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Monash University

FIT3036 Computer science project - Semester 1, 2011

This unit is intended to provide practical experience in designing, developing and testing a non-trivial computer science project. Projects are generally software-based, although sometimes they may involve hardware development or investigation of theory. Projects cover the whole process of software (or hardware) development, from analysis through design to implementation and testing. Comprehensive written documentation on the project is required. Students are assigned in groups to a project supervisor. There are no lectures in this unit, although students will be expected to attend regular meetings with their project supervisor.

Mode of Delivery

  • Clayton (Day)
  • Sunway (Day)

Contact Hours

1 hr project meeting/week

Workload

This unit requires 12 hours of work per week over a semester. Students must be prepared to commit extra hours of private study to meet this requirement, in addition to the 1 contact hour per week.

Unit Relationships

Prohibitions

CSE3301, FIT3144

Prerequisites

FIT2004 or FIT3140

Chief Examiner

Sid Ray

Campus Lecturer

Clayton

Sid Ray

Reza Haffari

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this unit students will have -
A knowledge and understanding of:

  • strategies for developing a non-trivial programming, hardware, or theory-based project.
  • how to locate and utilise prior research and methods on a particular topic;
  • how to cite bibliographic references the student has used to understand various components of the project, support claims on knowledge, events, hypotheses and theories;
  • how to document software development from a user and application programming perspective;
  • software development methods: analysis, design, implementation and testing applied to the design and development of a non-trivial project.
Developed attitudes that enable them to:
  • acknowledge the importance of attending and contributing to meetings as a method of gaining important information and ideas about the project;
  • understand the basic requirements of software development from both user and developer perspectives;
  • appreciate the importance of correctly acknowledging the work of others in researching solutions to problems;
  • value the role of work books in documenting a projects progress and keeping track of its development.
Developed the skills to:
  • search, access, and analyse research literature as part of the process of developing solutions to problems;
  • understand the importance of analysis, design, documentation, and testing in developing a non-trivial software project;
  • write a moderately detailed report explaining methodology, outlining their contributions and the contributions of others, documenting the developed project from developer and user perspectives.
Demonstrated the communication skills necessary to:
  • understand the role of the client (or user) in the software development process;
  • appreciate the importance of written communication in documenting project development;
  • understand the importance of assessing time and resource requirements in the successful completion of non-trivial projects;
  • appreciate the importance of time and resource management in order to deliver non-trivial projects to deadlines.

Graduate Attributes

Monash prepares its graduates to be:
  1. responsible and effective global citizens who:
    1. engage in an internationalised world
    2. exhibit cross-cultural competence
    3. demonstrate ethical values
  2. critical and creative scholars who:
    1. produce innovative solutions to problems
    2. apply research skills to a range of challenges
    3. communicate perceptively and effectively

    Assessment Summary

    Projects are assessed by individual project supervisors.

    Assessment Task Value Due Date
    Attendance 10 marks Weekly, as arranged with supervisor
    Achievement 30 marks Friday 27 May 2011
    Report 30 marks Friday 27 May 2011
    Testing 10 marks Friday 27 May 2011
    Workbook 10 marks Friday 27 May 2011
    Final Demonstration 10 marks Held during Week 12 (week starting 23 May 2011)

    Teaching Approach

    Problem-based learning
    Students are encouraged to take responsibility for organising and directing their learning with support from their supervisors.

    Feedback

    Our feedback to You

    Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:
    • Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
    • Interviews
    • Other: Marked project reports

    Your feedback to Us

    Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through SETU, Student Evaluation of Teacher and Unit. The University's student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

    For more information on Monash's educational strategy, and on student evaluations, see:
    http://www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/directions.html
    http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html

    Previous Student Evaluations of this unit

    If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
    https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp

    Required Resources

    For projects students will normally need access to a computer and programming environment.

    Individual requirements will be identified by project supervisors.





    Unit Schedule

    Week Date* Activities Assessment
    0 21/02/11   No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0
    1 28/02/11 Preliminary reading & Project selection 1 March 2011, 2 March 2011
    2 07/03/11 Preliminary reading 11 March 2011: Date of completion of the activity "Preliminary reading"; No formal assessment
    3 14/03/11 Plan of Attack  
    4 21/03/11 Milestone 1 25 March 2011: Date of completion of Milestone 1, the 1st set of tasks in the project; No formal assessment
    5 28/03/11    
    6 04/04/11    
    7 11/04/11    
    8 18/04/11 Milestone 2 21 April 2011: Date of completion of Milestone 2; No formal assessment
    Mid semester break
    9 02/05/11    
    10 09/05/11 Milestone 3 13 May 2011: Date of completion of Milestone 3; No formal assessment
    11 16/05/11    
    12 23/05/11 Milestone 4 27 May 2011: Date of completion of Milestone 4, the final set of tasks in the project; Submission of Project Report
      30/05/11 SWOT VAC No formal assessment is undertaken SWOT VAC

    *Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.

    Assessment Policy

    To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

    • 40% or more in the unit's examination, and
    • 40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
    • an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

    If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit

    Assessment Tasks

    Participation

    • Assessment task 1
      Title:
      Attendance
      Description:
      Meetings are usually held weekly at a time and place convenient to the individual supervisors and each project group. Times and locations will be listed on the third-year notice-board and the online project list as soon as they are announced. The first meeting for each group will usually occur in the first week of semester so please check these lists until you have found the time for your first meeting.
      Weighting:
      10 marks
      Criteria for assessment:

      Attendance = 1 mark

      Absence = 0 mark 

      Marks achieved = minimum of [No. of days attended, 10]

      Due date:
      Weekly, as arranged with supervisor
    • Assessment task 2
      Title:
      Achievement
      Description:
      This mark will be allocated by the project supervisor, and reflects the outcomes of the project as realised by the student.
      Weighting:
      30 marks
      Criteria for assessment:

      To be advised by the individual project supervisors, during weekly discussions.

      Due date:
      Friday 27 May 2011
    • Assessment task 3
      Title:
      Report
      Description:
      This provides a complete account of your efforts towards completing the assigned project.
      Weighting:
      30 marks
      Criteria for assessment:

      To be advised.

      Due date:
      Friday 27 May 2011
    • Assessment task 4
      Title:
      Testing
      Description:
      Testing of the software developed.
      Weighting:
      10 marks
      Criteria for assessment:

      Evidence that the software has been adequately tested.

      Due date:
      Friday 27 May 2011
    • Assessment task 5
      Title:
      Workbook
      Description:
      A notebook (or computer file) containing weekly entries describing what has been accomplished through the week.  Details on how the workbook should be organized are supplied with the project details.
      Weighting:
      10 marks
      Criteria for assessment:

      At least 10 weekly entries.

      Due date:
      Friday 27 May 2011
    • Assessment task 6
      Title:
      Final Demonstration
      Description:
      A demonstration of the software in a working environment.
      Weighting:
      10 marks
      Criteria for assessment:

      To be advised.

      Due date:
      Held during Week 12 (week starting 23 May 2011)

    Examinations

    Assignment submission

    Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/

    You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

    Extensions and penalties

    Submission must be made by the due date otherwise penalties will be enforced.

    You must negotiate any extensions formally with your campus unit leader via the in-semester special consideration process: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html.

    Returning assignments

    Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later

    Policies

    Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University's academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them. You can find Monash's Education Policies at:
    http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html

    Key educational policies include:

    Student services

    The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at www.monash.edu.au/students The Monash University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis

    Reading List

    Any textbooks required will be determined by individual project supervisors on a case-by-case basis.

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