COMP9020 Notices

Notices

  • Good luck!

    Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 05 May 2026, 10:33:44 PM.

    Hi all,

    One last message of well-wishing before the final exam tomorrow.

    Please remember:

    • Exam begins at 1:45, so arrive with plenty of time
    • The exam will be held in several locations across the campus, check myUNSW for your venue
    • Bring your Student ID
    • Exam conditions -- no talking! (yes, apparently some people need to be told this)
    • We are looking for you to demonstrate your ability and understanding, and the exam gives you many opportunities to do this -- make use of them!
    • Even though you may be working by yourself, you are not alone!

    All the best,

    Paul, Jiaojiao, and the rest of the COMP9020 team.

  • Qualitative formatif feedback

    Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 04 May 2026, 01:55:17 PM.

    Hi all,

    I have managed to meet with all tutors except Alina (who was unavailable until tomorrow), so if you have submitted a self-evaluation (and you are not in Alina's tutorial), then your tutor should now have provided feedback to you under the recently added formatif task Portfolio feedback . A couple of things to note:

    • This is responsive feedback, not active. If you did/do not provide a self-evaluation, you will not receive feedback. In the interest of exam preparation, we will not provide any further feedback until after the exam.
    • If the task is marked as "Complete" then the tutor has responded to your self-evaluation. If the task is marked as "Resubmit" then the tutor is waiting for you to submit a self-evaluation (which you could do in chat)
    • The feedback is qualitative, not quantitative. That is, we have placed you in "bands" based on a combination of your formatif performance and your engagement with the learning process, rather than giving a numeric mark. This should not be taken as an indication of the grade we expect you to get - but rather as feedback to help align your expectations (which is why it needs to be responsive feedback).

    Happy studying!

    Paul

  • Create your formatif portfolio TODAY

    Posted by Paul Hunter Wednesday 29 April 2026, 08:35:36 AM.

    Hi all,

    As mentioned in the lectures, please create your formatif portfolio TODAY . This is your opportunity to have a say on which aspects of your formatif submissions we should focus on when evaluating your performance.

    To create your portfolio:

    1. Go into formatif and select "Create Portfolio"
    2. You will be asked to select your target grade - this should be the grade you believe you have demonstrated (but there will be opportunity to elaborate on this)
    3. You will then be asked to upload a learning summary. This pdf document should include:
      1. A self-reflection on what you have learned (about yourself) through this course
      2. A self-evaluation of the grade you believe you have demonstrated - this should be the grade selected previously, but you can elaborate on whether you believe you are in the high-end of the grade range, in the middle, or at the low-end. This self evaluation should be based on a combination of:
        • The tasks you have completed
        • How well you engaged with the learning process. For example, did you participate actively in tutorials? did you take on board the feedback provided by your tutor?
      3. Up to 3 tasks that justify your self-evaluation. Just name the tasks - all your tasks will be included in your portfolio. You can (briefly!) expand on why these tasks were selected if you want
    4. The next page asks for additional documentation. You do not need to provide anything here
    5. The final page indicates the tasks you have attempted and their current status. Because of the limited time since final submission, some tasks may be yet to receive a completion status.

    In the next few days, I will meet with your tutor and discuss each and everyone's performance. If you have submitted your portfolio before 9am tomorrow (Thu 30th) then I will ask your tutor to provide feedback on whether they agree/disagree with your self evaluation and why (note: this will only happen if I am able to meet with your tutor before 2pm on Monday). This is (potentially) the only feedback you will receive regarding your formatif performance prior to the exam.

    Paul

  • Reminder: Complete your formatif tasks TODAY

    Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 27 April 2026, 11:48:51 AM.

    Hi all,

    Just a quick reminder that today is the final final deadline for formatif submissions. Submissions received after today will not be marked as complete unless there has been a prior arrangement with your tutor.

    Paul

  • Reminder change of lecture time and location (O'Shane G02, 1pm)

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 23 April 2026, 10:11:33 AM.

    Hi all,

    Just a quick reminder that the lecture today is at 1pm in O'Shane G02 . This is our final lecture, so I hope to see you all so we can say farewell!

    Paul

  • Reminder - change of lecture location (O'Shane G02)

    Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 21 April 2026, 11:49:55 AM.

    Hi all,

    This is a brief reminder that this week's lectures will be in O'Shane G02 .

    Also, Thursday's lecture will be from 1pm-3pm

    Paul

  • Formatif finalities

    Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 20 April 2026, 06:56:47 PM.

    Hi all,

    As we near the end of term, we need to wrap up the weekly assessments (i.e. formatif).

    The final formatif tasks covering probability & stats were posted last week; however because of the timing of the exam, the feedback process for these tasks (and the Week 9 D/HD tasks) has been curtailed.

    The final deadline for all formatif submissions is Monday April 27th .

    This means that for the W10 tasks, the usual dual-submission process will not happen - instead feedback will be given in tutorials and possibly through early submissions (depending on tutor availability). We have reduced the number of tasks accordingly and dropped the pre-requisite requirement for the W10 D/HD tasks.

    Further, your tutor has been instructed to work through W10P1(a) in tutorials - so if you are still yet to attend a tutorial (or your attendance has been lagging lately), I strongly suggest that this is the week you turn up !

    On Wednesday April 29th, you will be asked to "Create a portfolio" in formatif where you will provide:

    • A self-reflection on what you have learned about yourself during the course (this is mostly for your benefit)
    • A self-evaluation of what grade level ({P,C,D,HD}×{low, mid, high}) you believe you have demonstrated, accounting for:
      • Which tasks you have completed
      • How engaged you were with the learning process
    • Evidence (up to three tasks) to support your claim

    In order to receive feedback about your formatif performance prior to the exam, this will be needed to be completed in a timely manner (ideally before April 30th) - but you may wish to use some of the later tasks as evidence, which is why it will be requested 48 hours after your final submissions.

    If you submit a portfolio prior to April 30th, then you should receive feedback from your tutor at least 48 hours before the exam about whether they agree/disagree with your self-evaluation and why. These responses will be based on discussions with me (so they are calibrated), but time is tight so we cannot guarantee that this feedback will happen, especially for late portfolio submissions. My concern is giving unexpected feedback too close to the exam, so if you haven't received feedback on your overall formatif performance before 2pm Monday May 4th , then you will find out after the exam. We likely will not be able to release a numeric mark for formatif until after the exam, but this also ensures that if you wish to review your formatif grade, you will be able to do so without the pressure of exams hanging over you. As a rough guide, a low-mid P student that attains the exam hurdle should pass the course.

    I hope that addresses most concerns - please bring any questions along to the lectures this week.

    Paul

  • Feedback for Abstract

    Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 13 April 2026, 10:44:54 AM, last modified Monday 13 April 2026, 10:47:09 AM.

    Hi all,

    As you may remember, Abstract was a game developed by one of my students as part of her honours project.

    If you had a chance to play the game, we would really appreciate if you could take 1-2 minutes to fill in this (anonymous) questionnaire so that she can get some feedback on the project.

    https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/a0zH8YK98h

    Thank you,

    Paul & Priya

  • Remaining content from today's lecture

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 09 April 2026, 04:23:42 PM.

    Hi all,

    I will cover the remaining content from today's lecture in a recording today at 5pm . It should take at most 1 hour. As usual, you are welcome to join and ask questions.

    The recording will be taking place here: https://unsw.zoom.us/j/3916502447

    Best,

    Paul

  • Lecture recording (Algorithmic Analysis)

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 02 April 2026, 06:23:01 PM.

    Hi all,

    I did not get to the Algorithmic Analysis content in today's lecture, so I will be making a recording tonight at 10pm of the material. It should take at most 1 hour. As usual, you are welcome to join and ask questions. Virtual Easter Eggs will be available.

    The recording will be taking place here: https://unsw.zoom.us/j/3916502447

    This is a relatively important topic, so I will be doing a brief recap of the key points on Tuesday, but the content is needed for this week's formatif tasks.

    Sorry for the late hour, but today is the last day of term for my daughter, and it is family tradition to celebrate.

    Paul

  • Tutorials

    Posted by Paul Hunter Wednesday 01 April 2026, 12:02:39 PM.

    Hi all,

    As we near the end of term, it is more important than ever that you get noticed by your tutor! So please make the effort and turn up to (and contribute to) your tutorials for these last four weeks!

    For those that missed the announcement in yesterday's lecture, there will be no Friday tutorials this week . If you are normally timetabled for a Friday tutorial, you are welcome to attend any other tutorial this week (as long as there is room)

    Paul


  • Week 7 Help Session

    Posted by Paul Hunter Wednesday 01 April 2026, 11:58:17 AM.

    Hi all,

    For those that missed the announcement in yesterday's lecture, the help session for this week only will be held on Thursday 1-3 at Ainsworth 102 .

    Paul

  • Towers of Hanoi challenge - URGENT

    Posted by Paul Hunter Monday 30 March 2026, 07:30:09 AM.

    Hi all,

    A reminder to complete the Towers of Hanoi challenge by today 6pm if you want to see me lecture in my academic regalia.

    So far less than one third of you have completed the task. So if you have completed it,find some of your classmates and spread the word!

    Paul

  • Flex week review lecture (Thu 11-1)

    Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 24 March 2026, 08:54:59 AM.

    Hi all,

    Sufficiently many of you have indicated that you would like, and are willing to attend, an additional lecture this week covering the course content from the first five weeks. So this will be going ahead.

    The lecture will be on Thursday, 11-1 in Burrows Theatre (i.e. usual time and place). I hope it will be recorded, but there is no guarantee. Snacks will be provided.

    The lecture will be largely student-driven. If there are any questions/concepts you would like to be covered please use this forum post to let me know in advance.

    See you on Thursday!

    Paul

    PS Don't forget about the Towers of Hanoi challenge!!

  • Help Sessions (Fridays 11-1)

    Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 24 March 2026, 08:44:20 AM, last modified Wednesday 25 March 2026, 11:39:46 AM.

    Hi all,

    Following feedback we have received from a number of you, we have arranged for an additional help session for one-on-one support. This will be starting this week, and run on Fridays 11-1 (weeks 6-10) in UNSW Business School 207 . Please note that attendance is entirely optional, and these sessions are intended to supplement, not replace, existing arrangements. Due to resource constraints, the priority will be to support students struggling with the course content; students with other concerns may not find any benefit from these sessions.

    Jiaojiao & Paul

  • Conclusion of today's lecture

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 19 March 2026, 07:19:59 PM, last modified Thursday 19 March 2026, 11:50:00 PM.

    Hi all,

    I interrupted Jiaojiao today to advertise the Challenge Task (that I hope you are all attempting!) so she did not get a chance to finish the topic.

    I will be recording this final content tonight at 8:30pm . As always, you are welcome to come along, especially if you have questions.

    The recording will be posted to Lecture Recordings shortly after the conclusion of the recording.

    Hope to see you there,

    Paul

  • Flex week review lecture

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 19 March 2026, 12:46:14 PM, last modified Thursday 19 March 2026, 12:46:43 PM.

    Hi all,

    A reminder that there are currently no scheduled lectures next week .

    However, based on some of the feedback we have been receiving, it sounds like some of you would appreciate a review lecture next week covering the content of the first half of the course. I will run one (in the Thursday timeslot) if there is enough general interest.

    To gauge broader interest I have put up a poll here: https://webcms3.cse.unsw.edu.au/COMP9020/26T1/activities/polls/1824

    This is intended to be an interactive lecture - I only intend to cover content that you want reviewed. As such, I will only run the lecture if there is going to be sufficient attendance in person . The lecture will hopefully be recorded, though there is no guarantee.

    The poll closes on Tuesday at 12:30 and I will send out a notification shortly after if the lecture will be going ahead.

    Regards,

    Paul

  • New puzzle game!

    Posted by Paul Hunter Tuesday 17 March 2026, 10:09:43 AM.

    Hi everyone,

    In preparation for this week's content (Graph Theory) I have added a new game to the Puzzle Games section: Abstract

    This game was developed by Priya Leedman as part of her Honours project, with the overall goal of helping introduce some of the concepts of this topic in a fun & engaging manner. In the coming weeks, she'll be looking for feedback on the game - so it would be really great if you could give it a play (and while you're at it, why not have a look at some of the other Puzzle Games we have, especially now that we have covered some of the relevant topics...)

    I think the game is really beautiful - a lot of the artwork was done by Priya herself - and gets surprisingly challenging when you get to some of the later levels...

    Enjoy!

    Paul

  • Formatif task W4P2

    Posted by Paul Hunter Friday 13 March 2026, 04:16:38 PM.

    Hi all,

    A quick clarification on the current formatif tasks.

    For W4P2 you only need to make a submission for part (a). Parts (b) and (c) are to be discussed and assessed in person in the tutorial . You may prepare for these questions, but you should not make any preliminary submission.

    Paul

  • Equivalence relations recording tonight

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 05 March 2026, 04:32:17 PM.

    Hi all,

    Unfortunately Jiaojiao was not able to get through the lecture content on Equivalence Relations in today's lecture.

    Because this content is needed for the W3 formatif tasks, I will be making an online recording of the content tonight (Thu) at 8:30pm . This recording will be uploaded to Lecture Recordings shortly after it finishes.

    As before, you are welcome to attend and ask questions - I will post a link to the recording closer to the time.

    Paul

  • Proof assistant login issues

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 26 February 2026, 09:48:56 PM, last modified Thursday 26 February 2026, 09:50:54 PM.

    Hi all,

    If you are having trouble logging into the proof assistant, please try this link first:

    https://cgi.cse.unsw.edu.au/~cs9020/cgi-bin/zid_auth?app=demo&data=All%20good

    which should update the credentials in your browser. You should then be able to open the proof assistant.

  • Conclusion of today's lecture

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 26 February 2026, 05:05:20 PM, last modified Thursday 26 February 2026, 07:57:24 PM.

    Hi all,

    I was not able to cover the content about "Proofs using the laws of set operations", including details of the proof assistant in today's lecture.

    I will do an online recording tonight at 8:30pm where I will cover this material. I expect it to take around 1 hour. The recording will be made available on echo360 shortly after.

    You are welcome to attend this recording , I encourage you to come along and ask questions.

    I will post a link to the meeting closer to the time.

    Paul

  • Additional recordings

    Posted by Paul Hunter Friday 20 February 2026, 04:07:06 AM, last modified Friday 20 February 2026, 04:08:08 AM.

    Hi all,

    Because I had to cover a fair bit of material quickly in today's lecture to be sure to cover what was necessary for the formatif tasks, there was some content I glossed over - most notably, more examples of proofs and strategies for proofs. Please be aware that I will continue the lectures next week from about where they finished, so we will revisit the last few definitions that were rushed through. However, the examples of proofs (and proof strategies) is much more useful to you at this stage, so I have made a recording of that content (about an hour) and added it to the Lecture Recordings (under Thu Additional Content (Proofs) ).

    I have also added a video (in the Additional Content folder at the bottom of the Lecture Recordings ) with details on the formatif system and the workflow for the coursework assessments. This content was also covered at the start of today's lecture.

    Please note that while the lecture recordings do have a Q&A option, this is not regularly monitored and you should instead direct your questions to the Course Forum . I have answered the questions that were posted to the Q&A of today's lecture.

    Enjoy!

    Paul

  • Formatif now available

    Posted by Paul Hunter Thursday 19 February 2026, 10:16:32 AM.

    Hi all,

    You should now be able to access formatif here: https://formatif.cse.unsw.edu.au

    Please log in and select your target grade. This can be changed throughout the term as you learn more about your capabilities.

    Please let us know if you still cannot access the system.

    A reminder that the first few tasks are due on Monday February 23 at 6pm . Please note:

    • This is only the first opportunity to submit - you can submit the tasks up to a week after this deadline
    • We will cover the content necessary for the tasks in today's lecture
    • Your first submission should be a reasonable attempt - otherwise your tutor may send it back with no helpful feedback. If you are stuck, then please use the "Needs Help" option - the tutors have been instructed to prioritise these requests.
    • You cannot submit Distinction/HD tasks until Pass/Credit tasks have been marked as "Complete" by your tutor (you can of course, work on them)

    Please post any questions to the Course Forum.

    Paul

  • Welcome to COMP9020!

    Posted by Jiaojiao Jiang Tuesday 17 February 2026, 10:01:11 AM.

    Hi everyone! Welcome to COMP9020 :)

    Paul and I (Jiaojiao) will be your lecturers in for COMP9020 this term. We are looking very forward to meeting you all in today's lecture! :)

    In the meantime, here are a couple of important bits of information for all of you. For those of you who are new to UNSW I know that things can be a bit confusing at first but please do not worry - you are in the very safe hands of a group of experienced tutors and there is nothing that we cannot fix together.

    We are going to be using four online systems for COMP9020. These are (1) WebCMS, (2) Formatif, (3) Discourse Forum, and (4) Moodle.

    There is currently a pre-course, one-question poll available here . It is meant to be light-hearted, and is by no means compulsory. There is no right/wrong answer - we are primarily interested to see how (if at all) your perspective changes after taking this course.

    There is also a short questionnaire available here - a little more serious than the poll, but again it is not compulsory. Its purpose is to help us best tailor the course to the current cohort, and to identify/address some of the main concerns that often arise at the start of the course.

    See you soon!
    Paul & Jiaojiao

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