Students

COMP8700 – IT Professional Practice

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor and Lecturer
Dr. Adnan Mahmood
adnan.mahmood@mq.edu.au
Contact via +61 2 9850 9079
Room 286, 4 Research Park Drive
By Appointment
Co-Lecturer
Dr. Xiao Cheng
xiao.cheng@mq.edu.au
Contact via +61 2 9850 9572
Room 340, 4 Research Park Drive
By Appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
COMP6150
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Although constantly evolving, the IT industry has garnered robust professional processes and practices over the years. This unit will equip students with the necessary knowledge to situate themselves within an IT organisation, and gain an understanding of the mechanisms and responsibilities that come with their role. Through collaboration with peers, students will learn how to utilise agile development to investigate new technologies, thoughts and tools within the professional practice of IT. Students will be exposed to ethical and legislative scenarios and case studies where they must leverage their new understanding of IT professional practice to analyse how to navigate these scenarios. 

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: Recognize and relate the different roles within IT organizations (including corporate and administrative roles) and their contributions to industry processes. 
  • ULO2: Execute agile processes and healthy interpretations of constructive criticism in teamwork driven environments.
  • ULO3: Articulate and weigh the differences between innovation, entrepreneurship and impact. 
  • ULO4: Examine the feasibility and effectiveness of different approaches to IT practice, thought and techniques. 
  • ULO5: Evaluate and integrate professional codes of ethics, legal requirements, sustainability principles, and societal considerations into solutions to complex real-world IT challenges.

General Assessment Information

Requirements to Pass the Unit

To pass this particular Unit, a Student must satisfactorily attempt All Assessments and achieve a Total Mark equal to or greater than 50%. 

Assessments Release Dates

  • Assessment 1 – Reflective Report : Specifications to be released no later than Monday, February 23, 2026.
  • Assessment 2 – Systematic Review Report : Specifications to be released no later than Monday, March 30, 2026.
  • Assessment 3 – Presentation : Specifications to be released no later than Monday, May 4, 2026.

Late Assessment Submission Policy

  • 5% Penalty – If you submit your Assessment late, 5% of the Total Possible Marks would be deducted for each day (including weekends) up to 7 days.
    • Example 1 (Out of 100) – If you score 85 / 100 but submit 20 hours late, you would lose 5 Marks and receive 80 / 100.
    • Example 2 (Out of 30) – If you score 27 / 30 but submit 1 day late, you would lose 1.5 Marks and receive 25.5 / 30.
  • After 7 Days – Submissions more than 7 days late would receive a Mark of 0.
  • Extensions
    • Automatic Short Extension – Some Assessments are eligible for Automatic Short Extension. You can only apply for an Automatic Short Extension before the due date.
    • Special Consideration – If you need more time owing to serious issues and for any Assessments that are not eligible for Automatic Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration.
    • Need help? Review the Special Consideration page here.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Systematic Review Report 30% No Week 10 (Sunday, May 17, 2026 – 11:55 PM) Group No Open
Presentation 40% No Weeks 12 & 13 (Tuesdays – During the Seminars) Individual No Observed
Reflective Report 30% No 05/04/2026 Individual Yes Open

Systematic Review Report

Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 10 (Sunday, May 17, 2026 – 11:55 PM)
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

A handful of topics pertinent to the discipline will be made available. Students, in the form of groups, will pick a particular topic and produce a review report by systematically analyzing, evaluating, and relating bodies of literature.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognize and relate the different roles within IT organizations (including corporate and administrative roles) and their contributions to industry processes. 
  • Execute agile processes and healthy interpretations of constructive criticism in teamwork driven environments.
  • Articulate and weigh the differences between innovation, entrepreneurship and impact. 
  • Examine the feasibility and effectiveness of different approaches to IT practice, thought and techniques. 
  • Evaluate and integrate professional codes of ethics, legal requirements, sustainability principles, and societal considerations into solutions to complex real-world IT challenges.

Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Weeks 12 & 13 (Tuesdays – During the Seminars)
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Students will be required to pick a particular weekly reading and present their respective critique of the reading in the form of an oral presentation, i.e., in light of the learnings embedded in the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognize and relate the different roles within IT organizations (including corporate and administrative roles) and their contributions to industry processes. 
  • Execute agile processes and healthy interpretations of constructive criticism in teamwork driven environments.
  • Articulate and weigh the differences between innovation, entrepreneurship and impact. 
  • Examine the feasibility and effectiveness of different approaches to IT practice, thought and techniques. 
  • Evaluate and integrate professional codes of ethics, legal requirements, sustainability principles, and societal considerations into solutions to complex real-world IT challenges.

Reflective Report

Assessment Type 1: Reflection task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 05/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Students will produce a reflective report by critically analyzing a particular experience, event, situation, or learning relevant to the discipline, and by evaluating its impact on their respective understanding, skills, and future actions.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognize and relate the different roles within IT organizations (including corporate and administrative roles) and their contributions to industry processes. 
  • Execute agile processes and healthy interpretations of constructive criticism in teamwork driven environments.
  • Articulate and weigh the differences between innovation, entrepreneurship and impact. 
  • Examine the feasibility and effectiveness of different approaches to IT practice, thought and techniques. 
  • Evaluate and integrate professional codes of ethics, legal requirements, sustainability principles, and societal considerations into solutions to complex real-world IT challenges.

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Seminars

Live (In-person) Seminars would be held from Weeks 1 – 13, and would provide an opportunity for Students to ask Questions pertinent to the Weekly Topic(s) and to clarify anything that they might not be sure of. Owing to the nature of this Unit, the Live (In-person) Seminars encourage Students to engage in a number of Brainstorming Activities and, therefore, participation in these Sessions is of the essence and critical to Students' success within this Unit. Also, Learnings embedded in these Sessions are indispensable for Assessment 1 – Reflective Report, Assessment 2 – Systematic Review Report, and Assessment 3 – Presentation.

Assessments

Assessments will be made available on iLearn and would be submitted via Turnitin.

Recommended Readings

Students are highly encouraged to read the recommended respective Weekly Reading(s) in a bid to gain a solid understanding of the Weekly Topics.

Methods of Communication

The Unit Convenor / Lecturer will communicate with the Students via their respective Macquarie University's Email or through Announcements on iLearn. Queries may either be placed on the iLearn Discussion Board or could be sent to the Unit Convenor, Dr. Adnan Mahmood, at adnan.mahmood@mq.edu.au.

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

No change in the delivery of the Unit is planned. Please note that the Unit Convenor highly values Student Feedback so as to continually improve the way this Unit is offered. Accordingly, please feel free to provide Constructive Feedback to the Unit Convenor.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
12/03/2026 Date format updated

Unit information based on version 2026.04 of the Handbook