Design Computing Studio I - Interactive Technology (DECO1800)

Course overview

This course introduces students to the Design Computing studio stream. Students work in multidisciplinary teams to design, iterate and implement design computing projects. Students will move from concept and proposal through to the design and technical resolution of proposed designs. The projects will also enable students to develop important skills such as problem solving, reflection in action, communication and presentation.

This course introduces students to the design process in relation to Interaction Design and Information Technology. Through this course, students will further develop their understanding of the nature of design and theﾠdesign process. Students will work in teams, followingﾠan iterative and reflexiveﾠuser-centredﾠprocess,ﾠto design and developﾠelegant design computing solutions, responding to a given brief.ﾠYou will be introduced to methods and skills for the generation, refinement, and implementation of your solutions, including reflexive critical reflection and analysis. In the studio, students are expected to apply knowledge and skills from your studiesﾠandﾠexperiences to date, to your work in thisﾠcourse—both individual and team-based. Students will develop skills in the communication of design ideas, approaches, and outcomes through a variety of forms. Students will develop skills in the management of team-based projects, from a project and team perspective. Additionally, students will learn and apply front and back end web development skills to realise and present a technically functioning digital prototype at a final tradeshow .

In response to previous student feedback, we have improved content alignment with DECO1400/7140 and DECO1800/7180, which will ensure students doing both courses concurrently, will have time to learn and apply a very basic level of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in DECO1400/7140 in the first five weeks, before the requirement to apply this content for the Major Project (Team) in DECO1800/7180. 

A deeper focus on team management, design process, design software, dataset mapping, interaction planning and work breakdown schedule, and critical reflection in Journals will occur in the first five weeks of DECO1800/7180. From week six students will begin the Portfolio assessment, and are encouraged to update weekly, where students are further applying HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills. Using interaction plans, students reveal a deeper understanding of the work breakdown schedule. This facilitates greater team collaboration to better assign workload. This expects to realise the need for all students to engage in learning the code, despite no previous experience with code for some students. From week seven onwards students will begin to code the digital component of their major project. This will again apply HTML and CSS skills while learning AJAX. From then students will learn APIs and PHP to begin their MVP by week 9 and fully implement final prototype by week 13.

In addition to the above, the lecture and studio is now one combined three-hour studio, consistent with other studios in the DECO stream of studios. This will facilitate consistency of messaging from course coordinator, to demonstrators and importantly to students.

Practicals will be improved with increased numbers of skilled demonstrators in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, PHP and APIs and querying and visualising datasets.

Course requirements

Assumed background

It is expected that students will have completed DECO1400/DECO7140 (Introduction to Web Design) prior or concurrently to enrolling in this course. Students will be utilising and extending on their knowledge gained in DECO1400 /DECO7140 in this course's project work.

Companion or co-requisite courses

You'll need to complete the following courses at the same time:

CSSE1001, DECO1400

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

DECO7180

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

This course has 5 scheduled contact hours per student, each week. Studio and Practical attendance are recorded. Students can expect to spend an additional 5 to 7 hours per week on assessment work.

Students are expected to participate fully in all class activities:

• Studios (3 hours)—introduces theory and practical design-related content to be explored and applied, initially in the individual tasks, and then in the major project (team),ﾠsupport for project work, assessmentﾠand project-based presentations, and exercises related to project work
• You are expected to have read the studio material BEFORE attending your studio session for the week
• Studios commence in week 1
• Practicals (2 hours)—intended to develop technical skills for use in the major project (team), and for technical project support
• Practicals commence in week 1
• Self-study (5 - 7 hours)—studentsﾠare expected to continue work outside scheduled studio and Practical times on course activities, major project (team) assessment items, and to pursueﾠself-directed learning related to the project and the individual portfolio and reflection assessment. This includes the required online course, required reading, and suggested further readings listed on your Library Course resources page.

End of Semester Tradeshow

Teams will demonstrate their final projects at an in-studio Tradeshow. Individual teams will all be required to be present for the entire 3 hours of the in-studio Tradeshow. Final projects will be graded at this event. This is an in-person tradeshow for all students in the DECO1800/7180 course. Please ensure this date is in your diary and you have cleared all other commitments.

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to:

• Introduce students to design methods and techniques for the generation, refinement, and implementation of design ideas in a project setting
• Provide students with the opportunity to work in multi-disciplinary teams on design computing projects
• Introduce students to techniques and methods for effective team work and project management
• Develop student'sﾠability to communicate design ideas and outcomes through a variety of forms—visual, oral, and written
• Promote and foster creative thinking through projects
• Promote and foster critical analysis of design computing works—own and of others—through studio discussion, exercises, and project work
• Promote and foster reflective practice and reflexive process through feedback and discussion around project work
• Provide students with the opportunity to apply skills and knowledge gained in other courses to design computing problems
• Provide students with the opportunity to build a body of work through the design and development of solutions to a given problem space.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

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

Critical Reflective Journals (Individual)

• Hurdle
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Notebook/ Logbook, Reflection

Weight

2

Due date

29/07/2024 - 14/10/2024

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submission is on Blackboard's Online Journal via the Course menu. The date and time submitted is system recorded. The date submitted must be no later than 4pm the Monday following each week's content delivery.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

This is critical reflection in action and needs to be completed at the time of the experience you are reflecting on and critiquing. Similar to work integrated learning it is imperative you reflect and analyse your actions at the time of occurring to better understand why and how you made the decisions you did, what others thought of those decisions and actions, and how you would do things differently. It is appropriate to go back and reflect further, and evolve your thinking. However, there needs to be the initial reflection and analysis at the time of the experience, or event. Therefore, no extensions or deferrals are available for this task.

Late submission

Late submissions will not receive formative feedback, may ultimately impact the quality of how you embed your critical reflections in your Annotated Process Portfolio Assessment, and may impact your overall grade for this assessment.

Annotated Process Portfolio (Individual)

• Hurdle
• Online

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Portfolio

Weight

4

Due date

14/10/2024 3:00 pm

Submit website link for Annotated Process Portfolio, to the Blackboard course site.

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L06, L07, L08, L09

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Final submissions are to be uploaded as per the instructions in the brief on Blackboard.

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.

Late submission

A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.

Design Ideation Poster (Individual)

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Creative Production/ Exhibition, Presentation, Poster

Weight

2

Due date

6/08/2024 8:00 am

Submission of Poster via Blackboard course site. In-studio oral presentations will commence after all student posters are submitted.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Blackboard course site, Assessments menu.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

This course uses team-based assessment. No extensions or deferrals are possible. 

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

Your individual design inspiration poster will contribute to a whole-of-course ideas pool to draw themes and connections, which will launch the design computing projects. This poster provides ideation for teams to determine and progress a project proposal. Late submissions will negatively impact the progress of the major project. Therefore, late submissions are not accepted, and a 100% late penalty will apply.

Major Project (Team)

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• Team or group-based
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

Computer Code, Essay/ Critique, Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation, Product/ Design, Project, Reflection

Weight

Weighting 1; Team Agreement (Team), Weighting 2; Project Design Proposal (Team), Weighting 2; MVP (Team), Weighting 3; Final Prototype Tradeshow (Team), Weighting 2; Final Report (Team)

Due date

Weighting1;
Team Agreement (Team) submitted via Blackboard course site. 19/08/2024 4:00 pm

Weighting 2;
Project Design Proposal In-Studio presentation in timetabled Studio. 27/8/2024 8am;
Project Design Proposal PowerPoint (Team) submitted via Blackboard course site. 26/08/2024 4:00 pm

Weighting 2;
MVP In-studio demonstration in timetabled Studio.
17/9/2024 8:00 am;
MVP (Team) submit MVP website link submitted via Blackboard course site.
16/09/2024 4:00 pm

Weighting 3;
In-studio Final Prototype Tradeshow demonstration in timetabled Studio.
22/10/2014 8:00 am;
Final Prototype Website address (link) submitted via Blackboard course site.

21/10/2024 4:00 pm

Weighting 2;
Final Report (Team) submitted via Blackboard course site. 25/10/2024 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08, L09

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submission for each component includes:

1. Team Agreement--You will submit a single electronic file via the Turnitin Assignment Handler in Blackboard on or before the due date/time. Please ensure that a completed and signed coversheet is attached to the beginning of the work before it is submitted. The submission will be a single PDF file. Only one member of the team is required to submit on behalf of everyone.
2. Team Design Project Proposal, submit PowerPoint presentation to Blackboard course site (submitted by only one team member), AND an In-Studio Oral presentation in scheduled Studio (all team members must attend in-person and present).
3. Team MVP (Minimal Viable Product), submit uqcloud web address (link) to your MVP (submitted by only one team member), AND an In-Studio step through demonstration of your MVP progress (all team members must attend in person and present).
4. Team Tradeshow Final Prototype, submit uqcloud web address (link) to your Tradeshow final prototype (submitted by only one team member), AND an In-Studio step through demonstration of your Tradeshow Final Prototype (all team members must attend in person and present). Only one member of the team is required to submit on behalf of everyone.
5. Team Final Report: Your team will submit a single electronic file via the Turnitin Assignment Handler in Blackboard on or before the due date/time. Please ensure that a completed and signed coversheet is attached to the beginning of the work before it is submitted. The submission will be a single word-processed document that contains your team’s assignment, including coversheet. You will submit a single word processor file [e.g. Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx), Pages (.pages), etc. formats only] PDF is acceptable but is not the preferred format.] Only one member of the team is required to submit on behalf of everyone.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

This course uses team-based assessment where the major project (team) assignment is developed and iterated on with students needing to act on regular formative feedback over the semester. This is to support the development of genuine reflective practice in the assessment and enable students to learn skills required in standard industry design practice. If teams encounter extraordinary difficulties in meeting a deadline, they must contact the course coordinator in advance of the due date and within two days of identifying the difficulty. In all cases, teams must submit a version of the assignment by the deadline. All team submissions received after the deadline will be subject to the late penalty specified. 

Late submission

Late submission penalty for each component includes:

• Team Design Project Proposal PowerPoint and presentation, MVP link and demonstration, Team Tradeshow Final Prototype: 100% late penalty (no grace period)
• Team Agreement, Final Report: A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period, from time submission is due, will apply 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.

Additional course grading information

Calculation of Final Grade

Your final grade will be calculated as a weighted average of your assessment grades, using the same formula as used for calculating your GPA (https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/final-grades-and-gpas). In this case, U equals the weighting for that particular assessment item; and G equal to the grade for the assessment item.

Example:

If you receive the following grades:

Individual Assessment

• 1 Annotated Process Portfolio - Credit (5), Weighting x 4 — (5x4)
• 2 Journals - Credit (5), Weighting x 2 — (5x2)
• 3 Design Inspiration Poster - Credit (5), Weighting x 2 — (5x2)

Team Assessment

• 4A: Team Agreement - Distinction (7), Weighting x 1 — (7x1)
• 4B: Design Proposal Milestone - Distinction (6), Weighting x 2 — (6x2)
• 4C: MVP Milestone - Credit (5), Weighting x 2ﾠ— (5x2)
• 4D: Final Prototype Tradeshow Milestone - Credit (5), Weighting x 3 — (5x3)
• 4E: Final Report Milestone - Credit (5), Weighting x 2 — (5x2)

Your final grade will be calculated as:

• ((5*4)+(5*2)+(5*2)+(7*1)+(6*2)+(5*2)+(5*3)+(5*2))/(4+2+2+1+2+2+3+2)
• 94/18 = 5.2 = Credit (5)

Final grades will be initially constructed from the separate assessment grades according to the assessment weightings and then reviewed and moderated based on overall performance across the course.

Identity-Verified Assessment with Hurdles (IVAH) Requirement

In order to meet IVAH requirements and to pass the course, students must achieve a Pass (+/-) for the overall combined mark of the Individual Assessment items AND must be able to demonstrate your active participation and contribution to individual learning and the team’s output. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the final grade being capped at a 3, regardless of performance in other assessment items.

Teaching staff monitor and record individual attendance and active participation throughout the semester during weekly design studios and technical practicals. Based on this monitoring the teaching team are aware of the degree to which each student actively contributes to individual learning and major project (team) outputs. If students have not actively participated throughout, further evidence may be requested of individual students to assess the level of active participation. Students who are unable to demonstrate your active learning, participation, and contribution to the team’s output risk failing this course with an overall grade capped at 3 by not meeting this requirement. The Course Coordinator reserves the right to moderate team member grades in the event of varied contributions to team effort.

The final grade for the course will be initially constructed from the individual grades according to assessment weightings. At the discretion of the course coordinator, final grades may be moderated.

EFFORT vs ACHIEVEMENT and Assessment

Achievement and proficiency in the skills relevant to a particular course are rewarded, which is in alignment with criteria-based assessment as used at the University of Queensland.

Effort on the part of students is required to attain the knowledge, experience, and skills necessary to be able to demonstrate achievement and proficiency in the learning objectives of particular courses.

Students must not, however, assume that effort and achievement are equal. Effort and achievement are not equivalent.

Overall, assessment does not reward effort, it measures and rewards achievement against the course criteria.

Blackboard/TurnItIn Submissions:

When submitting your assessment items through Blackboard/TurnItIn, please allow plenty of time for the submission to be uploaded as many students will be attempting the same task at the same time. Be sure to allow enough time for uploading of assessment files. It is YOUR responsibility to check that submissions have been uploaded correctly and ensure that you have received a digital receipt.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.

If you receive an overall grade of 3 in this course, then you will only be eligible for supplementary assessment if you have at least a passing grade (+/-) on the Major Project (Team). Due to the design and development aspects of this team-based project over time, supplementary assessment will not be available to students who receive a failing grade on the Major Project (Team) OR through lack of active participation (Approved by EAIT AD-A).

Additional assessment information

1.__Use of Generative AI Tools and Open-Source Code for Assessment in this Course

This course is aimed at students understanding and being able to effectively develop software applications that meet the needs of people in different and novel contexts. This application to different and novel contexts requires a level of creativity and critical thinking as these skills play a pivotal role in supporting effective practice.

Assessment in this course have been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use Generative AI technologies and/or open-source code in some assessments, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence and open-source code will provide only limited support and guidance. Generative AI Tools, techniques and open-source code may be utilized as supportive elements. However, there are boundaries to your usage of Generative AI Tools and/or open-source code. Going beyond those boundaries amounts to an academic integrity issue. Further, you will need to acknowledge your use of Generative AI tools and/or open-source code in each assessment where you are permitted to use those tools (see below for more information on what is required for these acknowledgements). Failure to appropriately and completely acknowledge your use of Generative AI tools in an assessment also amounts academic plagiarism.

It is essential to recognise that the primary objectives of this course and the assessment that you will complete is for you to demonstrate your achievement of the learning objectives outlined, as well as UQ’s Graduate Attributes, which are relevant to this course.

Assessment and use of Generative AI Tools and/or Open-Source Code

Use of Generative AI Tools and/or open-source code is permitted when completing the following assessment items within the boundaries outlined below:

• Design Ideation Poster (Individual)
• Reflective Journals (Individual)
• Annotated Process Portfolio (Individual)
• Design Project (Team)

How you may use generative AI and/or open-source code in assessment

Generative AI technologies may be used in the completion of assignments within certain boundaries. Please note that this list is an example and is not exhaustive. Each student must take responsibility in understanding if the tools they have used fall under these broad categories (or similar) and provide appropriate acknowledgement:

• Graphics for visitor consumption: You may utilise Generative AI to produce graphic images for decorative purposes only.
• Support, Not Replace: Generative AI can be used to facilitate or enhance your communication, but it must not be used to replace your own communication practices in written communication.
• Adherence to Learning Objectives: Your work must clearly demonstrate your understanding of core concepts as stated in the learning objectives. Generative AI Tools can be used to facilitate or enhance your understanding but must not replace or diminish your understanding and ability to critically apply these concepts.
• Transparency, including open-source code/libraries and/or AI code generation tools, such as Copilot and others: You must clearly indicate any part of your work where Generative AI Tools and/or open-source code/libraries have been utilised and provide a brief rationale explaining why it was used and how it supported your completion of the assessment.
• Compliance with Ethical Guidelines: Ensure that the use of Generative AI Tools aligns with the course's ethical, social, cultural, and cybersecurity considerations.

Remember, the goal here is not to have the AI do your job, but to use AI as a tool to expand your knowledge, understanding, and skills.

Where you cannot use generative AI and/or open-source code in assessment

Generative AI has the potential to automate certain aspects of the design and development of technologies to support for example usability and accessibility. However, in the context of this course, there are specific limitations to ensure that students' own creative thought and understanding are not compromised.

Students must NOT use Generative AI Tools and/or open-source code to:

1. Replace Creative Thought and Application: Generative AI Tools and/or open-source code must not be utilised to generate content that supplants your own creative process.
2. Automate Understanding: You must not rely on Generative AI Tools and/or open-source code to create or produce any content that requires you to understand and apply your knowledge.
3. Violate Ethical Guidelines: You must not employ Generative AI Tools and/or open-source code in a way that contradicts the ethical, social, cultural, colonial, and cybersecurity guidelines of the course.

These prohibitions are put in place to preserve the integrity of the learning experience and ensure that your work authentically reflects your understanding of and ability to critically engage with the essential components of the course.

Acknowledging your use of Generative AI

If you are using any form of Generative AI and/or open-source code for any assessment item, you must be transparent about that usage. Not being transparent is an academic integrity issue.

For example, if using any of following types of sources, full disclosure of how it was used, and proper acknowledgement/disclosure must be made. You must make it absolutely clear what is your teams and/or your own work. Please note that this list is an example and is not exhaustive. Each student must take responsibility in understanding if the tools they have used fall under these broad categories (or similar) and provide appropriate acknowledgement:

• If you use a Generative AI Tool to find out a fact, then you need to reference it.

For example, if you ask ChatGPT 'what causes climate change' or 'what are the ingredients of milk chocolate' and you use the answer it provides, then you reference that fact in this format:

In your assignment

Milk chocolate is made of cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar (OpenAI, 2024).

In your reference list or bibliography:

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Dec 20 version) [Large language model]. [link to website]

• If you use a Generative AI Tool to do other things, then you need to acknowledge it.

When you acknowledge use of, for example, ChatGPT you need to explain how you used ChatGPT and the answers it gave you. For example, if you used it to help you structure an essay, you would put an acknowledgement/disclose statement like this at the start of your essay:

I acknowledge and disclose the use of ChatGPT ([link to website]) to provide me with ideas on how to structure this essay. The prompts used and the response from ChatGPT are included in Appendix xx. The output from these prompts was a structure in the form of headings and details of what must be included under each of those headings. This suggested structure was used as a basis for writing this essay and none of the output was copied and pasted directly into this essay with the exception of some headings.

Note, that you need to include all prompts and answers in an appendix. The suggested ways to do this are to include a link to your chat or to print the webpage with your chat as a PDF and include it in the appendix. You must add in the date/s of that chat.

• Grammarly and similar tools

Grammarly is also Generative AI because it provides things like suggestions on making sentences simpler. So, you also need to acknowledge the use of Grammarly as well as any similar tools. This is wording that you might use:

I acknowledge the use of Grammarly (link) to ensure grammatical correctness and to improve the clarity of parts of this assignment. I have installed the Grammarly plug-in for MS Word so the suggestions that Grammarly provides are not the result of any prompt but rather automatic suggestions.

• Translation software

Some translation software also uses Generative AI. Even if the translation software you use does not incorporate Generative AI, you need to acknowledge your use of that software. Important: you cannot solely rely on translation software, as it will vary in quality and will often misinterpret the context of words you have used so you must carefully check the produced version.

This is wording that you might use:

I acknowledge the use of SuperEasyTranslator (link) to support translating word from French into English. I wrote some sections of this report in French and then pasted this content into SuperEasyTranslator to produce a version in English. I copied and pasted this produced version into this assignment making small adjustments as I felt necessary.

• Open-source code

You must give proper credit to the creators of the open-source code that you use. You must follow these guidelines for using open-source code:

• Review the License: Understand the license under which the open-source code is distributed. Common licenses include MIT, Apache, GPL, etc. Each license has specific requirements for how you must acknowledge and use the code.
• Include Attribution: In your project's documentation (such as a README file and/or in your project report), include a section that lists the open-source projects you have used. Mention the name of the project, the author, and a link to the original source. This is wording that you might use:

This project uses the following open-source projects: - [Open-source Project Name](https://link.to/project) by Author Name

• Retain License Notices: If the license requires it, keep the original license notice and any other required notices in your project's code files and/or in your project report. For instance, you might include a copy of the license in a LICENSE file in your project.
• Include Copyright Notices: Some licenses require that you include copyright notices in your project files that use the open-source code. This often involves copying a specific block of text from the original source into your own files.
• Provide Modifications Details: If you have modified the open-source code, make a note of the modifications. This could be done in the comments within the code or in your project report.
• Follow Any Additional Requirements: Make sure to adhere to any other specific requirements outlined in the open-source license, such as providing a copy of the license or noting any changes made to the original code.

Acknowledgements/disclosure of the use of Generative AI Tools and/or open-source code must be placed towards the start of each submission.

2.__Qualitative Grading

Grades for assessment during the semester will identify your work as being of a particular standard from the following list:

• Low Fail (absence of evidence of achievement)
• Fail (minimal evidence of achievement)
• Marginal Fail (developing achievement)
• Pass (functional achievement)
• Credit (proficient achievement
• Distinction (advanced achievement)
• High Distinction (exceptional achievement)

Within each category, there may be a further qualifier of + or - to indicated that the work is respectively at the upper or lower bounds of the category. This style of assessment is intended for formative feedback on progress, in combination with regular design critique in Studios. These grades map directly to the standard UQ Grade descriptors (from https://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.10.02-assessment#Procedures Appendix 7.1). Note, that percentages or numerical marks are not required in grading assessment or for calculating grade cut-offs. Percentage cut-offs are primarily employed in courses that utilise quantitative (numerical based) methods for marking.

3.__Team-based Assessment

Teams working in industry are expected to plan to meet deadlines and allow for contingencies and other issues as they arise through good team management and appropriate redundancy in workload allocation, which also includes covering for colleagues when they are unable to fully contribute due to short-term illness, etc. The same is expected of teams in this course and this will be the default expectation for team assessment in this course. If more extreme circumstances occur, they must in the first instance contact teaching staff before upcoming deadlines to discuss the situation.

When finalising grades for the teamwork items, i.e., Major Project (team), each team member by default will receive the same grade. Teaching staff actively monitor individual participation throughout the semester during weekly studios and practicals. Based on this monitoring, teaching staff are aware of the degree to which students are actively participating and contributing to the Major Project (Team). If students have not actively participated throughout, further evidence may be requested to assess the level of active participation. Students who are unable to demonstrate your active participation and contribution to the team’s output, risk failing this course with an overall grade capped at 3 by not meeting this requirement. An online MOOC will also be provided that provides resources and training for working in teams. Teams are expected to develop your own effective conflict resolution strategies to enable them to deal with situations where workload is not shared equally. All teams must produce various articles to document your teams progress, including:

1. Team Agreement – This agreement will set up the “ground rules” for your team: how you communicate, when you meet, and how you will resolve issues. It really is the guide to how your team is going to work. If problems arise, you must let your demonstrator know BUT make sure that you are following the processes outlined in the team agreement.
2. Weekly Critical Reflective Journals – Team progress must be evidenced at weekly checkpoints via your individual critical reflective journals. At a minimum, your critical reflective journals must evidence:

• Items worked on from the previous week, including the team member(s) allocated to each task and the current state (e.g., not started, in progress, completed, etc.)
• Issues that arose and actions required (if any)
• Deliverables/plan to be completed by the next week, including team member(s) allocated to each task/deliverable

Team conflicts must be resolved through discussion and negotiation. If teams encounter a situation whereby there may be difficulties, there is a process that students must follow if your team experiences conflict:

1. In the first instance, teams must independently take appropriate steps to resolve internal issues. It is a requirement of this course that all team members complete the team working MOOC and if difficulties arise teams must be able to evidence how you have applied your knowledge from this MOOC into your major project (team) (if required).
2. All members of the team need to be given the opportunity to work on the project. Difficulties must be discussed in a non-confrontational manner. It is not appropriate to re-do another team member’s contribution because of a subjective opinion. The team needs to discuss and work as a team to ensure everyone is happy with the team’s output.
3. Tasks/contributions must be accurately documented in critical reflective journals (individual).
4. If your team cannot resolve difficulties yourselves, you must inform the course coordinator within two days of identifying the difficulties so that they can be made aware of the situation and can assist you in addressing any difficulties within the team.
5. Formative team performance reviews will be conducted during the project process to allow teams and teaching staff the opportunity to identify areas of conflict, concern, and opportunity. These performance reviews will not impact on individual grades but may be used in cases of severe team disfunction to inform course coordinator action.

If the above criteria have been met and there are still difficulties within the team, the course coordinator will do their best to assist in helping to resolve the conflict. The Course Coordinator reserves the right to moderate team member grades in the event of varied contributions to team effort.

4.__Having Troubles?

If you are having difficulties with any aspect of the course material you must seek help. Speak to the course teaching staff.

If external circumstances are affecting your ability to work on the course, you must seek help as soon as possible. The University and UQ Union have organisations and staff who are able to help, for example, UQ Student Services are able to help with study and exam skills, tertiary learning skills, writing skills, financial assistance, personal issues, and disability services (among other things).

Complaints and criticisms must be directed in the first instance to the course coordinator. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may bring the matter to the attention of the School of EECS Director of Teaching and Learning.

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

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

Additional learning resources information

Course Materials

This course has a Blackboard site that contains:

• lecture slides and recordings
• studio and practical activities (where applicable)
• assessment outlines and submission links
• additional design and technicalﾠresources to apply to your work
• pointers to additional support at UQ—beyond what the course staff provide.

Course Communication

• Course communication occur through Blackboard announcements—also disseminated through email to your UQ student email accountﾠ
• Key information will also be disseminated in-classﾠand replicated through to the course question and answer (Q&A)ﾠplatform accessible via the Blackboard site
• It is your responsibility as a studentﾠto check these channelsﾠon a daily basis for important information relating to the course and assessmentsﾠ
• You are required to review Blackboard announcements and the Q&A platform prior to attending your studio and practical each day
• Students are required to take responsibility for your learning—ensure you have reviewed all information before attending the studio and practical each week.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Additional learning activity information

It is expected that students will have completed DECO1400/DECO7140 (Introduction to Web Design) prior to enrolling or are concurrently enrolled in this course. Students will be utilising and extending on their knowledge gained in DECO1400 /DECO7140 in this course's project work. This includes HTML, CSS, JavaScript learned in DECO1400. The additional technical skills include APIs and PHP. You will also learn a number of other applications/tools to assist you in designing your web-application and in developing your web-application.

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:

• EECS School Guidelines for Students