discuss with their supervisor regarding required/recommended reading materials, as suited to individual project needs.

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.

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.

Unit information based on version 2024.02 of the Handbook