Students

COMP8851 – Major Project

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor – Internal Project Stream
Dr. Adnan Mahmood
adnan.mahmood@mq.edu.au
Contact via +61 2 9850 9079
Room 286, 4 Research Park Drive
By Appointment
Convenor – Internship Stream
Dr. Yuankai Qi
yuankai.qi@mq.edu.au
Contact via +61 2 9850 1186
Room 323, 4 Research Park Drive
By Appointment
Credit points Credit points
20
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Completed 40CP at 8000 level in COMP units
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides the option of either an industry-based internship or an internally supervised project as a major project experience for students in the Master's course.

An internally supervised project may comprise literature research, a case study, a software project development, or a project sponsored by the candidate's employer. Candidates are expected to demonstrate initiative and independence in researching, executing and documenting an involved information and communications technology project as well as its ethical implications.

The industry-based internship helps students gain experience in the industry. Students work with both industry and academic supervisors to complete a major project or smaller projects, working part-time over the session. Project topics will be agreed upon between the University, the student and the industry partner. Candidates may complete the project work at the industry partner's location or their place of employment, subject to University approval. Assessment will be based on a combination of written reports and presentations. 

Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Quality Education; 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: Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
  • ULO2: Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
  • ULO3: Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
  • ULO4: Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.

General Assessment Information

This particular Unit is assessed through Three Assessments, i.e., Project Initiation, Project Planning and Development, and Project Completion. Please note that the Assessments' Requirements differ in detail between the Two Streams.

Requirements to Pass this Unit

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

Late Assessment Submission Policy

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% Penalty of the Total Possible Mark of an Assessment would be applied for each day that particular Assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a Grade of ‘0’ would be awarded even if the Assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded Assessments is 11:55 PM. A 1-hour grace period would be provided to students who experience technical concerns. For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, e.g., presentations, please apply for Special Consideration. For instance, if you score 85 / 100 but submit 20 hours late, you would lose 5 Marks and receive 80 / 100. Similarly, if you score 27 / 30 but submit 1 day late, you would lose 1.5 Marks and receive 25.5 / 30. 

Assessments where late submissions would be accepted:

  • All Assessment Tasks : Yes, Standard Late Penalty applies

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Project Initiation 20% No Week 4 (Sunday, August 23, 2026 – 11:55 PM) Individual and Group No Open
Project Planning and Development 30% No Week 8 (Sunday, September 20, 2026 – 11:55 PM) Individual and Group No Open
Project Completion 50% No Week 13 (Sunday, November 8, 2026 – 11:55 PM) Individual and Group No Open

Project Initiation

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 4 (Sunday, August 23, 2026 – 11:55 PM)
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Students will present an overview of their proposed project, outlining its purpose, goals, and initial plan. The overview will be delivered in a format appropriate to the project context and submitted early in the session to allow for timely feedback.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
  • Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
  • Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
  • Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.

Project Planning and Development

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 8 (Sunday, September 20, 2026 – 11:55 PM)
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Students will present the detailed planning and development of their project to date. The presentation should be delivered in a format suitable for effectively communicating the project work. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
  • Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
  • Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
  • Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.

Project Completion

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 13 (Sunday, November 8, 2026 – 11:55 PM)
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Students will present the detailed planning, development, and final outcome of their project. The format and type of presentation will be based on the needs and characteristics of the project. Individual written reports and in-person presentations, including demonstrations where relevant, will be required to effectively communicate the outcome.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate ethical issues related to working in a IT environment.
  • Critically evaluate the experience gained while undertaking the project
  • Apply lessons learned from previous units of study to project tasks.
  • Explore career alternatives prior to graduation.

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

How to Get Started (Week 1)

Internal Project Stream – Students would be provided with a List of Available Projects and their corresponding Academic Supervisors during Week 1, and invited to submit Up To Three Preferences accordingly. Subsequently, the Unit Convenor, in consultation with the relevant Academic Supervisors, would undertake the allocation process to match Students with Projects. Please refer to https://publish.mq.edu.au for details pertinent to the Week 1's Lecture.

Internship Stream – An Internship Workshop has already been arranged prior to the commencement of Session 2, i.e., a recording of which can be accessed here. During Week 1, the Company must sign the Internship Form to enable a Student to commence their Internship in person.

Assessments

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

Methods of Communication

The Unit Convenors would communicate with Students via their respective Macquarie University's Email or through Announcements on iLearn. Queries may either be posted on the iLearn Discussion Board or could be sent to the Unit Convenors, i.e., Dr. Adnan Mahmood (adnan.mahmood@mq.edu.au) for the Internal Project Stream and Dr. Yuankai Qi (yuankai.qi@mq.edu.au) for the Internship Stream.

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 https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

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 changes to the delivery of the Unit are planned. Please note that the Unit Convenors highly value Student Feedback in order to continually improve the way this Unit is offered. Accordingly, please feel free to provide Constructive Feedback to the Unit Convenors.

Unit information based on version 2026.04 of the Handbook