Print View: COMP7705 - Sem 1 2008 - St Lucia

2. Aims, Objectives & Graduate Attributes

2.1 Course Aims

This course sits at the intersection between information & communications technology (ICT) and the social contexts in which it is used. Students taking this course will be introduced to social and technical concepts related to computer-mediated communication, ubiquitous computing, and other interaction design issues related to the understanding of social settings, and development of mobile and social software to support them. Students will gain first hand experience with a range of current social and mobile applications, and learn theories and methods related to the design of social and mobile computing systems. Design skills will be developed through the combined application of the practical and theoretical knowledge gained through the course.

2.2 Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

1  Describe the people-centred issues underlying the design of successful technologies in social and mobile settings.
2  Apply lessons learned from theory and practical experience to the design of prototype social and mobile applications.
3  Reflect on current developments in popular applications supporting social and mobile networks in various contexts.
4  Describe the origins of the methods and processes from other disciplines and why they are useful when designing technologies for use in social and mobile settings.
5  Explain the social and technical implications for individuals and society of the spread of ICT from the workplace into everyday lives.
6  Effectively manage individual work while collaborating on team projects in multidisciplinary settings.
7  Effectively communicate design processes and outcomes to peers and assessors in a variety of settings.
8  Produce solutions to design problems through the creative application of design methods and processes that are appropriate for the problem context.
9  Make justified, critical decisions and reflections on design processes applied to inform the design of social and mobile technologies.
10  Reflect on the implications of design decisions on people's personal and social experiences with each other through and around technology.

2.3. Graduate Attributes

Successfully completing this course will contribute to the recognition of your attainment of the following UQ (Postgrad Coursework) graduate attributes:

GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE	LEARNING OBJECTIVES
*A. IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF THE FIELD OF STUDY*
A2. A broad understanding of the field of study, including how other disciplines relate to the field of study.	1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
A3. A comprehensive and in-depth knowledge in the field of study.	1, 2, 3, 10
A5. An international perspective on the field of study.	1, 2, 3, 5
A7. An appreciation of the link between theory and practice.
*B. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION*
B1. The ability to collect, analyse and organise information and ideas and to convey those ideas clearly and fluently, in both written and spoken forms.	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10
B2. The ability to interact effectively with others in order to work towards a common outcome.	2, 6, 9
B3. The ability to select and use the appropriate level, style and means of communication.	1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10
B4. The ability to engage effectively and appropriately with information and communication technologies.	3, 5, 7
B5. The ability to practise as part of an interdisciplinary team.	2, 4, 6, 7, 9
*C. INDEPENDENCE AND CREATIVITY*
C2. The ability to work and learn independently and effectively.	1, 3, 5, 10
C3. The ability to generate ideas and adapt innovatively to changing environments.	2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10
C5. The ability to formulate and investigate problems, create solutions, innovate and improve current practices.	1, 2, 5, 8
C6. The abilities and skills that provide a foundation for future leadership roles.	6, 8, 9
*D. CRITICAL JUDGEMENT*
D2. The ability to apply critical reasoning to issues through independent thought and informed judgement.	1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
D4. The ability to process material and to critically analyse and integrate information from a wide range of sources.	1, 3, 5, 8, 10
D5. The ability to evaluate opinions, make decisions and to reflect critically on the justifications for decisions using an evidence-based approach.	1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10
*E. ETHICAL AND SOCIAL UNDERSTANDING*
E1. An understanding of social and civic responsibility.	3, 5, 6
E3. An appreciation of the philosophical and social contexts of a discipline.	1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10
E4. A knowledge and respect of ethics and ethical standards in relation to a major area of study.	5, 6, 10
E5. A knowledge of other cultures and times and an appreciation of cultural diversity.	3, 5
E7. The ability to work effectively and sensitively across all areas of society.	8, 10
E8. An understanding of and respect for the roles and expertise of associated disciplines.	1, 4, 5

5. Assessment

5.1 Assessment Summary

This is a summary of the assessment in the course. For detailed information on each assessment, see 5.5 Assessment Detail below.

Assessment Task	Due Date	Weighting	Learning Objectives
Participation Experience social & mobile computing	29 Feb 08 13:00 - 30 May 08 12:00	15% (Individual)	3, 6, 7, 8, 10
Reflection Reflection on social and mobile computing tools	14 Mar 08 15:00 - 28 Mar 08 15:00	10% (Individual)5% peer, 5% criteria	1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10
Presentation Presentation on social and mobile computing tools	31 Mar 08 09:00 - 14 Apr 08 16:00	10% (Individual)	1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10
Project Prototype development	2 Apr 08 12:00 - 23 May 08 13:00	40% (Group)	2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9
Exam - during Exam Period (Central) Final exam	Examination Period	25%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

5.2 Course Grading

Grade 1, Fail: Fails to demonstrate most or all of the basic requirements of the course: 0% .. 19%

Grade 2, Fail: Demonstrates clear deficiencies in understanding and applying fundamental concepts; communicates information or ideas in ways that are frequently incomplete or confusing and give little attention to the conventions of the discipline: 20% .. 44%

Grade 3, Fail: Demonstrates superficial or partial or faulty understanding of the fundamental concepts of the field of study and limited ability to apply these concepts; presents undeveloped or inappropriate or unsupported arguments; communicates information or ideas with lack of clarity and inconsistent adherence to the conventions of the discipline: 45% .. 49%

Grade 4, Pass: Demonstrates adequate understanding and application of the fundamental concepts of the field of study; develops routine arguments or decisions and provides acceptable justification; communicates information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline: 50% .. 64%

Grade 5, Credit: Demonstrates substantial understanding of fundamental concepts of the field of study and ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; develops or adapts convincing arguments and provides coherent justification; communicates information and ideas clearly and fluently in terms of the conventions of the discipline: 65% .. 74%

Grade 6, Distinction: As for 5, with frequent evidence of originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and in creating solutions; uses a level, style and means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience: 75% .. 84%

Grade 7, High Distinction: As for 6, with consistent evidence of substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critically evaluates problems, their solutions and implications: 85% .. 100%

5.3 Late Submission

No extensions will be granted except in exceptional personal circumstances (documented medical reason or family emergency). Personal hardware or computer failures are not grounds for extension.

5.5 Assessment Detail

Experience social & mobile computing

Type: Participation
Learning Objectives Assessed: 3, 6, 7, 8, 10
Due Date:
29 Feb 08 13:00 - 30 May 08 12:00
Weight: 15%
(Individual)
Task Description: Participation in this course will incorporate an exploration of the types of applications that we will be studying through first-hand experience. Students will be expected to sign up for a number of current social and mobile computing systems and use them through the progress of the course.
Criteria & Marking: Students are required to sign up for and use a number of social and mobile computing applications. They will be provided with the list of applications in the first tutorial. Participation marks will be awarded based on evidence of an active exploration of the applications through use across the semester.

Reflection on social and mobile computing tools

Type: Reflection
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10
Due Date:
14 Mar 08 15:00 - 28 Mar 08 15:00
Weight: 10%
(Individual)5% peer, 5% criteria
Task Description: This assessment takes the form of an article posted to the course blog which reflects on the student's experience with using social and mobile computing applications. Students will need to reflect on their use of the applications required for course participation, as well as any other tools they already have experience with. Questions to focus on for the article might include:

which tool(s) worked well, and how/why?
which tool(s) proved to be problematic, and how/why?
are there any examples of situations where use of a tool led to positive outcomes which would otherwise not have happened?
are there any examples of situations where use of a tool led to negative outcomes?
have any of the tools increased the student's feeling of connection to their peers?
etc.

In writing the article, students should ensure that opinions stated are supported either by specific examples from their experience with particular tools, or by reference to work by other people which illustrates the point they wish to make.
Criteria & Marking: Grading for this assessment will be a combination of peer and criteria-based marking. Students will each be allowed the same number of 'diggs' to distribute amongst their peers' articles in the form of comments. The diggs should be seen as an online critique, so should be considered and reasoned comments either supporting or opposing the article.

Criteria for marking the articles will focus on the depth of treatment and how well the article is supported by evidence from the student's own experience, or from external (referenced) sources.

Full details for this assessment will be handed out on a sheet in class, and also available from the course web site.
Submission: Submission will be via posting to the course blog.

Presentation on social and mobile computing tools

Type: Presentation
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10
Due Date:
31 Mar 08 09:00 - 14 Apr 08 16:00
Weight: 10%
(Individual)
Task Description: This extra piece of assessment for Masters students only takes the form of a 15 minute presentation related to the reflection article posted to the course blog. The presentation should structure the argument in the article in a logical manner for presentation to a knowledgeable audience (Ubiquitous Computing Research Division staff and postgraduates).

The presentation should concisely describe the main argument of the article, presenting at least one aspect in detail, making use of appropriate visual aids, and keeping within time constraints.
Criteria & Marking: Grading for this assessment will use the standard ITEE criteria for coursework postgrad/honours seminars. Seminars will be scheduled for a 20 minute period (15 minutes presentation, 5 minutes questions). The audience will be made up of staff and postgraduate students (research and coursework) from the Ubiquitous Computing research group.

Full details for this assessment will be handed out on a sheet in class, and also available from the course web site.

Prototype development

Type: Project
Learning Objectives Assessed: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9
Due Date:
2 Apr 08 12:00 - 23 May 08 13:00
Weight: 40%
(Group)
Task Description: The practical component of this course is the team-based development of a prototype social/mobile application. Students will form teams of 4 members to work on this assessment. The project will follow a proposal-design-build-evaluate process, covering the following:

exploration of the problem space.

informed by previous work in the course, students propose a social/mobile application

prototype design

alternative solutions are sketched/mocked-up to arrive at candidate solution(s)

build

prototype is developed onto target platform

evaluate

the prototype is evaluated according to success criteria

The main expected platform for development and delivery of the prototype will be through the creation, critique, and revision of web mashups. Other options are also available to teams, such as the SunSPOTs which have been provided to the school by Sun Microsystems for use in this course, but approval should be sought from teaching staff before embarking choosing to do this.

Whilst team work has been specified and is expected to be the process for working on this assessment, individual projects are also possible by approval of the coordinator.
Criteria & Marking: Assessment for the project will take place in a formative manner throughout the semester, with one interim critique and a final demonstration as the key points when the work will be scrutinised more formally. Criteria will be concerned with creativity, imagination, and ingenuity of the design, how well the demonstration conveys the concept, and how clearly the work is presented.

Further details and criteria for this assessment will be handed out on a sheet in class, and also available from the course web site.
Submission: All project/prototype code, supporting material, etc. should be submitted as a single zip archive to the ITEE online submission system

Final exam

Type: Exam - during Exam Period (Central)
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Due Date:
Examination Period
Weight: 25%
Perusal: 10 minutes
Duration: 120 minutes
Format: Short answer, Short essay
Task Description: There will be a final examination lasting 2 hours during the final examination period. The exam will test students' knowledge and understanding of the material covered in the lecture series. It will be open book, and contain questions requiring a combination of essay and short answers. Any written material is permitted into the examination room, as well as a battery-operated non-programmable calculator. Programmable calculators and other computing or communication devices are NOT permitted. Special arrangements will be made for students with a disability to ensure that all students are provided a comparable opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and competency for assessment purposes.
Criteria & Marking: Criteria will include correctness of answer, quality of evidence or clarity of process used to arrive at answer, and clarity of expression of answer.

6. Policies & Guidelines

This section contains the details of and links to the most relevant policies and course guidelines. For further details on University Policies please visit myAdvisor and the University Handbook of Policies and Procedures.

6.1 Assessment Related Policies and Guidelines

University Policies & Guidelines

An overview of the University’s assessment-related policies can be found on myAdvisor (http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/index.html?page=2910).

Academic Integrity
It is the University's task to encourage ethical scholarship and to inform students and staff about the institutional standards of academic behaviour expected of them in learning, teaching and research. Students have a responsibility to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity in their work. Students must not cheat in examinations or other forms of assessment and must ensure they do not plagiarise.

Plagiarism
The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25128) which makes a comprehensive statement about the University's approach to plagiarism, including the approved use of plagiarism detection software, the consequences of plagiarism and the principles associated with preventing plagiarism.

Feedback on Assessment
Feedback is essential to effective learning and students can expect to receive appropriate and timely feedback on all assessment. For a detailed explanation of the feedback you are entitled to, you should consult the policy on Student Access to Feedback on Assessment. (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25114&pid=25075)

As a student you have a responsibility to incorporate feedback into your learning; make use of the assessment criteria that you are given; be aware of the rules, policies and other documents related to assessment; and provide teachers with feedback on their assessment practices.

There are certain steps you can take if you feel your result does not reflect your performance. Please refer to the myAdvisor web site. (http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/index.html?page=2953&pid=2910)

Feedback in this Course

In addition to feedback on assignments from teaching staff, this course also makes use of peer feedback in two ways:

reflective essays posted on the course blog will receive comments from others in the course and this will form part of the assessment for the reflection.
presentations in the critique sessions will receive immediate feedback in the form of comments and questions from the audience. In addition, peer feedback forms will be distributed to allow for anonymous comments to be made. These sheets will be scanned and posted on the class website for all students to have access to them.

School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Assessment Guidelines

Misconduct

Further to the statement on academic integrity and plagiarism above, students are required to read and understand the ITEE policy on Student Misconduct (http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/about_ITEE/policies/student-misconduct.html).

Late Arrival or Non-attendance at Examinations

The policy and procedure for late arrival or non-attendance at centrally controlled examinations is set out in the University's Examinations policy (HUPP 3.30.5), sections 8 and 10.2.

The way in which late arrival at a School-controlled examination is dealt with will be at the discretion of the course coordinator, who may be guided by the policy for centrally controlled exams.

In the case that a student requests a special exam for a School-controlled exam, the request will be considered and, if allowed, the timing shall be determined by the course coordinator, in consultation with the School's Chief Examiner where necessary, and in accordance with HUPP 3.30.5. Unless otherwise indicated in the Course Profile, applications must be made in writing to the Head of School no later than one week after the exam. Late applications will not be accepted.

Examination Feedback

In addition to the advice above, students wishing to view examination answer scripts and/or question papers should consult with the School office (Room 217, General Purpose South Building [78], St Lucia; Room 218, Building 1, Ipswich) regarding arrangements. The ITEE policy on exam script viewing is available at http://study.itee.uq.edu.au/current_students/exam_script_viewing.html.

Supplementary Assessment

If you fail this course you may be eligible for supplementary assessment - see the general award rules and/or your program rules for details. You should note that even though you may be eligible for supplementary assessment under these rules, in some circumstances there may be no practical assessment that can be offered to allow you to meet the minimum passing requirements. These circumstances may include failure based on:

group or team based assessment;
attendance or class participation requirements;
laboratory-based assessment, where laboratories can't practically be made available after classes have finished;
project or thesis-based assessment, where a significant period of time would be required to undertake supplementary assessment;
progressive assessment, where subsequent assessment items build on earlier assessment items; or
multiple assessment items, where it is impractical to offer multiple supplementary assessment items.

If the course coordinator determines that there is no practical supplementary assessment that can be offered to allow you to improve your grade, then you will not be offered supplementary assessment and your grade will remain unchanged.

6.2 Other Policies and Guidelines

University Policies and Guidelines

Placement Courses
Students on a placement course – also known as a work placement, internship, industry study, industry experience, clinical practice, clinical placement, practical work, practicum, fieldwork, teaching practice – should refer to the University policy, Placement Courses (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25120&pid=25075) for detailed information.

Working with Children
Students whose studies include a professional/work placement, internship, clinical practice, teaching practice or other similar activity which involves them in regular contact with children should refer to the University policy, Working with Children Check - "blue card" (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25004&pid=24963) to find out how to apply for a ‘blue card’.

Students with a Disability
Any student with a disability who may require alternative academic arrangements, including assessment, in the course/program is encouraged to seek advice at the commencement of the semester from a Disability Adviser at Student Support Services. Refer to the University policy, Students with a Disability (Disability Action Plan) (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25122&pid=25075) and to the policy on Special Arrangements for Examinations for Students with a Disability (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25111&pid=25075

Where an adjustment is made to an accredited program, it is the responsibility of the relevant Faculty to liaise with professional and registration bodies regarding the acceptability of the change/s.

Occupational Health and Safety
Undergraduate Students (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25055&pid=25015) and Postgraduate Students (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25057&pid=25015) should be familiar with the University policies on occupational health and safety in the laboratory.

Other School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Guidelines

Ethical Clearance

If your course involves assignment or project work involving human subjects or human-related materials, you must investigate the need for ethical clearance and obtain it when required. Information on ethical clearance can be found at http://www.uq.edu.au/research/orps/index.html?page=5064&pid=5256.

Learning Summary

Below is a table showing the relationship between the learning objectives for this course and the broader graduate attributes developed, the learning activities used to develop each objective and the assessment task used to assess each objective.

Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment & Learning Activities

	Learning Objectives
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Learning Activities
Social & Mobile Computing Lectures (Lecture Series)
Social & Mobile Computing Tutorials (Tutorial Series)
Assessment Tasks
Experience social & mobile computing
Reflection on social and mobile computing tools
Presentation on social and mobile computing tools
Prototype development
Final exam

Graduate Attributes

Successfully completing this course will contribute to the recognition of your attainment of the following UQ (Postgrad Coursework) graduate attributes:

	Learning Objectives
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Graduate Attributes
*A IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF THE FIELD OF STUDY*
A2. A broad understanding of the field of study, including how other disciplines relate to the field of study.
A3. A comprehensive and in-depth knowledge in the field of study.
A5. An international perspective on the field of study.
A7. An appreciation of the link between theory and practice.
*B EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION*
B1. The ability to collect, analyse and organise information and ideas and to convey those ideas clearly and fluently, in both written and spoken forms.
B2. The ability to interact effectively with others in order to work towards a common outcome.
B3. The ability to select and use the appropriate level, style and means of communication.
B4. The ability to engage effectively and appropriately with information and communication technologies.
B5. The ability to practise as part of an interdisciplinary team.
*C INDEPENDENCE AND CREATIVITY*
C2. The ability to work and learn independently and effectively.
C3. The ability to generate ideas and adapt innovatively to changing environments.
C5. The ability to formulate and investigate problems, create solutions, innovate and improve current practices.
C6. The abilities and skills that provide a foundation for future leadership roles.
*D CRITICAL JUDGEMENT*
D2. The ability to apply critical reasoning to issues through independent th

Dourish, P. (2001). Where the Action Is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Jones, M., & Marsden, G. (2006). Mobile Interaction Design. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

Dix, A., Finlay, J., Abowd, G., & Beale, R. (2003). Human-Computer Interaction (3rd ed.). New York: Prentice Hall.

Sharp, H., Rogers, Y., & Preece, J. (2007). Interaction Design: Beyond Human–Computer Interaction (2nd ed.). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

Greenfield, A. (2006). Everyware : the dawning age of ubiquitous computing. Berkeley, CA: New Riders. http://www.studies-observations.com/everyware/

COMP7705 - Sem 1 2008 - St Lucia - Internal

1. General Course Information

1.1 Course Details

1.2 Course Introduction

1.3 Course Staff

1.4 Timetable