CSE3211 Handheld applications and operating systems , Unit Information Guide (Semester 1, 2006)

Chief Examiner Andy Cheng
Lecturers
Caulfield : Andy Cheng
Outline Handheld computing, "Lite" Application Development, Architecture, User Interaction. Handheld Operating Systems, Application development environments, Handheld - database connectivity. Use of emulators and test suites. Construction of handheld applications, desktop synchronisation and the separation of computing tasks. Use of modems, cameras, infrared, serial communcation and TCP/IP. Contexts for deploying handheld computing, user interaction, modality, screen design, and desktop integration.
Objectives Knowledge and Understanding

At the completion of this unit, students will:

  • be familiar with the various technologies associated with handheld/portable computing devices
  • be competent in producing software for such devices by event-based programming techniques, using an industry relevant Object-Oriented language
  • be familiar with a GUI-oriented Integrated Development Environment (MS Visual Studio. NET)
  • be familiar with a subset of the Microsoft .NET framework and the various facilities it provides, in particular those relating to handheld devices
  •  

    Attitudes, Values and Beliefs

    At the completion of this unit, students will have attitudes that will allow them to:

     

  • write programs that conform to programming standards
  • use good design principles when constructing systems
  • apply appropriate testing to their applications
  • acknowledge any assistance they have received in writing a program
  • search for supplementary unit-related information in appropriate places when necessary
  •  

    Practical Skills

    At the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

     

  • design an object-oriented program using appropriate classes which interact with each other
  • write object-oriented code which makes use of classes from an existing application framework
  • debug and modify an existing program consisting of many interacting classes.
  • demonstrate a good understanding of inheritance, exception-handling, event-handling, UI design, and data manipulation
  • develop and use mobile applications, including web applications and web services
  • use their existing knowledge of data structures and algorithms to solve new problems
  • use industry-standard development tools to write their programs
  •  

    Relationships, Communication and TeamWork

    At the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

     

  • document a program correctly
  • help each other with programming tasks, via discussions forums and tutorial discussions
  • work effectively in small groups to perform research tasks
  • present their work in various forms
  •  

    Prerequisites Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed (CSE1201 or FIT1001) AND (CSE1203 or FIT1007) OR CSE1303, or equivalent.

    Students enrolled in this subject are expected (from their earlier computing studies) to:

     

  • be able to design and write reasonably complex computer programs using object-oriented techniques
  • have a good understanding of general programming concepts (eg. recursion, selection, repetition, scoping, etc), in particular object-oriented concepts
  • be able to understand and debug existing programs
  • be familiar with algorithms for constructing and/or manipulating abstract data structures (eg. pointers, arrays, linked-lists, stacks, queues, trees, heaps, etc)
  • be able to integrate existing classes into their programs
  • be able to produce basic program and user documentation
  • Unit relationships

    This unit extends the knowledge students gained in CSE1201/CSE1203/FIT1001/FIT1002/FIT1005/FIT1007 (or equivalences) with specific emphasis on mobile communication programming and technologies.

    This unit is an elective unit in the Bachelor of Computing.

    Texts and software

    Required text(s)

    None. See list of Recommended Reading below.

     

    Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

    Software requirements:

    Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, plus 3rd-party software available from the web.

    Hardware requirements:

    Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook. You will need to allocate up to 10 hours per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

    Recommended reading

    Recommended Reading:

  • Application Development Using C# and .NET (2001), Stiefel M et al, Prentice-Hal
  • Building Microsoft ASP.NET Applications for Mobile Devices (2003), A Wiglet & P Roxburgh, MS press .NET
  • Microsoft .NET Compact Framework Kick Start (2003), E Rubin & R Yates, Sams
  • Object-Oriented Analysis And Design With Applications (2004), Booch G, Benjamin Cummings
  • Professional C# (2004), Robinson S et al, Wrox
  •  

    Library access You may need to access the Monash library either personally to be able to satisfactorily complete the subject.  Be sure to obtain a copy of the Library Guide, and if necessary, the instructions for remote access from the library website.
    Study resources

    Study resources for CSE3211 are:

    Software CDs available for loan from th FIT helpdesk.

    Subject Handbook (distributed to all students in week 1's lecture)

    Subject web site, where lecture slides, weekly tutorial requirements, assignment specifications, sample code and other supplementary materials will be posted.

    Weekly exercise sheets.

    Newsgroups/discussion groups that can be linked to from the Unit Homepage.

    Structure and organisation

    Week

    Topics

    Study Guide

    1 See subject handbook
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    Non-teaching
    8
    9
    10
    11
    12
    13
    Timetable

    The timetable for on-campus classes for this unit can be viewed in Allocate+

    Assessment

    Assignment 50% + Formal tutorial assessment 10% + 2 hour Exam 40%

    Assessment Policy

    To pass this unit you must:

    Score >50% overall, PLUS score >40% for all of the assessment components as specified in the subject handbook.

    Your score for the unit will be calculated by:

    Assessment Requirements

    Assessment

    Due Date

    Weighting

    Assignment specifications will be made available . Information about assignments will be published on the Unit's Notices Newsgroup.

    Assignment Submission Methods

    Assignments will be submitted by electronic and paper submissions. On-campus Students Submit the assignment to Assignment Collection Boxes on Level 6 of Building H by the due dates stated in the assignment specfications, with the appropriate cover sheet correctly filled out and attached. Do not email submissions, unless prior arrangements had been made with the lecturer. The due date is the date by which the submission must be received.

    Extensions and late submissions

    Late submission of assignments

    Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty as stated in the assignment specifications.

    Assignments received later than one week after the due date will not normally be accepted.

    This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment. 

    Extensions

    It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. 

    This is generally not available, except in extraordinary circumstances, and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

    Grading of assessment

    Assignments, and the unit, will be marked and allocated a grade according to the following scale:

    HD High Distinction - very high levels of achievement, demonstrated knowledge and understanding, skills in application and high standards of work encompassing all aspects of the tasks.
    In the 80+% range of marks for the assignment.
    D Distinction - high levels of achievement, but not of the same standards. May have a weakness in one particular aspect, or overall standards may not be quite as high.
    In the 70-79% range.
    C Credit - sound pass displaying good knowledge or application skills, but some weaknesses in the quality, range or demonstration of understanding.
    In the 60-69% range.
    P Pass - acceptable standard, showing an adequate basic knowledge, understanding or skills, but with definite limitations on the extent of such understanding or application. Some parts may be incomplete.
    In the 50-59% range.
    N Not satisfactory -  failure to meet the basic requirements of the assessment.
    Below 50%.

    We will aim to have assignment results made available to you within two weeks after assignment receipt.

    Feedback Feedback to you

    You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This feedback may be provided through your participation in tutorials and class discussions, as well as through your assignment submissions. It may come in the form of individual advice, marks and comments, or it may be provided as comment or reflection targeted at the group. It may be provided through personal interactions, such as interviews and on-line forums, or through other mechanisms such as on-line self-tests and publication of grade distributions.

    Feedback from you

    You will be asked to provide feedback to the Faculty through a Unit Evaluation survey at the end of the semester. You may also be asked to complete surveys to help teaching staff improve the unit and unit delivery. Your input to such surveys is very important to the faculty and the teaching staff in maintaining relevant and high quality learning experiences for our students.

    And if you are having problems

    It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem with your study. The semester is short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

    Plagiarism and cheating

    Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

    In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

    When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

    Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

    Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

    Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

    Communication

    Preferred methods of communication with staff (in the following order) :

    • discussion groups
    • email to staff
    • personal consultation with staff

    Notices

    Notices related to the unit during the semester will be placed on the Unit Website. Check this regularly. Failure to read the Notices is not regarded as grounds for special consideration.

    Consultation Times

    See subject web site.

    If direct communication with your unit adviser/lecturer or tutor outside of consultation periods is needed you may contact the lecturer and/or tutors at:

    All email communication to you from your lecturer will occur through your Monash student email address. Please ensure that you read it regularly, or forward your email to your main address. Also check that your contact information registered with the University is up to date in My.Monash.

    Last updated: May 4, 2006