This mark is based on tutorial performance in the weekly tutorial exercises. There will be 10 tutorial exercises (no tutorial in Weeks 1, 7 and 13). For each exercise you submit on time, it will be mark out of 2. This marks for a maximum possible total of 20; your total will be multiplied by 8/20 to give your tutorial mark out of 8. 

For the hurdle requirement of this assessment task, students must satisfactorily complete (on time submission and get at least a mark of 0.5 out of 2) in a minimum of 8 (eight) out of 10 (ten) i.e. 80% of the weekly tutorial exercises to achieve a grade of pass or higher in this unit. 

Each tutorial exercise should be submitted by 12pm on the Friday following the tutorial class. You may find you can usually submit your exercise during the tutorial class. Submission should be via iLearn. 

No extension will be granted. Student who have not submitted the solution to the tutorial prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.

This mark is based on your contribution to the unit’s online discussion forum. In particular, these marks are gained by completing the ‘online task’, assigned in the first lecture.

No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted their post prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.

The group project will be completed in groups of about four. The focus is more on learning than assessment. Group members who pull their weight will have a much easier time with the remainder of the unit. (Let’s disprove the words of William Lowe Bryan: “Education is one of the few things a person is willing to pay for and not get.”) Submission will be via iLearn, in stages, but details will be given at the end of Week 3. Notice that 50% of the mark will be awarded based on the various group report submissions and the remaining 50% will be awarded individually based on an oral presentation made in Week 13.

In the case of the late submission for the group report, if no special consideration has been granted, 10% of the earned mark will be deducted for each 24 hour period of part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission - 20% penalty), up to a maximum of 50%. After 5 days/120 hours, including weekends and public holidays, a mark of 0% will be awarded.

Students should contact the LIC straightaway if there are any questions or concerns regarding their group report submission.

NOTE: It is not the intention of this late penalty policy to cause a student to fail the unit when they have submitted their assignment no more than 5 days after the due date and they would have otherwise passed. In this case, if deductions for late assignments result in the final unit mark for a student being less than 50, when otherwise it would have been 50 or greater, the student's final mark will be exactly 50.

The only excuse for not participating in the oral presentation at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these special circumstances you may apply for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au.

You will be issued two assignments during the semester to be completed individually and submitted via iLearn. 

In the case of a late submission for the assessments, if no special consideration has been granted, 10% of the earned mark will be deducted for each 24 hour period of part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission - 20% penalty), up to a maximum of 50%. After 5 days, counted including weekends and public holidays, a mark of 0% will be awarded. NOTE: It is not the intention of this late penalty policy to cause a student to fail the unit when they have submitted their assignment no more than 5 days after the due date and they would have otherwise passed. In this case, if deductions for late assignments result in the final unit mark for a student being less than 50, when otherwise it would have been 50 or greater, the student's final mark will be exactly 50.

In the Week 7 lecture you will sit a 50-minute practical test. The test will be conducted under exam conditions, that is, silently and with no communication between students. It is, however, an open-book test; you may bring in your lecture notes, crib sheets, calculator and so forth, as you see fit. You should not bring a cellphone to the test.

The only excuse for not sitting the mid-semester practical test at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these special circumstances you may apply for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au.

At the end of semester you will sit a three-hour practical exam in the computer labs. The second half of the semester will be more emphasised (because the first half will have been tested in the mid-semester test), but the entire unit will be considered examinable in this exam. The conditions will be the same as for the mid-semester test, that is, open-book and exam conditions.

Students are expected to present themselves for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable. The timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the examinations and in Final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of the examinations.

You are advised that it is Macquarie University policy not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, that is, the final day of the official examination period.

The only excuse for not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these special circumstances you may apply for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au.

If you receive special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the interval between the regular exam period and the start of the next session.  By making a special consideration application for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments.  Please ensure you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application. You can check the supplementary exam information page on FSE101 in iLearn (bit.ly/FSESupp) for dates, and approved applicants will receive an individual notification one week prior to the exam with the exact date and time of their supplementary examination.