ICT207/ICT507Games Design and Programming

Unit Information and Learning Guide

Semester 1 2005

(If you find any error or confusing instruction or advice in this guide, please email the unit coordinator.)

Unit coordinatorShri RaiSchool of Information TechnologyDivision of ARTSContact detailsEmail: s.rai@murdoch.edu.au (preferred)Room: ECL 3.041

Phone: (08) 9360 6090 (not preferred)

© Published by Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, 2005.

This publication is copyright. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act no part of it may in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Unit History:

Year Semester Unit Coordinator

Teaching Staff

2004 2 Shri Rai Shri Rai, Chris McCormick, Elias Wyber, Alex Chong, David Bennett (next unit coordinator)

2005 1 Shri Rai Shri Rai (unit running as ICT507 with different requirements)

CONTENTS

UNIT INFORMATION

ONE Introduction 1TWO Resources for the unit 8THREE Assessment processes 14FOUR Advice 21

Games Design and ProgrammingICT207/ICT507

Unit Information

This information should be read in conjunction with the Guide to Studying at Murdoch booklet, the Unit Welcome Page at http://online.murdoch.edu.au/public/ICT507, and the material (unit materials) provided on the unit website. Information about this site is available via the unit ftp site at ftp://ftp.it.murdoch.edu.au/pub/units/ICT507/0Readme.html.

ONEIntroduction

Unit overviewWelcome to ICT207/ICT507, Games Design and Programming.

Games have a long history – even before Information Technology came on the scene. What compelled people to invent games? To amuse themselves? To pass time? To engage each other in some sort of competition? To educate? … etc.

Information Technology (IT) allows many (not necessarily all) games to reach a level of sophistication that could only be imagined before. Think of some of the games you have seen or played. Then think of the game Chess. How has IT improved Chess? Perhaps you can play against the computer instead of needing a partner to play with. Perhaps you do not have to carry around a chequered cardboard and the various pieces which can get lost. All you need to carry around is a portable computer and the only worry is about how long the battery will last.

Solitaire is a card game which was (and perhaps still is) played with actual cards. Have you played Solitaire? Which form did you use – the actual cards or the electronic version? Find out how popular each form actually is.

Many of you would probably have heard of a game called Tetris. Did you play an electronic version of the game? Have you come across a non-electronic form of Tetris? How about the game Pac-Man?

Have you taken on an opponent in a real aerial combat using a start of the art jet-fighter? Do you have hopes of one day doing this and hopefully live to tell the tale? Wouldn’t an electronic version allow you to engage one or more opponents in aerial combat and let you live to tell the tale? Wouldn’t the electronic version be cheaper and you don’t have to worry about whether your body can handle the g-forces in a real aerial dog-fight?

Software development tools allow software creators to build anything in software to the limits of their own imaginations. This unit is about building computer games. The only limiting factor is going to be your own imagination and your expertise with the tools. This unit will introduce you to some of the tools.

ICT207/ICT507 is an introductory unit for people with little or no prior knowledge of Computer Games Design and Programming. Many different disciplines are involved. We have traditional IT areas like design of data structures and algorithms, programming, computer graphics, artificial intelligence as well as other areas like mathematics, physics, story-telling, art, … etc. Only parts of these quite broad fields are introduced to prepare you for the more advanced units called Advanced Games Design and Programming (ICT311/ICT511), Software for Games Development (ICT309/ICT509). This unit is a prerequisite to each of these more advanced units along with other units like Intelligent Systems (ICT219) and Computer Graphics Principles and Programming (ICT215). Students enrolled in ICT507 are expected to be more independent and demonstrate initiative. Although the same material as ICT207 is used, postgraduate students are expected to go beyond what is covered in class when working on their assignments/projects.

Topics covered include:

Games Design; Object Oriented Programming for Games. Some Mathematics and Physics for games; Artificial Intelligence in Games;

It is hoped that upon successful completion of this unit, you will feel interested to learn more and will apply the knowledge gained in your future work involving interactive visual information.

Prerequisites

You are required to have successfully completed the unit B104/ICT104 Principles of Computer Science and M167/MAS167 Computational Mathematics. Prior programming skills and an understanding of basic data types and structures are necessary for this unit. Previous experience with C/C++ programming will be useful but not essential. Programming in C/C++ will be introduced without assuming any prior experience. You will be expected to learn the C/C++ programming language very quickly as you would have previously studied at least two units with programming content.

A basic knowledge of vectors and matrix operations is essential. Reading material will be made available to you to introduce you to the necessary mathematical tools. The use of any maths is kept to a minimum and you need not worry if you think you know little advanced maths – you should be able to cope with the maths concepts needed. All that is needed on your part is the willingness to learn and to seek help from your tutor when you need it.

Knowledge of Computer Graphics is needed for this unit but Computer Graphics is not a prerequisite for the unit. Content from the unit ICT215 will therefore be covered in a condensed form. Students are advised to devote a lot of time on the mastery of computer graphics programming at the beginning if they do not wish to struggle throughout the semester.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 1

Aims and objectives

Unit aimsThe broad aims of this unit are:

1. to introduce you to the field of Games Design and Programming and to appreciated the multidisciplinary nature of this field.

2. to introduce you to the essential concepts and techniques through practice work based on developing programs that create interactive visual imagery.

3. to get you to acquire independent self-learning skills.

Learning objectivesThe learning objectives of this unit are:

1. to find out about current applications of computer graphics in games;

2. to learn about the techniques and algorithms used for developing games applications involving both 2D and 3D objects;

3. to learn the essential theory behind games design;4. to be able to design and implement simple computer games in

C/C++ including the use of library functions from some APIs (Application Programmer’s Interface).

5. to acquire some ability to extend your skills on your own. 6. acquire the ability and discipline to produce work that is of

sufficient quality that it can be demonstrated publicly (especially important for ICT507).

Generic learning objectivesThis unit will contribute to the development of the following Graduate Attributes:See http://www.murdoch.edu.au/teach/studyat/attributes.html

1. Communication2. Critical and creative thinking3. Independent and lifelong learning4. Interdisciplinarity5. Knowledge of a field of study (sub-category)

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Unit coordinator

Your coordinator for ICT207/ICT507 is Shri Rai He teaches in the area of computer graphics, internet and multimedia. Research Interests are in: Areas in machine vision, image processing and pattern recognition, Biometrics, Online collaborative group-work, E-Learning and Online education, Web and Internet Technologies and applications, Automated document analysis (conventional and/or Web documents). He also supervises a number of research students. Some completed thesis abstracts can be found at http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/~smr/honours/projects.html. A number of these completed projects have now been expanded to become PhD projects.

Contact details

Email: s.rai@murdoch.edu.au Room: ECL 3.041

Email is the ideal form of contact for all students. Personal contact times for internal students would be made known early in the semester. Generally it will be in the late afternoon.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Unit Coordinator by email if you have any difficulties with the unit.

Administrative contact

If you have any queries about your enrolment in this unit, please contact the divisional office at: (08) 9360 2890.

TutorYou will be notified of your tutor by the end of week 2 of semester via the unit’s online tutorial booking system (OTSS). Please write your tutor’s name and contact details here.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 3

How to study this unit

This unit covers the following topics: C/C++ programming, Object Oriented concepts (throughout

the semester) Games Context History of Games Game Graphics Game Design Virtual Worlds Game Physics/Maths Game AI Games Engines Network Games

Learning activities

Many topics will have exercises. There are a set of tutorial/laboratory assessable exercise sets, one assignment and a project.

The tutorial/laboratory exercises are not included in this study guide and will be made available to you on-line through the unit’s “unit materials” site. This will be done on a weekly basis as needed.

Internal Students

There is one 3-hour lecture per week. Please check the University’s timetable site at http://www.murdoch.edu.au/index/admindates. ICT507 may not run in the traditional lecture style if it is not being run concurrently with ICT207. Student input and discussion is expected with teaching staff acting as moderators.

For maximum benefit, you should do some reading on the topic before coming to the lecture.

Additionally, you should attend one two-hour tutorial/laboratory session per week starting in week 2. Procedure for signing up will be announced during the first lecture if there are more than 15 students enrolled in the unit. An online booking system is being utilised. Everyone should get an equal chance at getting their preferred tutorial time. ICT507 students may have some flexibility and this will be

4 ICT207/ICT507 Unit information

discussed in class. A more suitable arrangement instead of traditional tutorial or laboratory sessions may be possible.

It is during this weekly session that you will be able to receive help from your tutor on exercises and assignments, receive feedback on the topic exercises, discuss theoretical and practical aspects of topics as they are

covered, and hand in your practical work and get them back from your

Tutor.

External Students

External students do no attend classes. Their primary contact is their tutor. Once you are informed of your tutor’s details, you should initiate contact with your tutor and work out some arrangement for submitting and receiving feedback on the assessed exercises during semester. The assignment and project is to be submitted through external studies.

Attendance

External students are not required to attend classes but regular attendance for internal students in the weekly tutorial/lab session will give them significant help with their study of the unit and enable them to finish the assessment work in time. Internal students should make good use of tutorials to ensure successful completion of the unit.

Internal students need to demonstrate the topic exercises in person. This means that you must attend the tutorial session when a topic exercise is due.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 5

Technical Help

For technical difficulties with the online materials please contact the unit coordinator by email. (s.rai@murdoch.edu.au).

Unit timetable

The following is a list of unit topics with an approximate lecture schedule for internal students. It should help you to plan your study over the semester. C/C++ programming, Object Oriented concepts will usually be done during part of the lecture. The current plan is to do it in the end of the lecture block. This aspect of the lectures is not shown in the column on Topic Title below. The tutorial sessions will mainly deal with graphics and programming.

StartingWeek

No. ofWeeks

TopicNo.

Topic Title

1 1 1 Games in Context 2 1 2 History of Games3, 4 2 3 Game Graphics 5, 6, 7 3 4 Game Design

8 1 5 Virtual Worlds

9 1 6 Game Physics/Mathematics

10, 11 2 7 Game AI

12 1 8 Game Engines

13 1 9 Network Games

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TWOResources for the unit

Unit materials

To undertake study in this unit, you will need access to:Textbook

Textbook: Sanchez-Crespo Dalmau, D., Core Techniques and Algorithms in Game Programming, New Riders Publishing, 2004.

Lecture notes

Copies of the lectures will be made available on-line:

http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/units/ICT507/

Apart from lecture notes, the above site will also contain links to various other materials and items of information relevant to the unit.

Game References

Rollings, A., Morris, D., Game Architecture and Design a new edition, New Riders Publishing, 2004.

Stahler, W., Beginning Math and Physics for Game Programmers, New Riders Publishing, 2004.

Gold, J., Object-Oriented Game Development, Addison Wesley, 2004.

Rollings, A., Adams, E., Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design, New Riders Publishing, 2003.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 7

C++ Please see ICT209 site where C++ is taught http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/units/ICT209/

Free Programming Resources (has C++ and other languages http://www.freeprogrammingresources.com/cpptutor.html

Graphics Please see ICT215 site where Computer Graphics is taught http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/units/ICT215/. (Ask for the password at the second lecture)

Software Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 or XP with a suitable browser for Internet access.

C/C++ compiler and linker - Borland C++ for Windows ver.4.5 or above or Microsoft Visual C++).

OpenGL API – most already available to you if you have MS Windows NT/XP, Windows 95 or Windows 98 on your PC.

GLUT library (not part of the OpenGL API) - a copy in compressed format is available for downloading from the unit ftp site. Details of installing the GLUT library can be found in a README file together with the library.

Other software libraries: information will be provided later. Paint Shop Pro is an image editing and formatting software

package. It is a shareware product downloadable through the Internet (http://www.jasc.com/). OR GIMP from http://www.gimp.org/ (free)

Sound Editor – Cool Edit is installed in the PS1.16 labs or Audacity from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ (free)

8 ICT207/ICT507 Unit information

Graphics references as used in the unit ICT215

(Murdoch Library catalogue numbers in parentheses)

[1] Hearn, D. & Baker, M.P., Computer Graphics – C version, Prentice Hall, 1997A good book for Computer Graphics principles.

[2] Brown, C.W., & Shepherd, B.J., Graphics File Formats Reference and Guide,Manning Publications (006.6 BRO 1995).A survey of 51 image data formats and a listing of more than 80 others.

[3] Gongalez, R.C., & Wintz, P., Digital Image Processing, Addison Wesley, 1987.One of the classics of digital image processing.

[4] http://webs.kodak.com/US/en/digital/dlc This web site (Kodak’s Digital Learning Centre) contains tutorials and other useful stuff on digital imaging - nice graphics, highly recommended.

[5] Low, A., Introductory Computer Vision and Image Processing, McGraw-Hill, 1991.A good introduction to the field of digital image processing and computer vision. Good source of algorithms.

[6] Kernighan W.K., & Ritchie, D.M., The C Programming Language, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1988.The definitive and most well known book on C programming.

[7] Mitchell, W.J., The Reconfigured Eye, MIT Press (621.367 MIT 1992). For an interesting and different perspective of the whole area of digital imaging.

[8] Woo, M., Neider, J., & Davis, T., OpenGL Programming Guide, Addison Wesley, 1997.The official OpenGL programmers guide - a must for serious graphics programming with OpenGL.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 9

[9] OpenGL on-line help on your PC (file opengl.hlp).

[10] http:// reality.sgi.com/opengl/spec3/spec3.html GLUT on-line manual.

[11] Foley, van Dam, Feiner, Huges, Computer Grahics: Principles and Practice, Addison-Wesley, 1997The book for Computer Graphics enthusiasts – a must have for

the CG practitioner.

Online Resources Unit Welcome Page

http://online.murdoch.edu.au/public/ICT507/

Link to Readme file and unit materials page. Generally public information is available from the ftp1 site. The unit site will contain material specific to the unit. The ftp site is only operational for a few weeks then the unit site is used once students know the password.

ftp site:ftp://ftp.it.murdoch.edu.au/pub/units/ICT507/0Readme.html.

Unit site:http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/units/ICT507/

1 ftp site uses the ftp protocol. The unit site uses the http protocol.

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Library resources

Any articles/readings placed in the library’s catalogue will be available from:

http://prospero.murdoch.edu.au/search/r. Please enter the unit code on this web page.

Computing resources

Internal Students

You will be using one of the Information Technology PC laboratories. You will be advised of the location through the online tutorial booking system. The laboratories are equipped with IBM PC-compatible computers with Pentium CPUs, running the Windows operating system.

You should note that whilst the laboratories are reserved for you for the two hours of your practice session, you may have additional access during periods for which no bookings exist.

Procedure for booking a tutorial 2 will be explained at the first lecture. Allocation will be based on the tutorial choices you give in order of preference.

After hours access to the labs is available. Make sure you carry your IT labs pass at all times in the event the security guard requests to verify it.

If enrolment is 15 or less students, then everyone will be allocated to the one class and preferences are not used.

External Students

External students will provide their own resources.

2 The word “tutorial” and “laboratory” are used interchangeably in this unit. Effectively “tutorial” means a “laboratory” in this unit.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 11

Important Note: This unit provides you with an environment and learning program within which computer software development and execution can be explored. We do not want you to go beyond this. By this we mean that any attempts to:

use foreign software on the computers, create programs which have no relevance to the unit, copy, damage, or corrupt system software, otherwise mismanage or abuse the unit or university resources in any

way,

may result in your immediate exclusion from the unit and a likely fine to rectify the damage you may have caused.

In addition, if you knowingly aid a person not enrolled in this unit to gain access to the unit resources under the pretence of a unit participant, you may be immediately excluded from the unit.

Electronic CommunicationAll students are required to have access to the Internet to enable direct communication with the Unit Coordinator and for accessing essential unit resources such as lecture transparencies, practical exercises, and other useful updates during the course of the semester.

All students have an email account provided by the university. It is the student's responsibility to regularly read email sent to their official student email address. If students are using some other email address on a regular basis then it is the student's responsibility to enable forwarding or email redirection to whatever address they prefer to read their email from. Forwarding/redirection details can be found at http://www.murdoch.edu.au/studentit/. Look for the item “Using Email” in the left column.

The redirection can be done online by students using a browser like Mozilla. It involves filling in an online form.

12 ICT207/ICT507 Unit information

Please be advised that if we send an email to your official student email account, you are deemed to have received the email, whether you have actually read it or not.

It is assumed that you check your email at least once a week. Communication through email is encouraged. All messages received will be responded to, even though it may not be possible for the Coordinator to do so immediately. Please use the unit code in your subject line as it helps to locate your email amongst the other mostly spam mail. It is also helpful if you send email using your official email address as filter software can find it quickly.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 13

THREEAssessment processes

Assessment components

You will be assessed on the basis of:

Assessment Description Value Due Date5 Exercises during semester3

Theory and/or practical work relating to the topics or extending the topics.

5% Week following the assessed exercise notification

1 Assignment Theory and/or practical work relating to the topics or extending the topics.

15% 4.30 pm Friday 29 April (week 8)

1 Project Putting together all that has been learned as well as further exploration of Computer Games.

30% 4.30 pm Friday, June 3. (end of week 13)

Examination Written answers covering theory and practice

50% Assessment period

The assignment, project and practical exercises will be made available to you during the semester.

3 Although each exercise is worth 1% of the unit, the purpose of the exercises is to prepare you for the assignment and project. Past experience suggests that you will struggle unnecessarily with the assignment and project if you do not do the exercises.

14 ICT207/ICT507 Unit information

The weekly exercises will be assessed as either Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (US). An "OK" also means that it is satisfactory. Exercises which have been graded as US or "not ok" (no marks) can be attempted one more time during the following week to get an S or OK grade (ie. full marks). This provides you with an opportunity to learn without fear of making mistakes as well as encouraging you to produce good work.

The assignment and project will be reported using a letter grade like HD, D, C, P and N.

Assignment/Project submission/return

Unit mode Weekly exercises Assignment Project

D (internal)

Demonstrate work in person during tutorial.

Return/feedback during tutorial

Assignment Box located outside the School Office in ECL level 3.

Return via School Office (photo ID needed).

Feedback during tutorial.

unit cover sheet needed.

Assignment Box located outside the School Office in ECL level 3.

Return via School Office (photo ID needed). Feedback during tutorial or via school office.

unit cover sheet needed.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 15

Submission deadlines for continuous assessment components

There can be some variation on the due time (week) for the exercises. You will be given notice of this.

Week No.

Form of Assessment

Internal Students Nature

12 Exercise 1 Demonstrate during Prac. Session

Theory and/or practical work relating to the topics

or extending the topics.

3 Exercise 24 Exercise 35 Exercise 46 Exercise 5 Demonstrate during Prac. Session7 Exercise 6 Demonstrate during Prac. Session8 Assignment Submit by 4.30 p.m. on Friday 29 April910 Exercise 7 Demonstrate during Prac. Session1112 Exercise 8 Demonstrate during Prac. Session13 Project Submit by 4.30 p.m. on Friday 3 June Computer Game project

Make sure to keep a copy (including a printout) of all your work handed in for assessment in case they get mislaid or for any reason cannot be found.

All submitted work must be neatly collated and contained within a secure plastic envelope with student name and name of Tutor clearly visible. A copy of the cover sheet (contained in the study guide) must be included and signed as indicated in the table above. The ICT207/ICT507 cover sheet is the only cover sheet that can be used when submitting work for assessment. All requirements of the cover sheet must be met. Ten percent of the marks may be deducted if any of the submission requirements are not met. X mode students also require the external studies cover sheet.

Final submission date

Friday Week 13 (if extension is granted by unit coordinator – for procedures, see below.). After this date, written application for deferred assessment has to be lodged with and approved in accordance with the deferred assessment procedures given in Degree

16 ICT207/ICT507 Unit information

Regulation 46. (See University handbook). Deferred assessment can only be approved by the Director of Student Services.

Extensions

You should contact the Unit Coordinator by email for an extension of the submission deadline, if you believe you will be unable to meet the deadline due to some valid reason (needs to be provided). This should be done before the due date. Unless you have obtained a prior extension to the submission deadline, be advised that late submissions normally incur a penalty of 10% of the total possible marks per day. Work submitted more that 10 days late will not be marked.

When submitting work that has been given an extension, you must attach the unit coordinator’s written reply granting the extension after the unit cover sheet.

Please note that extensions given over the phone or in person do not count.

Deferred assessment

Note that in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement, there is provision for deferred assessment in the unit. Refer to the current University Handbook at http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/regs/bachelor.html for details Degree Regulation 46. Your attention is drawn to the Academic Progress Rules, also in the current University Handbook (Regulations 50 and 51).

More information including information on appeal procedures is found at http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/policies/assessmentlinks.html#16 and http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/index.html.

Unit Cover sheet

The unit cover sheet is attached at the end of this document.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 17

Examination

At the end of the unit, a three-hour examination will be held, based on all the material of the unit. The examination, held in June, will be closed book. This means no books, notes, or reference manuals.

Metropolitan students are expected to take the examination on campus. The University Examinations Officer will contact external students about the time and venue for the final examination.

IdentificationAll students sitting the final examination must produce photographic identification which may be one of these: Murdoch University Student Card; Murdoch University Guild of Students Card; Driver’s Licence with photograph; Passport.

Examining your script Students may inspect their marked examination scripts and discuss the marking with the Unit Coordinator within 14 days of the posting of results (Degree Regulation 43).

For further information about examinations, refer to http://www.murdoch.edu.au/oss/exams/.

Attendance/participation requirements

Internal students are expected to present the assessed exercises in person.

Determination of the final grade

Your final grade for the unit will be reported by a letter grade. In order to pass the unit you must 1. submit both the assignment and the project2. sit the final examination, and3. obtain a satisfactory performance (at least 50%) overall.

18 ICT207/ICT507 Unit information

The final grade will be based on the aggregate of marks for all the above assessment components, weighted according to the values of each component above as well as using the rules above. In practice, to obtain a higher grade, you may need to achieve correspondingly higher grades of performance in both the continuous assessment component and the exam component. In assigning a grade, some scaling of marks may be involved to ensure equity of marking by different staff and across assessable work of different difficulty. The nominal percentage ranges for the various grades are as follows: (details - Degree reg. 42)

See Section 11 of the assessment code regarding gradeshttp://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/policies/assessment.html. You should read these carefully to understand the level you have to perform for each grade. There may be some minor variation in the Notional Percentage scores for each grade to allow allocation of grades to actual occurring score boundaries.

Notation Grade Percentage Range

HD High Distinction 80 – 100D Distinction 70 – 79C Credit 60 – 69P Pass 50 – 59N Fail Below 50DNS Did Not Submit Fail, did not participate in any

assessments after HECS census date

S Supplementary Assessment 45 – 49*

* A Unit Coordinator may recommend to the School’s Board of Examiners that an S be awarded. The Board of Examiners will then determine the final grade to be awarded.

University policy

Assessment for this unit is in accordance with the provisions of Degree regulations 40–48. Check these in the current Murdoch University Handbook and Calendar orhttp://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/regs/bachelor.html#assessment

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 19

Appeal Procedureshttp://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/regs/bachelor.html#appeals

Assessment roles and responsibilitiesPlease refer to the University Policy athttp://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/policies/assessment.html

Honesty in assessment and avoiding plagiarismFor guidelines on honesty in assessment including avoiding plagiarism, see: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/discipline/ and http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/statutes/statute23.html

Deferred Assessmenthttp://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/policies/assessmentlinks.html#16.

Postgraduates

Students enrolled in a postgraduate diploma should also view http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/regs/diploma.html.

Students enrolled in a coursework masters degree should also view http://www.murdoch.edu.au/admin/legsln/rules/aprmasters.html.

20 ICT207/ICT507 Unit information

FOURAdvice

As you work through each topic you may find it advisable to adopt the following procedure.

Ensure topic objectives are met

Read through the topic objectives at the start of each topic so that you are aware of the knowledge/skills to be acquired. Attempt to relate the topic to your previous knowledge.

Assessment It is important to work through the assignment questions and practical exercises relevant to each topic. Be aware of the assessment requirements.

Reading material

Note the required reading for the topic. To get the most out of this unit, use the material listed in the lecture notes, textbook, Game and Other References as much as possible. Some of these are available at Murdoch library. Be aware that you may have to look for the reading material from other sources. Library staff may be able to help you with this.

Lecture Notes Copies of the lecture transparencies will be available for downloading from the unit materials site usually after the lecture. In latter offerings of this unit, notes will be available before.Use them to guide your reading and understanding.

Read actively and Make notes

As you read through the relevant material, make notes and draw diagrams to record and emphasise your understanding of the concepts and processes involved. Postgraduate students are expected to be more independent of teaching staff.

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 21

Apply your knowledge

Now attempt to apply your knowledge to the relevant exercises and assignment questions. For any implementation problem or exercise, work out the solution on paper. Check your paper-based solution before you attempt to implement.

Seeking Help If you have difficulty with any of the above activities you should seek help from your Tutor. External students should contact their Tutor by phone or email.

Please have your Study Guide and other materials, and the list of questions with you, so that you do not waste time (and money) searching for information during a phone conversation with your Tutor. For external students located in the metropolitan area, it is also possible to arrange an appointment.

Internal students should try to discuss any difficulties with their Tutor during their normal laboratory hours or consultation hours announced by the Tutor.Your Tutor will acknowledge receipt of your email messages immediately and try to get back to you as soon as possible. There may be a queue of email messages from students that your Tutor has to work through, so please be patient and follow up with a phone call if you do not get any response within a day or two.

Revise After you have received the assignments back from your Tutor, go over the comments carefully. If in doubt, ask the Tutor for further explanations.

Assignment cover sheets

The unit cover sheet that follows is the only cover sheet that can be used to submit work for this unit. Please do not use any other cover sheet as a replacement.

All requirements of the cover sheet must be met. Ten percent of the total marks may be deducted if any of the submission requirements are not met. X mode students also require the external studies cover sheet available from http://external.murdoch.edu.au/support/info.html.

22 ICT207/ICT507 Unit information

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Information 23

School of Information Technology

ICT207/ICT507 COVER SHEET

Name: ______________________________/__________________________/_______________/______________given names surname student number mode (D/Z/X)

Name of tutor: _____________________________ Day & Time of tutorial: _________________ Assignment Number: _____ Due Date: ______________ Date Submitted: ______________

If the given name by which your tutor knows you differs from your name on university records, you should indicate both names above. Tutor’s name must be entered. Penalty is 10% of the total marks for the submission for not providing information asked for.

Your assignment should meet the following requirements. Please confirm this (by ticking boxes) before submitting your assignment. Some items do not apply for online submission.

o Assignment (including code) is presented on A4 size paper and is neatly collated.o Assignment contained within A4 plastic envelope or foldero Assignment includes virus-free disk with machine-readable programs & files relevant only to this submission. (1.44Mb

floppy disk only unless instructed otherwise. CD may be accepted)o Writing is clearly legible or has been printed.o Pages have been firmly stapled.o I have retained a copy of all submitted work.o My own assessment of my own work is included.o Declaration below is completed.

All forms of plagiarism, cheating and unauthorised collusion are regarded seriously by the University and could result in penalties including failure in the unit and possible exclusion from the University. If you are in doubt, please contact the Unit Coordinator.

Declaration

Except where I have indicated, the work I am submitting is my own work for the purpose of this assessment and has not been submitted for assessment before.

_______________________________________Signature

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Cover Sheet 1

OFFICE USE ONLY

Date received

Marked by Grade

School of Information Technology

ICT207/ICT507 COVER SHEET

Name: ______________________________/__________________________/_______________/______________given names surname student number mode (D/Z/X)

Name of tutor: _____________________________ Day & Time of tutorial: _________________ Assignment Number: _____ Due Date: ______________ Date Submitted: ______________

If the given name by which your tutor knows you differs from your name on university records, you should indicate both names above. Tutor’s name must be entered. Penalty is 10% of the total marks for the submission for not providing information asked for.

Your assignment should meet the following requirements. Please confirm this (by ticking boxes) before submitting your assignment. Some items do not apply for online submission.

o Assignment (including code) is presented on A4 size paper and is neatly collated.o Assignment contained within A4 plastic envelope or foldero Assignment includes virus-free disk with machine-readable programs & files relevant only to this submission. (1.44Mb

floppy disk only unless instructed otherwise)o Writing is clearly legible or has been printed.o Pages have been firmly stapled.o I have retained a copy of all submitted work.o My own assessment of my own work is included.o Declaration below is completed.

All forms of plagiarism, cheating and unauthorised collusion are regarded seriously by the University and could result in penalties including failure in the unit and possible exclusion from the University. If you are in doubt, please contact the Unit Coordinator.

Declaration

Except where I have indicated, the work I am submitting is my own work for the purpose of this assessment and has not been submitted for assessment before.

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2 ICT207/ICT507 Unit Cover Sheet

Signature

OFFICE USE ONLY

Date received

Marked by Grade

ICT207/ICT507 Unit Cover Sheet 3