Students

COMP3130 – Mobile Application Development

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

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, Lecturer
Charanya Ramakrishnan
charanya.ramakrishnan@mq.edu.au
By Appointment (email)
Lecturer
Matthew Roberts
matthew.roberts@mq.edu.au
By Appointment (email)
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
COMP2000 or COMP2110
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit covers the design and development of mobile applications from a technical and user experience perspective. The underlying environments made available by mobile devices will be reviewed and the relative merits of different implementation technologies will be evaluated. The relationship between mobile applications and the web will be discussed as well as the requirements for providing an effective user-experience for offline and intermittently connected devices. The unit will also cover the design of the user experience for mobile applications and develop students' ability to critically evaluate the usability of a mobile design.

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: Implement a transactional mobile application as an interface to a web service.
  • ULO2: Critically evaluate mobile implementation platforms and technologies relative to the needs of a project.
  • ULO3: Apply a knowledge of mobile application technology to the design of an effective user experience.
  • ULO4: Explain the security and privacy issues inherent in web-based mobile applications.
  • ULO5: Evaluate a mobile application with respect to usability and accessibility.
  • ULO6: Describe the options for deployment and monetisation of mobile applications.

General Assessment Information

Details for each assessment will be available via iLearn.

You are encouraged to:

  • set your personal deadline earlier than the actual one
  • keep backups of all your important files
  • seek for assistance in the early stages rather than closer to the due date

Assignment Release

  • Workshop Activity tasks will be available for on the Friday before each week begins.
  • The UX Report requirements will be released no later than the 01/03/2026
  • The Mobile App Development requirements will be released no later than 08/06/2026

Late Submission Policy

  • 5% penalty per day: If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will 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 will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

    • Example 2 (out of 30): If you score 27/30 but submit 1 day late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

  • After 7 days: Submissions more than 7 days late will 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 due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration.

Need help? Review the Special Consideration page HERE

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted:

  • User Experience Analysis Findings - YES, standard Late Penalty applies
  • Mobile Application Development - YES, standard Late Penalty applies
  • Workshop Activities - No. Note that Special Consideration is not required as alternate options are built into the task. 

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 https://connect.mq.edu.au.

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass you must achieve an aggregate grade of 50 or more when all assesments (with weightings) are considered.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
User Experience Analysis Findings 30% No In Week-7 in the registered SGTAs Group No Open
Mobile Application Development 50% No 24/05/2026 Individual Yes Open
Workshop Activities 20% No In Week-13 in the registered SGTAs Individual No Observed

User Experience Analysis Findings

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: In Week-7 in the registered SGTAs
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

You will design a user experience (UX) questionnaire, conduct a survey, analyse results, and present findings to demonstrate evidence-based design thinking while developing your UX research, data analysis, and presentation skills.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically evaluate mobile implementation platforms and technologies relative to the needs of a project.
  • Evaluate a mobile application with respect to usability and accessibility.

Mobile Application Development

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 24/05/2026
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

You will design, build, test, and deploy a complete mobile app while documenting your process, strengthening your full-stack development skills and enhancing your professional portfolio.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Implement a transactional mobile application as an interface to a web service.
  • Apply a knowledge of mobile application technology to the design of an effective user experience.
  • Describe the options for deployment and monetisation of mobile applications.

Workshop Activities

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: In Week-13 in the registered SGTAs
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

You will apply theoretical knowledge to a hands-on programming and design challenge, reinforcing core computing concepts and strengthening your practical problem-solving and technical skills.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Implement a transactional mobile application as an interface to a web service.
  • Critically evaluate mobile implementation platforms and technologies relative to the needs of a project.
  • Apply a knowledge of mobile application technology to the design of an effective user experience.
  • Explain the security and privacy issues inherent in web-based mobile applications.
  • Evaluate a mobile application with respect to usability and accessibility.
  • Describe the options for deployment and monetisation of mobile applications.

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 succeed in COMP3130

Each week you should:

  • Attend lectures, ask questions, practice tasks
  • Attend your SGTA/practical and seek feedback from your tutor on your work
  • Read/Watch assigned reading material (ideally before the lecture), add to your notes and prepare questions for your lecturer or tutor
  • Start working on any assignments immediately after they have been released. 

CLASSES

COMP3130 is taught via lectures and SGTAs (Small Group Teaching Activities)/ Practical Classes. Some online video material will also be provided each week.

Lectures:

  • Lectures begin in Week 1.
  • Lectures are used to introduce new material, provide motivation and context for your study, guide you in what is important to learn and explain more difficult concepts.
  • There are 2 hours of lectures per week.

SGTAs/ Practical Classes:

  • Practical classes begin in Week-1
  • These small group classes which allow you to interact with your peers and with a tutor who has a sound knowledge of the subject. Activities in these classes will often relate to the major assessment work.
  • Each week you will be given tasks to complete, many will involve you updating a Github repository with your work. Marks are assigned to completing the weekly tasks.
  • You will need to enrol and attend the class that you've enrolled in. 
  • If your class falls on a public holiday, we will make an announcement about arrangements for that week.

METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

Textbook

There are no required textbooks for this unit. However, every week you will be provided with resources to obtain a solid understanding of the concepts being covered.

UNIT WEBPAGE AND RESOURCES TO ASSIST YOUR LEARNING

Websites

The web page for this unit can be found on iLearn. Recordings of lectures will be available through echo360 linked on the unit iLearn page.

Discussion Boards

The unit makes use of discussion boards hosted within iLearn. Please post questions of general interest there (for example, about assessment tasks), they are monitored by the unit staff but students may also provide answers. 

Feedback

You have many opportunities to seek and to receive feedback. During live lectures/consultation, you are encouraged to ask the lecturer questions to clarify anything you might not be sure of. You may also arrange to meet with your teaching assistant or the lecturer or attend the consultation hours of any teaching staff. Each week, you will be given activities and problems to solve in workshops. It is important that you keep up with these problems every week. 

Technology

Flutter, Android Studio, and Figma

 

Unit Schedule

Week

 Lecturer

Topic (Subjected to Change)

1 

 CR

Introduction to Mobile Application Development

2

 CR

User Experience Design

3 

 CR User Experience Design

4 

 CR

Introducing Flutter and the Dart Language

5 

 CR

Flutter App Development

6 

 CR

Flutter App Development
Mid Semester Teaching Break

7 

 MR State Management and Data Persistance

8 

 MR

Authentication, Testing and Debugging

9 

 MR

Application Deployment

10 

 MR

Mobile Applications Security

11 

 MR Mobile Operating Systems

12 

 MR Alternatives to Flutter
13 MR Unit Review

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 have simplified the assessment from previous years.  We have removed one assessment (Quizzes) and adjusted the weight of other assessments. 

 

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook