Students

COMP3120 – Advanced Web Development

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Michael Lay
michael.lay@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above including COMP2110
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
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. 

Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

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

REQUIREMENTS TO PASS THE UNIT

To pass this unit you must:

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

 

INDIVIDUAL WEB DEVELOPMENT PORFOLIO

In this task you will build an individual portfolio of back-end and front-end projects.

 

FORUM POSTS AND INTERACTION

Students will post to forums on topics related to web technology and security and respond to posts by other students. The forum contributions will be assessed at a single point in time.

 

GROUP WEB DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

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. 30% group and 10% individual component. Students will demonstrate their contribution to the project via a reflective journal, presentation, and commit logs from the project repository.

 

LATE ASESSMENT 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:

  • Individual Web Development Portfolio - YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
  • Forum Posts and Interaction - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted
  • Group Web Development Project - NO, unless Special Consideration is granted

 

RELEASE

  • Individual Web Development Portfolio - Specifications to be released no later than 14th September 2025.
  • Forum Posts and Interaction - Specifications to be released no later than 5th October 2025.
  • Group Web Development Project - Specifications to be released no later than 22nd October 2025.

 

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 http://connect.mq.edu.au/.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Individual Web Development Portfolio 40% No Mid Semester Break W1, Sun 11:55pm (28/09/25)
Forum Posts and Interaction 20% No W10, Sun 11:55pm (19/10/25)
Group Web Development Project 40% No W13, Wed 11:55pm submission (05/11/25) + W13 in seminar

Individual Web Development Portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Mid Semester Break W1, Sun 11:55pm (28/09/25)
Weighting: 40%

 

In this task you will build an individual portfolio of back-end and front-end projects.

 
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

Forum Posts and Interaction

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: W10, Sun 11:55pm (19/10/25)
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will post to forums on topics related to web technology and security and respond to posts by other students. The forum contributions will be assessed at a single point in time.

 
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: W13, Wed 11:55pm submission (05/11/25) + W13 in seminar
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

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 seminar. 

The seminar is a three hour class where we will review, discuss and practically apply the content of the week. You will get the most out of this session if you are prepared. Turning up without watching the videos, reaching the notes, and trying examples will mean you can't take advantage of the session. Seminars start from Week 1 to Week 13. There is a non-seminar task for Week 1.

 

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 or something professional 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 via email from your university email address. You should send general queries through the iLearn discussion board, while queries of a personal nature should be sent by email.

Unit Schedule

Tentative Unit Schedule (see iLearn for latest)

Week Topic Assessment
1 Introduction  
2 Server Side Programming  
3 Handling Forms, JSON APIs, Page Templating
4 Authenticaion and MongoDB  
5 React  
6 More React  
7 Project Management  
8 Testing  
BREAK   Individual Web Development Portfolio (40%)
BREAK    
9 Web Security, more authentication  
10 Continuous Integration / GitHub Workflows Forum Posts and Interaction (20%)
11 Advanced Deployment  
12 More Web Technologies  
13 Professional Web Development Group Web Development Project (40%)

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 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 in the iLearn page.

Changes:

  • Workshop tasks and the individual web develpment project have been replaced with the web development portfolio.
  • The technology and security report have been combined into the forum posts and interaction.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
17/07/2025 seminar start week changed from w2 to w1 due to change in plans

Unit information based on version 2025.05 of the Handbook