Print View: CSSE7030 - Sem 2 2008 - St Lucia

2. Aims, Objectives & Graduate Attributes

2.1 Course Aims

CSSE7030 focuses on the organising ideas of software design and construction. Because software systems are highly complex structures, special effort and techniques are needed to control that complexity and make them understandable by humans, not simply machines. Taking CSSE7030 will teach you such techniques, which are common to good software engineering design, independent of the programming language, and include building abstractions to hide details, separating specification from implementation and establishing conventional interfaces to allow the creation of standard modules. Programming practice is necessary to the course, and you'll be using Python as it is well-suited to understanding fundamental computing ideas and practices.

At course completion, you will appreciate a diversity of major programming paradigms, including data abstraction and object-oriented programming.

2.2 Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

1  understand basic Object Oriented concepts such as classes, instances, methods and inheritance,
2  understand program constructs such as assignment statements, if statements, while and for loops,
3  read and understand code written by others,
4  read and understand a design and be able to translate the design into a working program,
5  apply techniques for testing and debugging,
6  design and implement simple GUIs
7  understand and put into practice basic concepts in complexity analysis, and
8  understand ideas of Functional style programming in Python including higher-order functions, list comprehension and generators.

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

3. Learning Resources

3.2 Recommended Resources

Python for Rookies: A First Course in Programming. Sarah Mount, James Shuttleworth, Russel Winder

Python Programming: an Introduction to Computer Science, John Zeele

How to Think Like a Computer Scientist, Downey, Elkner and Meyers

3.3 University Learning Resources

Access to required and recommended resources, plus past central exam papers, is available at the UQ Library website (http://library.uq.edu.au/search/r?SEARCH=CSSE7030).

The University offers a range of resources and services to support student learning. Details are available on the myServices website (https://student.my.uq.edu.au/).

3.4 School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Learning Resources

Students enrolled at St Lucia who wish to retain a hard copy of this profile can use the free print quota provided each semester to students enrolled in courses in the School of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering. For information on how to use this print quota, see the School Policy on Student Photocopying and Printing (St Lucia) (http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/about_ITEE/policies/copy-print.html). Students enrolled at the Ipswich campus will either be provided with a hard copy or given directions in class on how to obtain a free copy.

ITEE course websites can be found at http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~COURSECODE. Many ITEE courses also have Usenet newsgroups, named uq.itee.COURSECODE. Instructions for accessing newsgroups are available at http://studenthelp.itee.uq.edu.au/faq/1stYearFAQ.html#accessnews.

3.5 Other Learning Resources & Information

Course Web Page
The course web site is available at http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~csse1001. Lecture material, assignment and other resources will all be made available via this site.

Online Material

Lecture related notes in the form of HTML documents are available on the course web site. We expect to spend most of the lecture time doing examples and discussing related concepts and problems. You need to be prepared for the lectures for this course by having gone through the appropriate HTML documents beforehand.

CSSE1001 will make use of the xTutor system from the iCampus initiative at MIT. The xTutor system is an online system for managing tutorial problems. You will be asked questions and your answers will be checked and automatically marked.

The due dates for reading HTML documents and answering tutorial problems in xTutor appear on the course web page.

Facilities
Practical work for this course will take place in the PC labs. Several slots have been booked for CSSE1001, when you will have priority in the lab. A tutor will be present to answer questions and help with any problems - this includes any problems you are having with any of the online material. You should be aware that you will need to do more work independently of the 3 hours per week that is set aside.

The required software, libraries and documentation are on the the machines in the PC labs and instructions for downloading for home use appear on the course web site.

For details of the Occupational Health and Safety requirements of the labs, refer to the ITEE Student Guide.

Handouts
Notes, assignments, solutions, etc. will be made available on the CSSE1001 web page.

Distribution of Notices
Important notices will appear on the CSSE1001 newsgroup.

Newsgroup
The course newsgroup is uq.itee.csse1001. This group is available on both the University and School news servers (news.uq.edu.au and news.itee.uq.edu.au). You are free to post questions (and answers!) to the newsgroup. Copies of announcements will also be posted to the newsgroup. The teaching staff will monitor the newsgroup.

You should be careful about posting questions or answers directly related to the assignment. If you are uncertain please contact the teaching staff.

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
Multiple choice exam Exam during exam period	during exam period	50% or 60%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
On-line On-line problems	various due dates throughout semester	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Computer Exercise Assignment 1	29 Aug 08 17:00	10% or 15%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Design Design document for assignment 3	12 Sep 08 17:00	0%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Computer Exercise Assignment 2	10 Oct 08 17:00	10% or 15%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Computer Exercise Assignment 3	17 Oct 08 17:00	0% or 20%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

5.2 Course Grading

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

The minimum percentage required for a grade of 1 is: 0%

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: 44-49%

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%

Other Requirements & Comments :
The assessment for CSSE1001 has three components:

Three assignments: the first two are mandatory for all students. The result from the advanced third assignment is used for calculating grades of 6 and 7 - see below.

Online tutorials.

Final multiple choice exam.

To calculate your final grade and mark, we use two overall marks, one that does not include the assignment 3 mark and a second one that does. For the first overall mark, MARK1, assignments 1 and 2 contribute 15%, the online tutorial mark contributes 10%, and the exam mark contributes 60%.

MARK1 = 0.15*A1 + 0.15*A2 + 0.6*Exam + 0.1*Tut

For the second overall mark, MARK2, assignments 1 and 2 contribute 10%, assignment 3 contributes 20%, the online tutorial mark contributes 10% and the exam mark contributes 50%.

MARK2= 0.1*A1 + 0.1*A2 + +0.2*A3 + 0.5*Exam + 0.1*Tut

Your final grade and final mark are then the highest grade for which your component results satisfy the criteria in the following table.

grade final mark what you need to do

7 MARK2 MARK2 >= 85% and Exam >= 90%

6 MIN(84,MARK2) MARK2 >= 75% and Exam >= 85%

5 MIN(74,MAX(MARK1,MARK2)) MAX(MARK1, MARK2) >= 65% and Exam >= 75%

4 MIN(64,MAX(MARK1,MARK2)) MAX(MARK1, MARK2) >= 50% and Exam >= 65%

3 MIN(49,MAX(MARK1,MARK2)) MAX(MARK1, MARK2) >= 50% and Exam >= 55%

2 MAX(MARK1,MARK2) MAX(MARK1,MARK2) >= 20%

1 MAX(MARK1,MARK2) otherwise

At the discretion of the course coordinator, final grades and marks may be scaled upwards, but not downwards.

5.3 Late Submission

For assignments 1 and 2, late submissions will lose 10% of the total marks for the assignment for each day the submission is late. A mark of 0
will be awarded for assignments more than 5 days late.

No extension will be granted for assignment 3 or the xTutor problems .

Students in exceptional personal circumstances (documented medical reason or family emergency) should contact the lecturer as early as possible to discuss extensions.

5.5 Assessment Detail

Exam during exam period

Type: Multiple choice exam
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Due Date:
during exam period
Weight: 50% or 60%
Task Description: Details will be given later in the semester.
Criteria & Marking: The multiple choice exam will test basic understanding of the concepts discussed in the course.

On-line problems

Type: On-line
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Due Date:
various due dates throughout semester
Weight: 10%
Task Description: See course web page for details.
Criteria & Marking: The on-line problems are automatically marked - no marking criteria is supplied
Submission: On-line

Assignment 1

Type: Computer Exercise
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Due Date:
29 Aug 08 17:00
Weight: 10% or 15%
Task Description: See details on the course web page
Criteria & Marking: The marking criteria will be supplied with the assignment.
Submission: On-line

Design document for assignment 3

Type: Design
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Due Date:
12 Sep 08 17:00
Weight: 0%
Task Description: This is the initial design document for assignment 3. Students who do not submit an acceptable document will receive 0 marks for assignment 3. A complete design document will be one of the deliverables for assignment 3.
Criteria & Marking: The marking criteria will be supplied with assignment 3.
Submission: on-line

Assignment 2

Type: Computer Exercise
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Due Date:
10 Oct 08 17:00
Weight: 10% or 15%
Task Description: See web page for details.
Criteria & Marking: The marking criteria will be supplied with the assignment.
Submission: On-line

Assignment 3

Type: Computer Exercise
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Due Date:
17 Oct 08 17:00
Weight: 0% or 20%
Task Description: This is an advanced assignment aimed at students who are aiming for a grade of 6 or 7. This assignment aims to determine the level of excellence in design and programming of the student. Consequently, you will need to demonstrate that you are at least strong in design and programming in order to receive any marks at all for this assignment. Marks will be determined by the level of excellence and not by the amount of effort. The design document for assignment 3 needs to be accepted before the student
can undertake this assignment.
Criteria & Marking: The marking criteria will be supplied with the assignment.
Submission: On-line

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=25109)

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)

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) 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) 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) and to the policy on Special Arrangements for Examinations for Students with a Disability (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25111

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) and Postgraduate Students (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25057) 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