This page extends and gives further context to the course outline (see the class summary in particular), and the ANU policies that cover all courses and student conduct.

Background Expectations#

It is expected that students have had some exposure to Java through completion of COMP2100 and COMP1110.

Code of Conduct#

Everyone in this course is responsible for:

  • Promoting an inclusive, collaborative learning environment.
  • Taking action when others do not.

We reject behaviour that strays into harassment, no matter how mild. Harassment refers to offensive verbal or written comments in reference to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, or religion; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of class meetings, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

If you feel someone is violating these principles (for example, with a joke that could be interpreted as sexist, racist, or exclusionary), it is your responsibility to speak up! If the behaviour persists, send a private message to your course convener to explain the situation. We will preserve your anonymity. [^1]

Note that you are also bound by the ANU Student Code of Conduct during your time as an ANU student, in particular students are expected to:

actively participate in learning activities including all class time, independent learning and assessments, and strive to seek depth, breadth and challenge in their learning;

Academic Integrity#

At the ANU we take academic integrity seriously. In COMP2120/6120 all the ANU academic integrity rules apply.

  • All your submitted assignments, lab tasks, and exams is assumed to be entirely your own work.

  • If your work has been inspired by others or includes any content not created by you (e.g. from a classmate, or found on the web) you must indicate this in the statement of originality which you’ll submit alongside every assignment.

The statement of originality gives you a place to clearly reference your sources. You will not receive marks for work you did not create, but by indicating all sources clearly you will be acting with academic integrity.

If you break any of these rules, it’s very likely you’ll get caught. The consequences of plagiarism are much worse than a bad mark on an assignment.

Communication#

All communication in this course takes place via the course website and Ed Discussion.

Check the forum regularly!

If you need to ask a question about the course here how to do it:

  • If you have a question about any aspect of the course content or future assessments, post it on the Ed Discussion forum.
    • We prefer you to use public forum posts for any question so that other students can help and benefit from any discussions. The forum is a great community, so make the most of it.
    • If you have a private question for your tutor or the lecturer (e.g., about a mark or to ask for an extension), please use a private question to instructors on the forum.
      • If you need to get in touch with the course convenor directly (e.g., for an appeal or to report a breach of the code of conduct), you can send me (Alex) a private message on the forum or an email
  • All communications between students and tutors outside of labs should be through the course forum.
  • Disrespectful, harassing, or discriminatory posting or messaging in this course is not acceptable and will not be tolerated (see the code of conduct).
  • There are also student reps for the course (you’ll elect them in week 1), so you can talk to them and they’ll pass your (anonymous) feedback on to me.

For any further help with any aspect of the course, see the Help page.

Lab Attendance#

It is recommended that students attend labs in person (unless you are permanently based outside of Canberra due to circumstances beyond your control and have signed up for one of the special online labs). The two hour labs are roughly split into two parts:

  1. First hour: Tutorial exercises and discussion.
  2. Second hour: Group work.

Note that this split may vary depending on the tutor and tutorial slot.

Labs will contain various exercises designed to help students learn the lecture material. They also provide a chance to get to know your tutors, your fellow peers and get feedback on in-progress assignment submissions.

Assignment Effort#

We encourage all students to brainstorm ideas with other students in the class. We request students (individuals or groups) to identify all sources that helped with their solutions. In particular, please list the students in any discussion and brainstorming sessions. As an example, “My solution to the third question is inspired by brainstorming for ideas with Alex and Melina.” You can be more specific, “The modifications made to the project to fix the assigned issue came from discussion with Alex, with some additional inspiration taken from INSERT LINK HERE” If called for an oral interview after the assignment deadline, each student must explain their assignment submission inside the provided statement of originality file.

Assignment Groups#

Assignment groups will be randomly allocated within your chosen tutorial slot.

Late Submissions#

Late submissions for assessment tasks are not accepted without an extension.

Extensions#

If you have any issues that would prevent you handing in work on time, please get in touch with the course convenor via the course forum. In most cases it is easy to arrange a short extension.

You should ask for an extension in a private message to instructors on the course forum. Please include your student number (UID), a short statement of your situation and indicate when you think you can get the work completed.

In the first instance, you do not need to provide documentation (e.g., a medical certificate or educational access plan), as this is not required for a short extension, but we may ask for it in some instances.

Special Consideration or Deferred Examinations#

If you have any unexpected and unavoidable issues that has affected your performance in the course (e.g., sickness, or unexpected caring/work responsibilities during assessment tasks), please think about applying for Special Assessment Consideration to document your issue.

  • Special Consideration is not for extensions. If you need an extension see above.

If you have any unexpected and unavoidable issue on the day of an exam (e.g., you are sick) which means you can’t do the exam on that day, please apply for Deferred Examination.

  • If you have applied for a deferred examination and have a good reason (e.g., you are sick) do not sit the exam
  • Note that deferred exams might take the form of an oral exam and may not be the same as the exam that other students take.
  • Deferred exams are only for exams, not for other assignments, assessment tasks, or quizzes.

If you are confused about how Special Consideration or Deferred Examinations work, have a look at the quick guide.

Appeals#

From the date that your marks for any assessment item are released electronically you have a period of two weeks in which to make an informal appeal of your mark to the course convenor.

An informal appeal requires some explanation about why the original mark was not correct (e.g., the marker accidentally missed a particular aspect of your assignment). Re-marked work may receive a higher or lower mark than originally given.

You should submit an informal appeal in a private message to instructiors on the course forum. Please include your student number (UID), a short statement of why you think your mark was not correct referring to the marking criteria for the assignment.

If an informal appeal is denied by the course convenor, you may still make a formal appeal. This requires a convincing statement that your mark was incorrect given the stated marking criteria and assessment instructions. For the formal appeal procedure see the information here.

Supplementary Assessment#

If you receive a PX grade you are eligible for supplementary assessment. The assessment item may be an assignment, a written exam or an oral exam. To pass this assessment item, you must demonstrate a “good” attainment of the learning outcomes, generally equivalent to a mark of 50-60/100.

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