Assessment Task Release Dates:

Assignment: To be released no later than 3rd August

Quiz:  Information to be released during the lecture of Week 6. NB. You must attend the SGTA you are registered in on e-student.

Final Take Home Essay: Specifications to be released no later than 26th October

Late Assessment 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

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 connect.mq.edu.au.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted 

In this unit, late submissions will be accepted as follows: 

Assignment: YES, Standard Late Penalties apply 

QUIZ: NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted

Final Take Home Essay: YES, Standard Late Penalty applies 

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To be eligible to pass this unit, it is necessary to obtain a mark of at least 50% in the unit overall.

NB. SHORT EXTENSION option is not available in this unit.

AI in this unit:

AI Open and Observed (With AI Optional) 

AI Open Assessments:

• Are completed in unsupervised or unrestricted environments (for example, take-home or online tasks).
• Assume that students may use AI tools.
• Are typically designed for learning or as learning, supporting exploration and feedback.
• Provide opportunities to develop higher order skills such as analysis, evaluation, and problem solving, whether or not AI tools are used.
• Are where AI may be irrelevant to the task, e.g. fieldwork. 
• The table below provides a brief comparison of AI Open and Observed (with AI Optional) assessments. 

Assessments that fall under AI Open in COMP1300/6013:

Assignment: due 9/10/2026

Final Take Home Essay: 6/11/2026

Please note: Use of Generative AI is permitted, but you should use it in a manner that furthers your understanding rather than submitting the work of LLMs as your own. Note that we are marking you, and NOT the LLM. If you do not learn from doing the assignment yourself (even if with the assistance of GenAI), you will be unable to develop the skills required for the workplace and/or required in other units.

• Are completed in supervised environments (ideally in-person), where use of AI is controlled or not permitted.​
• Assure learning where non-restricted use of AI would compromise the assessment of learning outcomes​.
• Promote learning where non-restricted use of AI would hinder essential knowledge or skill acquisition.
• Are often thought of as invigilated exams, but there are many more options available. 

Assessments that fall under Observed for  COMP1300/6013:

QUIZ: Completed in your enrolled SGTA in week 7 

ie. The Quiz is closed book.

Teaching and Learning Strategy

COMP1300 is taught via Live lectures (in class) and streamed via Echo. SGTA is taught via live classes on campus. The feedback that you receive in SGTA plays also a crucial role in your learning.

Lectures are used to introduce new material, give examples of the advances in Cyber Security and technologies and put them in a wider context. The unit is an introduction which in turn will be explored further in other units at Macquarie University.

SGTA classes are small group classes which give you the opportunity to interact with your peers and with a SGTA instructor who has a sound knowledge of the subject. This also gives you a chance to practice your soft skills.

You have many opportunities to seek for and to receive feedback. During lectures, you are encouraged to ask the lecturer questions to clarify anything you might not be sure of. 

Week 1 classes

SGTA classes start in week 1 and the Lectures start in week 1. Week 1 lecture will be on Wed 29th Jul 2026

Each week you should:

• Participate in live lectures, take notes, ask questions
• Participate in your SGTA classes and seek feedback from your SGTA instructor on your work
• Read assigned reading material, add to your notes and prepare questions for your lecturer or SGTA instructor
• Start working on any assessments immediately after they have been released.

Lecture notes are made available each week but these notes are intended as an outline of the lecture only and are not a substitute for your own notes or reading additional material. We release material usually in blocks of 2-3 weeks to not overwhelm students.

Classes

Each week you should participate in two hours of live lectures and a one hour SGTA class (on campus).

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.

Textbook

Being a fast paced ever evolving unit, it was deemed that a textbook would not validate the complexity of Cyber Security.

Technology used and required

Echo

Digital recordings of lectures are available.

COMP1300 makes use of the following software in the lab:

• Microsoft Windows 10 +
• Microsoft Office 2016 +
• Edge or Mozilla Firefox or Chrome or Opera

Website

The web page for this unit can be found at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au.

Student Support Services

Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.

Assumed knowledge

Basic computer use skills.

We value student feedback as an important part of continually improving the quality of our teaching and learning. Students are encouraged to provide constructive feedback through the University student surveys, directly to the teaching team, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link available in iLearn.

Feedback from the previous offering of COMP1300 was very positive. Students particularly appreciated the clear assessment expectations, the organisation of the unit, and the support provided by the teaching team. Based on this feedback, no major changes to the overall delivery of the unit are planned. However, we remain committed to continuously enhancing the learning experience by refining our teaching practices, maintaining a high level of student support, and fostering an engaging and inclusive learning environment.