COMP9020 Notices

Coursework marks

Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 14 December 2021, 12:42:19 AM.

Hi all,

All being well, this will likely be the final communication you receive from me in this course.

You should now be able to see your coursework marks (Assignments & Quizzes) under the "Grades" button at the bottom of the menu on the course webpage.

Unfortunately, I cannot release exam marks as it is against university policy to release provisional grades before the official announcement, but this will come in the next few days.

Although these are the marks that have been submitted for your final grade, amendments can be made if there has been any significant omission - so please get in touch if there is an issue.

I am happy to provide more detailed feedback and answer any questions - the same applies when final grades are announced.

Thank you all for your patience through this latest term of remote learning. Hopefully the new year will see a return to campus for many students, and the opportunity for us to offer a wider variety of learning environments to you. At least now I've picked up a few more tricks and tips to add to my teaching toolbox going forward (including not using Zoom on Linux for lecturing!).

Have a great holiday,

Paul

Sample answers

Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 30 November 2021, 08:23:23 AM.

Hi all,

I have uploaded the solutions (now complete) of the assignments; and a walkthrough of me answering the sample exam (under Lecture Recordings). Unfortunately the recording of my working during the walkthrough is postage-stamp sized, so it is a little difficult to see my paper-based working.

At about 13 minutes into the walkthrough I demonstrate how it is possible to modify the proof assistant to enter your own formulas. This is definitely a use at your own risk scenario - the proof assistant is more strict than necessary in an exam situation, and it may take considerably longer to write a proof using the tool than it would if you just wrote it out.

All the best with today's exam,

Paul

Sample exam available

Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 22 November 2021, 11:46:22 AM, last modified Monday 22 November 2021, 12:13:06 PM.

Hi all,

I have put up a sample exam on inspera. The exam is a similar format and difficulty (in my opinion) to the sample exam - the sample questions are (mostly) taken from previous exam questions that I have run.

To access it, go to https://unsw.inspera.com

Log in, using either your SSO, or your id/pass generated for Assignment 3 (or both if you want multiple attempts)

Click "Register" under "Do you have a test code?"

Enter the code: NSW-97460692

Enjoy!

How to get onto inspera

Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 16 November 2021, 11:00:38 PM.

Hi all,

For anyone having difficulty getting Assignment 3 set up, I have posted a brief HOWTO in the lecture recordings (under Auxiliary material) that should flag the common issues.

Paul

Assignment 3 (Inspera) errata

Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 15 November 2021, 09:38:20 PM.

Hi all,

Please note that Q1(d) on the inspera assignment should read:

Find an asymptotic upper bound for T(n).

Unfortunately once an "inspera test" has been activated it is not possible to change the question (for good reason).

If in doubt, consult the assignment on the course website - there are some places where the numbering doesn't quite line up, but the question order is the same.

Paul

Assignment 3 inspera details

Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 15 November 2021, 01:45:13 AM.

Hi all,

I have set up Assignment 3 on Inspera. I strongly recommend playing around with it to familiarize yourself with the interface - especially how to enter mathematical text.

To access it:

• Go to https://webcms3.cse.unsw.edu.au/COMP9020/21T3/reso... to obtain your username and password (for Assignment 3 only) - this will require you to enter your zid and zpass
• Follow the link to https://unsw.inspera.com
• If you are already logged in via SSO, you will need to logout (use the Settings menu in the top right) and reload the above link
• Log in as a "Registered user" with the username and password allocated in the first step

Inspera will save your progress automatically.

You can return to it any time before the deadline.

You can save a copy of your answers offline using the hamburger menu in the top right. I have set up give to accept .ia files, so you may submit these through give /webCMS if you wish to.

You can submit your assignment at any time by clicking the submit button (√) in the bottom right - but you can continue and resubmit any time before the deadline. Inspera will automatically submit your work on the deadline - so make sure changes are positive (or you submit a backup version of your answers to give ).

You can still make a standard pdf submission through give /webCMS if you'd prefer.

If there are any problems/issues, please let me know.

Paul

Assignment 3 errata

Posted by Paul Hunter Sunday 14 November 2021, 08:55:55 PM.

Hi all,

There is a minor error in Q8 of the assignment - the graph originally given does not lead to the answers I was planning. I have changed the graph so that the problem should now be doable.

Apologies for the inconvenience,

Paul

Quiz 9 now available

Posted by Paul Hunter Saturday 13 November 2021, 03:13:23 PM.

Hi all,

Quiz 9 is now available. It is due at 14:00 on Monday 15 November .

Apologies for the previous email re Assignment 3 - that was set off when I amended the due date of the original notice.

Assignment 3 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 11 November 2021, 05:47:08 AM, last modified Saturday 13 November 2021, 10:36:40 AM.

Hi all,

Assignment 3 is now available on the course website. It is due on Wednesday November 24 at 12:00 (AEDST) . I am still working on setting up the inspera system, and I will post instructions when that is available.

Paul

Quiz 8 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Sunday 07 November 2021, 01:59:00 AM.

Hi all,

Quiz 8 is available on the course website. It is due at 2pm on Monday November 8 (AEDST) .

Paul

Quiz 7 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Saturday 30 October 2021, 04:14:03 PM.

Hi all,

Quiz 7 is currently available. It is due on Monday November 1 at 14:00 (AEDST) .

A reminder that the second assignment is due on Monday November 1 at 12:00 (AEDST) .

Paul

Quiz 6 now available

Posted by Paul Hunter Saturday 23 October 2021, 02:05:42 PM.

Hi all,

The sixth quiz is now available on the course website. It is due on Monday, October 25 at 2pm (AEDST).

Paul

Assignment 2 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 18 October 2021, 12:52:04 PM.

Hi all,

The second assignment is now available on the course website. It is due at 12:00 on Monday 1st November (AEDST).

I will discuss it briefly in today's lecture.

Paul

Quiz 5 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Saturday 16 October 2021, 01:59:43 PM.

Hi all,

Quiz 5 is now available. It is due on Monday October 18 at 14:00 (AEDST) .

Paul

Quiz 4 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Saturday 09 October 2021, 02:06:35 PM.

Hi all,

Quiz 4 is now available. It is due on Monday 11 October at 2pm (AEDST) .

Paul

Quiz 3 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Wednesday 06 October 2021, 02:10:06 PM.

Hi all,

Quiz 3 is now available. It is due at 11:00 on Friday October 8 (AEDST) .

There will be an additional consultation hour at 20:00 - 21:00 on Thursday October 7 (AEDST) , so that the assessment overlaps with some consultation - however any questions are welcome at these consultations (including Assignment 1 questions).

Paul

Proof assistant and Problem sets

Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 28 September 2021, 01:10:58 AM.

Hi all,

The second set of Practice Problems is now available, as is a selection of solutions for the first two sets. I will complete these solution sets over the course of the term.

The Proof Assistant tool is now accessible from the course website (under Additional material -> Proof Assistant). I have set it up with some questions from the second set of Practice Problems, as well as the assignment questions. I hope to update the tool in the next few days to incorporate some long overdue features.

Enjoy,

Paul

Assignment 1 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 27 September 2021, 06:55:16 AM.

Hi all,

The first assignment is now available. It is due at 12 noon on Monday 11th October (AEDST) (note the Daylight Savings time!).

I will give a brief overview of it in today's lecture.

Paul

Sunday consultation delay

Posted by Paul Hunter Sunday 26 September 2021, 07:04:44 PM.

Hi all,

Because of a family emergency, tonight's consultation will be cancelled. I will reschedule it for 12noon tomorrow.

Apologies for any inconvenience,

Paul

Quiz 2 available

Posted by Paul Hunter Saturday 25 September 2021, 02:22:15 PM.

Hi all,

The second quiz is now available on the course website. It is due at 14:00 on Monday 27th September (AEST) .

The first assignment will be released later today, I will post a notice once it is available.

Paul

Practice and Challenge questions

Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 21 September 2021, 01:33:13 AM.

Hi all,

I have made the first set of Practice questions, covering Number Theory, available on the course website under "Additional material". Questions for the other topics, and solutions should be available soon.

I have also posted the first Challenge question on the course website under "Additional material".

As stated in the first lecture, the Challenge questions are entirely optional - they are not graded, and there is no penalty for not attempting them. They are intended to explore the course topics in greater depth.

I have set up this week's question to provide automatic feedback when you submit your answer (through give). It will be available throughout the course, so you may attempt it at any time.

To ensure the most students can enjoy the challenge, please avoid posting your solutions until Week 7, and keep discussions to a high level.

Enjoy!

ed access

Posted by Paul Hunter Sunday 19 September 2021, 07:26:56 PM.

Hi all,

Can people please check that they are able to access the ed forum and let me know if they cannot. If you haven't already logged into the platform, you can try this link .

Paul

Quiz 1 now available

Posted by Paul Hunter Saturday 18 September 2021, 02:02:52 PM.

Hi all,

The first quiz is now available on the course website. It is due at 14:00 on Monday 20 September (AEST) . You may make multiple submissions before the due date - it is your last submission before the deadline that will count. A reminder that there are no extensions available for quizzes, late submissions will not be accepted.

Paul

Thursday consultation, moving to Sundays.

Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 16 September 2021, 08:39:07 PM.

Hi all,

Apologies if anyone tried to attend the consultation tonight, I had another commitment that ran over.

I have also realised that the current consultation timetable does not suit the assessment deadlines. So I will be moving the Thursday evening consultation to Sunday evenings to give you more of a chance to ask questions before quizzes and assignments are due. This will be effective from this Sunday, as a replacement for tonight's missed consultation.

Paul

Welcome to COMP9020

Posted by Paul Hunter Sunday 12 September 2021, 11:09:41 PM.

Hi all,

Welcome to COMP9020 Foundations of Computer Science. This is just a brief announcement to introduce you to various aspects of the course: the website, the learning interfaces, and the staff (me!).

This term COMP9020 will be delivered completely online. I encourage you to familiarise yourself with the course website:

http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~cs9020

as it provides the starting point for all aspects of the course.

Lectures begin on Monday (September 13) (i.e. tomorrow) at 14:00 and will be delivered in real time on Zoom. Details of the lectures can be found on the course website once you have logged in to webCMS. Lectures will be recorded, and the recording will be available shortly after the lecture finishes. No assurance is made about the quality/completeness of the recording - so the only way to ensure you have best lecture experience is to attend the lectures!

There are no tutorials or classes for this course.

The course will be using the ed platform for course discussion. You should shortly be receiving an email inviting you to join the ed forum for this course. Alternatively, you can register for the forum here .

In lieu of office hours, I have set up online consultation hours twice a week. These are intended to be student-driven and generally group-based. The course forums also provide a platform to ask questions and discuss the course material.

There is currently a pre-course, one-question questionnaire available here . It is by no means compulsory, and there is no right/wrong answer - I am primarily interested to see how (if at all) your perspective changes after taking this course.

Looking forward to virtually meeting you on Monday,

Paul Hunter
(Lecturer in Charge)