Design Computing Studio 3 - Build (DECO7381)

Course overview

A studio-based capstone design projects course in which interdisciplinary teams design and implement a significant software/IT prototype in a practice-based setting and according to a project brief specification with industry level project deadlines. The course consolidates and expands on students' previous experience, with a focus on project-based learning. The course enables students to showcase technical and professional skills gained during their study program and apply these effectively to assess abilities in teamwork, project management, communication skills, and the analysis of user experience, ethics, and security in relation to the design and implementation of a substantial software prototype project.

Have you ever wondered how teams develop usable and innovative software technology applications? What approaches they use when scoping, managing tasks, designing functionality, communicating about the technology and developing usable prototypes for projects such as a digital experience of Olympic Swimming, aﾠSafety Training Application for First Responders, or other innovative applications of technology to real problems?

Agile Developmentﾠis a project management and development approach with a strong focus on continuous improvement. In Design Computing Studio 3: Build you will have an opportunity to practice in a studio-based setting designing, developing and communicating a substantial prototype software technology solution that you work on as part of team and iterate from a project brief. The course is a capstone team project course that serves as the second half of the compulsory capstone project course for students in the BInfTech, MInfTech, and BEng (Software Engineering) programs. Additionally, it is also taken as a plan option in the BComputer Science program and can be taken as an elective by students in other EECS programs. With aﾠfocusﾠon project-based learning, the course allows you to showcase the skills, you have acquired in your program of study, and apply them effectively to demonstrate your abilities in teamwork, project management, communication skills, and the analysis of user experience, ethics, and security in relation to the design and implementation of a substantial software prototype project.

How will I use these skills in the Future?ﾠThis course develops your professional practice skills. These are skills that you as a Computing orﾠInformation Technology professional will need to applyﾠdirectly in your future workplaceﾠto effectively manage projects, collaborate with teams, engage with stakeholders, critically analyse the impact of design and implementation decisions, exercise good judgement and deliver successful project outcomes.

Course requirements

Assumed background

This course assumes that students are familiar with the development life cycle for software or information systems and have had previous exposure to the construction of software or information systems including:

• Familiarity with Human Computer Interaction, especially user interface design, evaluation and user testing
• Familiarity with the development life cycle for software or information systems
• Programming and/or Web development.

As aﾠproject-based capstone, rather than teachingﾠnewﾠtechnical skillsﾠ(as is also the case for DECO7380), this course focusses on students demonstrating development of their own core ICT skills. Students applyﾠtechnical, design and evaluation knowledge, and transferrable skills acquiredﾠin other courses within a practice-based setting to independent self-guidedﾠlearning of theﾠenvironments, frameworks and methodologies identifiedﾠas necessary for managing and developing theirﾠprojects.ﾠ

Since this course relies on the practical application of concepts learnedﾠin earlier courses, students should be planning to take the two Studio 3 courses in their final two semesters of study andﾠare expected to have the followingﾠCourse Prerequisites:

• CSSE7030 and DECO7140 and (DECO7250 or INFS7900)

It is also preferable to have completed a studio course such as DECO7180 (Design Computing Studio 1), DECO7280 (Design Computing Studio 2), DECO7230 (Digital Prototyping),ﾠDECO7250 (Human-Computer Interaction). Students that do notﾠsatisfyﾠthe prerequisitesﾠshould discuss potential enrolment with the course coordinator prior to enrolling. Students should also note that it is not necessary to have completed DECO7380 in order to take DECO7381; these courses can be taken in either order.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

CSSE7030 and DECO7140 and (DECO7250 or INFS7900)

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

• DECO3801

All activities are jointly taught.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

Students are expected to attend all scheduled studios together with their team. This course is predicated on active team participation;ﾠlack of active participation in scheduled in-class activities are accountable in this course.ﾠ

Aims and outcomes

Design Computing Studio 3: Buildﾠwill provide youﾠwith practice-based experience of developing a substantial piece of software or IT application and prepare you for collaborating on such projects in the workplace. There is an emphasis on you professionally collaborating with yourﾠteam members to design, develop and evaluateﾠa working prototypeﾠthat meets the specifications defined in a project brief, such that it is delivered on time, tested and evaluated with users. This course introduces students to the practice ofﾠcontemporary project management methodologies and tools commonly used in industry and emphasises you demonstratingﾠproject management, team-collaboration, risk planning and mitigation, analytical problem-solving skills, critical reflection, time-management, reasoning about the ethics, security and privacy impacts of your design communication skills and technical skills needed for successful delivery of projects in industry.

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

Active Studio Participation - Various Dates

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

Mode

Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

Computer Code, Essay/ Critique, Participation/ Student contribution, Practical/ Demonstration, Product/ Design, Project, Reflection

Weight

Pass/Fail

Due date

Statement of Work in Participation Sequence. 16/08/2024 3:00 pm

Interim Individual Reflection 1. 6/09/2024 3:00 pm

Interim Individual Reflection 2. 4/10/2024 3:00 pm

Interactive team demo in exhibit as per scheduled time which may be between 9:00am and 8pm. 25/10/2024 8:00 pm

The exhibit is scheduled as a class-wide activity and depends on availability of space on campus. To give enough time for each team to interactively demonstrate their work, the exhibit may need to extend beyond the timetabled class duration.

The EAIT ADA has approved outside of faculty submission time for the exhibit.

Other conditions

Student specific, Time limited, Peer assessment factor, Work integrated learning, Longitudinal.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L06, L07

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submission of the Statement of Work and Interim Individual Reflections must be submitted as Turnitin Submissions on Blackboard. The interactive team demo is a class-based activity on campus where teams show their working prototype product.

Deferral or extension

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

EAIT ADA has Approved

This course has scheduled class-based team activities, rapid feedback, interim reviews for formative feedback, and an exhibition. Students have typically submitted progress assessment throughout the semester. Industry often has no extensions on work submissions. No extensions are available because this sequence of activities demonstrates ongoing progressive active participation in the team project over the semester. Should students not be able to demonstrate that they have contributed to the statement of work assessment item, development of the team project, submitted interim drafts of their individual reflection, and taken part in-class assessment activities (end of project interactive exhibit demo) then they will be unable to demonstrate active participation in the project.

To accommodate unforeseen circumstances such as illness, students' level of active participation will be assessed through in-class discussions and through the documented course intervention and moderation process. Students will need to attend an interview with the course coordinator if they are at risk of failing active participation. 

Late submission

EAIT ADA has Approved

• 100% Late Penalty after 1 hour grace period

The one-hour grace period is recorded from the time the submission is due. 

Mid Project Presentation & Prototype

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

Mode

Oral

Category

Presentation, Product/ Design

Weight

20%

Due date

29/08/2024 3:00 pm

Presentation is held in a scheduled timed class-based activity.

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L06, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

Team presentation slides must be submitted prior to the scheduled class presentation via Turnitin on Blackboard so that student teams scheduled later cannot change their presentation based on feedback given to teams presenting earlier in the session.

Deferral or extension

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

EAIT ADA has Approved

No extensions available because this presentation takes place in a scheduled class contact with immediate questions and feedback. It is a team activity. Presentation slides must be finalised and submitted to blackboard before the presentation to not give students presenting later in the class an unfair advantage.

If there are exceptional circumstances, students can apply for an exemption but may be required to explain their contribution to the team presentation to the course coordinator. Exemptions must be requested as an extension with a note specifying exemption via my.UQ. 

Late submission

EAIT ADA has Approved

• First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
• Second 1-hour block - A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted.
• Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark) Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. 
• Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due. 

All slide submissions must be made before the scheduled class-based presentation.

Final Codebase, Documentation & Communication

• Hurdle
• Team or group-based

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written

Category

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

Weight

60%

Due date

18/10/2024 3:00 pm

Interim deadlines for formative feedback in weeks 5, 7, 9 and 11. An indicative grade will be given for each interim project submission.

Other conditions

Time limited, Peer assessment factor, Work integrated learning, Longitudinal.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submission of code and video must be via Blackboard and submission of documentation must via Turnitin.

Deferral or extension

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

EAIT ADA Approved

This course requires that you make earlier submissions of your project for formative feedback, allowing you to progressively develop your team project. It also has a scheduled exhibition which cannot be re-scheduled. Students have typically been submitting progress assessment throughout the semester. Industry often has no extensions on work submissions.

Extensions are not possible. If there are exceptional circumstances, an exemption may be approved and will involve your team submitting/discussing your work as it stands. Exemptions must be requested as an extension with a note specifying exemption via my.UQ. 

Late submission

EAIT ADA Approved

• First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
• Second 1-hour block - A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted.
• Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark) Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. 
• Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due. 

If students do not make a final project submission - the most recent previous submission (if made) will be marked in lieu of a late submission against the final project grading rubric.

Individual Reflection

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique, Reflection

Weight

20%

Due date

4/11/2024 3:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific, Longitudinal.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L06, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submission must be via Turnitin through 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.

ADA has approved maximum of 7 days extension for progressive assessment.

This course uses a progressive assessment approach, in which the Individual Reflection is developed iteratively across the semester and students receive feedback on interim versions. This is to support the development of genuine reflective thinking in the assessment item. Students are expected to act on this feedback given in class and iterate on their Individual Reflection essay. For this reason, by the deadline students should have a submittable version of their work.

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.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Grade Calculation

Your grade is calculated as the weighted sum of your component grades (0.2*G)+(0.6*G)+(0.2*G). Where G is a numerical mapping of your grade and may have a late penalty applied to it (if relevant).

There are two hurdles; should you fail either or both of these, your grade will be capped at 3 and you will not be eligible for supplementary assessment:

• Participation
• Team project (Final Codebase, Documentation & Communication).

Moderation

Moderation of grading is a policy requirement of The University. Therefore, gradesﾠ(raw, scaled and/or aggregated),ﾠare only an aid to the Course Coordinator in determining the final grade for an assessment item, determining the final course grade and for providing feedback to students on course achievement. Peer feedback and observed participation is used as input to the course intervention and moderation process. The course coordinator reserves the right to vary individual grades in the team assessment component for each group member in the event of varied contributions to the team effort.

Identity verified assessment:

Studio teaching staff actively monitor individual participation throughout the semester during weekly studio contacts, through scheduled participation activities both in person and through monitoring theﾠMS Teams collaboration platform and through interim submissions. Based on this monitoring, teaching staff are aware of the degree to which students are actively participating and contributing to the team projects.ﾠIf students have not actively participated throughout, further evidence may be requested to assess the level of active participation. Students who are unable to demonstrate their 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.

Supplementary assessment

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

This course is partially exempt from supplementary assessment, to qualify for supplementary assessmentﾠyou must pass both the sequenced Active Participation component and the Team Project (Final codebase, documentation and communication) Components.ﾠ

Students will only be eligible for supplementary assessment only if their failing grade is due only to failing the Individual Reflection.

Additional assessment information

Permitted Use of Generative AI and Open Source Code

The use of the following is permitted on this course only with full disclosure of how it was used and with proper attribution,ﾠyou must make clear what isﾠyour teams and/or your ownﾠwork:

• Open Source code and libraries (excluding previous DECO projects)
• Open data sets
• Royalty free, free to use icons, images
• Use of generative AI code generation tools such as Copilot and others
• Use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to assist withﾠessay writing (but only with a complete list of the prompts used submitted in English)
• Use of AI grammar checkers

Please note the following things are misconduct:

• Any use of the aboveﾠtools, libraries, images, style sheets that areﾠnot properly disclosed/acknowledged.
• Any plagiarismﾠof previous DECO projects from open GIT repositories and other external websites.
• Copying and pasting any UQ copyright content, task sheets, rubrics, project descriptionsﾠinto Large Language Models.

Having Troubles?

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

If external circumstances are affecting your ability to work on the course, you should 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 should 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

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Notices

Notices regarding the course will be posted onﾠBlackboardﾠand on Microsoft Teams so you will receive duplicates.ﾠYou are expected to read these notices regularly (at least once a week and more often near deadlines for deliverables).

Web and MS Teams

The course has content available both onﾠBlackboard, and through Microsoft Teams. The course MS Teams site will contain important information and links to other sites related to the course. You must be enrolled in the course to access this content. You are expected to use the course MS Teams as a collaboration platform.

Communications with Staff, Casual Academics, Industry Mentors

Emails to the course staff (coordinator, lecturers) must be via the course mailbox. Direct emails or direct messages should only be used in exceptional circumstances.ﾠCommunication between teaching staff and teams will primarily be managed in-class and via MS Teams channels. Industry mentors supporting this course are volunteers and if your project has an Industry mentor then communication with them must be professional at all times.

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

This activity is held within Studio and on an occasional basis-based project stage and on Industry guest speaker availability. The course aims to have 4 Industry guest speakers (depending on their availability) giving a brief talk on different topics relating to project-based work in various industries. In addition, some class-based activities and/or assessment related information is communicated in the first part of the studio. It should be noted that guest speakers are not employed or paid by UQ to teach, and the purpose of these guest lectures is to expose students to a range of Industry computing and information technology practices.

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