Course coordinator
Professor Ryan Ko
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Elec Engineering & Comp Science School
Industry capstone projects are available to students who are eligible to complete CYBR7901. Industry capstone projects are an opportunity for students to work on a project in collaboration and onsite with industry through their course. To enrol in CYBR7901 with an industry project, students must follow the 6 step process on the website Master of Cyber Security - Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology - University of Queensland. For those students who intend to complete an academic research project, you do not need to complete your six-step process. Your course coordinator will discuss academic research options further at the commencement of the semester in which you intend to complete this course.
The Master of Cyber Security capstone project requires students to bring together their discipline knowledge,ﾠanalyticﾠand interpretive skills to execute a project in an academic or organisational/industry setting. This course is the first part of the capstone project and involves
- problem identification and refinement
- exploring and understanding organisational context (for industry-based projects)
- finding and analysing relevant literature
- developing a methodology
- project planning
- communication of all of these elements in both written and oral forms
Students will develop relevant generic skills in class and through classroom assessment tasks, and project-specific supervision will be provided by the allocated discipline-specific academic supervisor. Industry and organisational-based projects will also have an industry supervisor to provide organisational context and support.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
Completion of minimum of 8 units towards the Master of Cyber Security program including CYBR7001 and appropriate core courses for field of study.
Restrictions
Enrolment restricted to students in the MCyberSec program.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Professor Ryan Ko
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
The capstone project aims to equip students with the skills required to undertake a substantial research-informed project within either an academic or organisational/business context, including, but not limited to:
- problem identification, clarification and elaboration
- stakeholder communication in written and oral forms
- literature review and analysis
- project planning, including risk analysis and identifying required resources
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Discover, synthesise and justify a meaningful technical, organisational or other research problem from your cyber security discipline area, making use of appropriate resources including technical and academic literature, and organisational enquiry.
LO2.
Develop and justify a research-informed methodology to tackle this problem with consideration of technical/subject matter expertise, ethical and legal aspects, appropriate to the organisational or academic context.
LO3.
Apply effective written and oral communication skills to Communicate the problem and the proposed methodology to colleagues and stakeholders in context- and audience-appropriate ways
LO4.
Apply the knowledge of effective oral presentations for technical, non-technical, and mixed audiences to conduct an effective oral presentation in academic and non-academic contexts.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Writing assignment | 10% |
21/03/2025 2:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Presentation assignment - in-class
|
10% |
4/04/2025 2:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Capstone Project Proposal Seminar
|
25% |
23/05/2025 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Capstone Proposal Report | 55% |
30/05/2025 2:00 pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Writing assignment
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
21/03/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
Develop a written critique of a research paper relevant to your capstone project. Task details will be provided on Blackboard. Assessment criteria and rubric are provided on Blackboard.
Generative AI and Machine Translation in Assessment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The assignment will be submitted on Blackboard and submitted to TurnItIn for plagiarism detection.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Feedback will be released to students within 7-14 days.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Presentation assignment - in-class
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
4/04/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L04
Task description
Deliver an oral/seminar-based critique of a research paper that is relevant to your capstone project. Task details will be provided on Blackboard. Assessment criteria and rubric are provided on Blackboard. Students must present live in class. This is an identity-verified piece of assessment - all students must present their student card or government-issued photographic ID for identity verification.
Generative AI and Machine Translation in Assessment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Presentation slides are to be uploaded to Blackboard/TurnItIn prior to the commencement of the presentation session.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
In-class Presentation
Maximum Extension: 7 days. Feedback will be released to students within 7-14 days.
Late Penalty: 100% Late Penalty.
Presentation Slides
Maximum Extension: 7 days. Feedback will be released to students within 7-14 days.
Late Penalty: A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Capstone Project Proposal Seminar
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
23/05/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Seminar-based presentation of your capstone project proposal, and provision of feedback on presentations of other students. Full task details to be provided on Blackboard. Task rubric and criteria provided on Blackboard.
In accordance with UQ Assessment Policy, your presentation will be recorded.
Generative AI and Machine Translation in Assessment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
If your seminar mark is less than 40% then your overall mark will be capped at 49% and your final grade will be capped at 3.Submission guidelines
Students must arrange a seminar time directly with their supervisor, to be completed prior to the due date. Seminar presentation slides are to be uploaded to Blackboard/Turnitin.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
In-class Presentation
Maximum Extension: 7 days. Feedback will be released to students within 7-14 days.
Late Penalty: 100% Late Penalty.
Presentation Slides
Maximum Extension: 7 days. Feedback will be released to students within 7-14 days.
Late Penalty: A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Capstone Proposal Report
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 55%
- Due date
30/05/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Written proposal document for your capstone project, defining the problem, organisational context (if relevant), literature review, required resources, project plan and risk assessment. Full task details provided on Blackboard. Assessment rubric and criteria are provided on Blackboard.
Generative AI and Machine Translation in Assessment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The assignment will be submitted on Blackboard and scanned for plagiarism via TurnItIn.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Feedback will be released to students within 7-14 days.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Fails to demonstrate most or all of the basic requirements of the course |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 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 |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Demonstrates a 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 |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 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 |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 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 |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 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 |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 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 |
Additional course grading information
- Your final mark (percentage) will be rounded to the nearest whole number before cutoffs are applied.
-
If your seminar mark is less than 40% then your overall mark will be capped at 49% and your final grade will be capped at 3.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.
Students achieving a grade of 3 in CYBR7901 may apply for supplementary assessment. This will constitute a resubmission of the Capstone Proposal Report assessment task, due within 7 days of approval of supplementary assessment. No additional project supervision will be available for the completion of this task.
Additional assessment information
Generative AI and Machine Translation in Assessment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Other course materials
If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.
Required
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Course Blackboard site |
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Seminar |
Seminar Lectures will be held on-campus. Lecture recordings will be made available. Learning materials are available on blackboard. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Not Timetabled |
Cyber Security Capstone Project It is important to remember that you largely drive your project. You are responsible for managing the timely completion of your project, generating ideas, working through difficulties, searching for appropriate resources, and completing your project deliverables on time. Your supervisors's role should be as an advisor and mentor. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: