University of Sydney Handbooks - 2016 Archive

Download full 2016 archive Page archived at: Fri, 13 May 2016 14:40:28 +1000

Unit of study descriptions

Master of Data Science

Candidates for the degree of Master of Data Science are required to complete 48 credit points from the units of study listed in the tables below as follows:
1. 24 credit points of Core units of study including: COMP5310, COMP5318, COMP5048, STAT5003
2. 12 credit points of Project units of study
3. a maximum of 12 credit points of non-Data Science Elective units of study as approved by the Academic Director
To qualify for the Graduate Certificate in Data Science, candidates must complete the following core units:
COMP5310, COMP9007, COMP9120, STAT5002.

Core Units

Without waiver, candidates for the Master of Data Science must complete: COMP5310, STAT5003, COMP5318, COMP5048.
COMP5048 Visual Analytics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Masahiro Takatsuka Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lecture 2 hrs/week; Tutorial 1 hr/week. Assumed knowledge: It is assumed that students will have basic knowledge of data structures, algorithms and programming skills. Assessment: Through semester assessment (60%) and Final Exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Visual Analytics aims to facilitate the data analytics process through Information Visualisation. Information Visualisation aims to make good pictures of abstract information, such as stock prices, family trees, and software design diagrams. Well designed pictures can convey this information rapidly and effectively. The challenge for Visual Analytics is to design and implement "effective Visualisation methods that produce pictorial representation of complex data so that data analysts from various fields (bioinformatics, social network, software visualisation and network) can visually inspect complex data and carry out critical decision making. This unit will provide basic HCI concepts, Visualisaiton techniques and fundamental algorithms to achieve good visualisation of abstract information. Further, it will also provide opportunities for academic research and developing new methods for Visual Analytic methods.
COMP5310 Principles of Data Science

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture(2.00 hours per week), Laboratory(1.00 hours per week), Independent Study(9.00 hours per week), Assessment: Practical Exercise 40%, Exam (Final) 60% Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The focus of this unit is on understanding and applying relevant concepts, techniques, algorithms, and tools for the analysis, management and visualization of data - with the goal of enabling discovery of information and knowledge to guide effective decision making and to gain new insights from large data sets. To this end, this unit of study provides a broad introduction to data management, analysis, modelling and visualisation using the Python programming language. Development of custom software using the powerful, general-purpose Python scripting language; Data collection, cleaning, pre-processing, and storage using various databases; Exploratory data analysis to understand and profile complex data sets; Mining unlabelled data to identify relationships, patterns, and trends; Machine learning from labelled data to predict into the future; Communicate findings to varied audiences, including effective data visualisations. Core data science content will be taught in normal lecture + tutorial delivery mode. Python programming will be taught through an online learning platform in addition to the weekly face-to-face lecture/tutorials. The unit of study will include hands-on exercises covering the range of data science skills above.
COMP5318 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Ramos Fabio Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 2 hrs/week; Tutorial 1 hr/week. Assumed knowledge: INFO9120 OR COMP5138 Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Knowledge discovery is the process of extracting useful knowledge from data. Data mining is a discipline within knowledge discovery that seeks to facilitate the exploration and analysis of large quantities for data, by automatic and semiautomatic means. This subject provides a practical and technical introduction to knowledge discovery and data mining.
Objectives: Topics to be covered include problems of data analysis in databases, discovering patterns in the data, and knowledge interpretation, extraction and visualisation. Also covered are analysis, comparison and usage of various types of machine learning techniques and statistical techniques: clustering, classification, prediction, estimation, affinity grouping, description and scientific visualisation
Textbooks
P.-N. Tan, M. l. Steinbach and V. Kumar/Introduction to Data Mining/2006/0-321-32136-7//
COMP9007 Algorithms

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Anastasios Viglas Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: One 2 hour lectures and one 1 hour tutorial per week. Prohibitions: COMP5211 Assumed knowledge: This unit of study assumes that students have general knowledge of mathematics (especially Discrete Math) and problem solving. Having moderate knowledge about Data structure can also help students to better understand the concepts of Algorithms will be taught in this course. Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
The study of algorithms is a fundamental aspect of computing. This unit of study covers data structures, algorithms, and gives an overview of the main ways of computational thinking from simple list manipulation and data format conversion, up to shortest paths and cycle detection in graphs. Students will gain essential knowledge in computer science, including basic concepts in data structures, algorithms, and intractability, using paradigms such as dynamic programming, divide and conquer, greed, local search, and randomisation, as well NP-hardness.
Textbooks
Jon Kleinberg and Eva Tardos/Algorithm Design/United States edition/2006/978-032129535-8//
COMP9120 Database Management Systems

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Uwe Roehm, Prof Sanjay Chawla Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: One 2 hour lecture and one 2 hour tutorial per week. Prohibitions: INFO2120 OR INFO2820 OR INFO2005 OR INFO2905 OR COMP5138. Students who have previously studied an introductory database subject as part of their undergraduate degree should not enrol in this foundational unit, as it covers the same foundational content. Assumed knowledge: Some exposure to programming and some familiarity with data model concepts Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study provides a conceptual and practical introduction to the use of common platforms that manage large relational databases. Students will understand the foundations of database management and enhance their theoretical and practical knowledge of the widespread relational database systems, as these are used for both operational (OLTP) and decision-support (OLAP) purposes. The unit covers the main aspects of SQL, the industry-standard database query language. Students will further develop the ability to create robust relational database designs by studying conceptual modelling, relational design and normalization theory. This unit also covers aspects of relational database management systems which are important for database administration. Topics covered include storage structures, indexing and its impact on query plans, transaction management and data warehousing.
Objectives: In this unit students will develop the ability to:
- Understand the foundations of database management;
- Strengthen their theoretical knowledge of database systems in general and relational data model and systems in particular;
- Create robust relational database designs;
- Understand the theory and applications of relational query processing and optimization;
- Study the critical issues in data and database administration;
- Explore the key emerging topics in database management.

Note that the first two thirds of the lectures of this foundational unit will be co-taught with the corresponding undergraduate class in semester 1 (INFO2120); tutorials and assignments will be organised separately.
Textbooks
R. Ramakrishnan and I. Gehrke/Database Management Systems/3rd edition//
STAT5002 Introduction to Statistics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Shelton Peiris Session: Semester 1 Classes: Two lectures and one tutorial per week. Assumed knowledge: HSC Mathematics Assessment: 2 hour examination (60%), assignments (20%), quizzes (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
The aim of the unit is to introduce students to basic statistical concepts and methods for further studies. Particular attention will be paid to the development of methodologies related to statistical data analysis and Data Mining. A number of useful statistical models will be discussed and computer oriented estimation procedures will be developed. Smoothing and nonparametric concepts for the analysis of large data sets will also be discussed. Students will be exposed to the R computing language to handle all relevant computational aspects in the course.
Textbooks
All of Statistics, Larry Wasserman, Springer (2004)
STAT5003 Computational Statistical Methods

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Shelton Peiris Session: Semester 2 Classes: Two lectures and one tutorial per week. Prerequisites: STAT5002 Assessment: 2 hour examination (60%), assignments (20%), quizzes (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
The objectives of this unit of study are to develop an understanding of modern computationally intensive methods for statistical inference, exploratory data analysis and data mining. Advanced computational methods for statistics will be introduced, including univariate, multivariate and combinatorial optimisation methods and simulation methods, such as Gibbs sampling, the Bootstrap, Monte Carlo and the Jackknife approach. In addition, the unit will demonstrate how to apply the above techniques effectively for use on large data sets in practice. Finally, this unit will show how to make inferences about populations of interest in data mining problems.
Textbooks
Computational Statistics, Geof H. Givens, Jennifer A. Hoeting, Wiley (2005)

Project Units

Candidates for the Master of Data Science must complete 24 credit points from Core and Elective units of study before enrolling in any Project units.
Candidates who do not achieve a credit average may have their eligibility for the capstone project subject to review by the Academic Director.
The minimum requirement for the Master of Data Science is 12 credit points of capstone project units. These can be completed either as the two 6 credit point units, COMP5707 and COMP5708, over two semesters, or as the 12 credit point unit, COMP5703, in one semester.
COMP5703 Information Technology Project

Credit points: 12 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Josiah Poon Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Project Work - own time 18 hours; Meeting 1 hour. Prerequisites: A candidate for the MIT, MITM or MIT / MITM who has completed 24 credit points from Core, Specialist or Foundation units of study may take this unit. Prohibitions: : COMP5702 OR COMP5704 OR COMP5707 OR COMP5708 Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
The Information Technology Capstone project provides an opportunity for students to carry out a defined piece of independent research or design. These skills include the capacity to define a research or design question, show how it relates to existing knowledge and carry out the research or design in a systematic manner. Students will be expected to choose a research/development project that demonstrates their prior learning in their advanced IT specialist domain (MIT) or the management of IT (MITM) or both technical and IT management domains (MIT/MITM). The results will be presented in a final project presentation and report.
It is not expected that the project outcomes from this unit will represent a significant contribution to new knowledge. The unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to carry out a defined piece of independent investigative research or design work in a setting and manner that fosters the development of IT skills in research or design.
COMP5706 IT Industry Placement Project

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Josiah Poon Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Prohibitions: COMP5703, COMP5702, COMP5704 Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This is a short 6cp IT project unit of study that can be taken in combination with COMP5705 Information Technology Short Project by students taking an Industry-based scholarship such as the Faculty's Research Industry Placement Project Scholarship (RIPPS), which gets split over both semester 1 and semester 2.
COMP5707 Information Technology Capstone A

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Josiah Poon Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Research/Project Work 9 hrs per week; Meeting 1 hr per week. Prohibitions: COMP5702 OR COMP5704 OR COMP5703. Eligible students of the IT Capstone Project may choose either COMP5703 or COMP5707/COMP5708. Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: A candidate for the MIT, MITM or MIT / MITM who has completed 24 credit points from Core, Specialist or Foundation units of study may take this unit. Eligible students for the IT Capstone project will be required to complete both COMP5707 (6 CPS) and COMP5708 (6 CPS), totaling 12 CPS.
The Information Technology Capstone project provides an opportunity for students to carry out a defined piece of independent research or design. These skills include the capacity to define a research or design question, show how it relates to existing knowledge and carry out the research or design in a systematic manner. Students will be expected to choose a research/development project that demonstrates their prior learning in their advanced IT specialist domain (MIT) or the management of IT (MITM) or both technical and IT management domains (MIT/MITM). The results will be presented in a final project presentation and report. It is not expected that the project outcomes from this unit will represent a significant contribution to new knowledge. The unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to carry out a defined piece of independent investigative research or design work in a setting and manner that fosters the development of IT skills in research or design.
COMP5708 Information Technology Capstone B

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Josiah Poon Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Research/Project Work 9 hours per week; Meeting 1 hour per week. Corequisites: COMP5707 Prohibitions: COMP5702 OR COMP5704 OR COMP5703. Eligible students of the IT Capstone Project may choose either COMP5703 or COMP5707/COMP5708. Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: A candidate for the MIT, MITM or MIT / MITM who has completed 24 credit points from Core, Specialist or Foundation units of study may take this unit. Eligible students for the IT Capstone project will be required to complete both COMP5707 (6 CPS) and COMP5708 (6 CPS), totaling 12 CPS.
The Information Technology Capstone project provides an opportunity for students to carry out a defined piece of independent research or design. These skills include the capacity to define a research or design question, show how it relates to existing knowledge and carry out the research or design in a systematic manner. Students will be expected to choose a research/development project that demonstrates their prior learning in their advanced IT specialist domain (MIT) or the management of IT (MITM) or both technical and IT management domains (MIT/MITM). The results will be presented in a final project presentation and report. It is not expected that the project outcomes from this unit will represent a significant contribution to new knowledge. The unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to carry out a defined piece of independent investigative research or design work in a setting and manner that fosters the development of IT skills in research or design.

Data Science Elective Units

Candidates for the Master of Data Science may complete a maximum of 12 credit points of Data Science elective units of study from the table below:
COMP5046 Statistical Natural Language Processing

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: DrJames Curran Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 2 hrs/week; Laboratory 1 hr/week. Assumed knowledge: Knowledge of an OO programming language Assessment: Through semester assessment (50%) and Final Exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit introduces computational linguistics and the statistical techniques and algorithms used to automatically process natural languages (such as English or Chinese). It will review the core statistics and information theory, and the basic linguistics, required to understand statistical natural language processing (NLP).
Statistical NLP is used in a wide range of applications, including information retrieval and extraction; question answer; machine translation; and classifying and clustering of documents. This unit will explore state of the art approaches to the key NLP sub-tasks, including tokenisation, morphological analysis, word sense disambiguation, part-of-speech tagging, named entity recognition, text categorisation, phrase structure and Combinatory Categorial Grammar parsing.
Students will implement many of these sub-tasks in labs and assignments. The unit will also investigate the annotation process that is central to creating training data for statistical NLP systems. Students will annotate data as part of completing a real-world NLP task.
Textbooks
Christopher D. Manning & Hinrich Schutze/The Foundations of Statistical Natural Language Processing/1999//
COMP5338 Advanced Data Models

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Ying Zhou Session: Semester 2 Classes: Tutorial 1 hr/week. Assumed knowledge: This unit of study assumes foundational knowledge of relational database systems as taught in COMP5138/ INFO9120 (Database Management Systems) or INFO2120/2820 (Database Systems 1). Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study gives a comprehensive overview of post-relational data models and of latest developments in data storage technology.
Particular emphasis is put on spatial, temporal, and NoSQL data storage. This unit extensively covers the advanced features of SQL:2003, as well as a few dominant NoSQL storage technologies. Besides in lectures, the advanced topics will be also studied with prescribed readings of database research publications.
COMP5349 Cloud Computing

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Uwe Roehm Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 2 hrs/week; Practical Labs 2 hrs/week; Project Work 3 hrs/week. Assumed knowledge: Good programming skills, especially in Java for the practical assignment, as well as proficiency in databases and SQL. The unit is expected to be taken after introductory courses in related units such as COMP5214 OR INFO9103 Software Development in JAVA Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit covers topics of active and cutting-edge research within IT in the area of 'Cloud Computing'.
Cloud Computing is an emerging paradigm of utilising large-scale computing services over the Internet that will affect individual and organization's computing needs from small to large. Over the last decade, many cloud computing platforms have been set up by companies like Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, Ebay and Facebook. Some of the platforms are open to public via various pricing models. They operate at different levels and enable business to harness different computing power from the cloud.
In this course, we will describe the important enabling technologies of cloud computing, explore the state-of-the art platforms and the existing services, and examine the challenges and opportunities of adopting cloud computing. The course will be organized as a series of presentations and discussions of seminal and timely research papers and articles. Students are expected to read all papers, to lead discussions on some of the papers and to complete a hands-on cloud-programming project.
COMP5425 Multimedia Retrieval

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Zhiyong Wang Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 2 hrs/week; Tutorial 1 hr/week. Assumed knowledge: COMP9007 or COMP5211. Basic Programming skills and data structure knowledge. Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The explosive growth of multimedia data, including text, audio, images and video, has generated an extremely challenging job in effective and efficient retrieval techniques demanded by users to meet their information needs. This unit provides students with the most updated knowledge in order to address this issue in the context of big data, from the basics of textual information retrieval, to many advanced techniques in the field, such as large scale retrieval and social media.
Textbooks
D. Feng, W. C. Siu, and H. J. Zhang/Multimedia Information Retrieval and Management-Technological Fundamentals and Applications/2003//
INFO5060 Data Analytics and Business Intelligence

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Simon Poon, Prof Joseph Davis Session: Summer Early Classes: Lecture 4 hrs; Tutorial 2 hrs; Laboratory 6 hrs; Presentation 3 hrs; Project Work - own time 6 hrs. Assumed knowledge: The unit is expected to be taken after introductory courses or related units such as COMP5206 Information Technologies and Systems Assessment: Through semester assessment (65%) and Final Exam (35%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
The frontier for using data to make decisions has shifted dramatically. High performing enterprises are now building their competitive strategies around data-driven insights that in turn generate impressive business results. This course provides an overview of Business Intelligence (BI) concepts, technologies and practices, and then focuses on the application of BI through a team based project simulation that will allow students to have practical experience in building a BI solution based on a real world case study.
INFO5301 Information Security Management

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Jinman Kim, A/Prof Simon Poon Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lecture 2 hrs/week; Tutorial 1 hr/week. Assumed knowledge: This unit of study assumes foundational knowledge of Information systems management. Two year IT industry exposure and a breadth of IT experience will be preferable. Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study gives a broad view of the management aspects of information security. We emphasise corporate governance for information security, organisational structures within which information security is managed, risk assessment, and control structures. Planning for security, and regulatory issues, are also addressed.
QBUS6810 Statistical Learning and Data Mining

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x 2hr lecture and 1x 1hr tutorial per week Prerequisites: ECMT5001 or QBUS5001 Assessment: group project (25%), in-class quizzes (25%), final exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
It is now common for businesses to have access to very rich information data sets, often generated automatically as a by-product of the main institutional activity of a firm or business unit. Data Mining deals with inferring and validating patterns, structures and relationships in data, as a tool to support decisions in the business environment. This unit offers an insight into the main statistical methodologies for the visualization and the analysis of business and market data. It provides the tools necessary to extract information required for specific tasks such as credit scoring, prediction and classification, market segmentation and product positioning. Emphasis is given to business applications of data mining using modern software tools.
QBUS6840 Predictive Analytics

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2hr lecture and 1 x 1hr tutorial Prerequisites: QBUS5001 or ECMT5001 Assessment: group assignment (30%), homework (15%), mid-semester exam (20%), final exam (35%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
To be effective in a competitive business environment, a business analyst needs to be able to use predictive analytics to translate information into decision and to convert information about past performance into reliable forecasts. An effective analyst also should be able to identify the analytical tools and data structures to anticipate market trends. In this unit, students gain skills required to succeed in today's highly analytical and data-driven economy. The unit introduces the basics of data management, business forecasting, decision trees, logistic regression, and predictive modelling. The unit features corporate case studies and hands-on exercises to demonstrate the concepts presented. The unit also makes use of SAS software.

Non-Data Science Elective Units

Candidates must complete a maximum of 12 credit points from the listed Non-Data Science Elective units, or units of study from any discipline deemed appropriate as a non-Data Science elective by the Academic Director.
EDPC5012 Evaluating Learning Tech. Innovation

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Lina Markauskaite Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week evenings Assessment: 2x1500wd short assignment (2x25%) and 1x3000wd final paper (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
This unit is intended to help students acquire the knowledge and skills needed to evaluate ICT-enhanced learning innovations. It provides an introduction to the theory and practice of evaluations, drawing principles and methods from best practice in program evaluation and the areas of ICT-enhanced learning. Attention is paid to a holistic approach to evaluation, stressing the need to plan, design and implement evaluation in context. It is suitable for those with an interest in formal education, corporate training and professional development.
EDPC5025 Learning Technology Research Frontiers

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Lina Markauskaite Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week - evening Assessment: 1x3000wd weekly contributions to debates and learning technology forecasts (50%) and 1x3000wd final paper (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
This unit is designed for students interested in the newest research developments in the area of learning technology, and those who want to gain a deeper understanding of research methods and techniques, appropriate to the fields of the learning sciences and technologies. It is ideal for those students who want to explore the newest topics of their interest and simultaneously learn about research design in a collaborative peer-supported learning environment. Students will learn to assess critically emergingdomains of learning technology innovation, understand different kinds of research methods and choose appropriate research methods for carrying out empirical studies. Students will participate in debates, research projects. The unit is student-led and involves proactive individual and collaborative exploration of topics.
PHYS5033 Environmental Footprints and IO Analysis

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Arne Geschke and Prof Manfred Lenzen Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 2-hour lecture interspersed with hands-on exercises per week Assessment: Comprehensive diary/notes from lectures, including a quantitative example (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Minimum class size of 5 students.
This unit of study will provide an introduction to economic input-output theory and input-output analysis, with a focus on environmental applications such as carbon footprints and life-cycle assessment. The unit first explores national and global economic and environmental accounting systems and their relationships to organisational accounting. Second, it will present global multi-regional input-output systems enabling the analysis of environmental impacts of international trade. Third, it will offer hands-on instruction to master the basic input-output calculus conceived by Nobel Prize Laureate Wassily Leontief, and provide a step-by-step recipe for how to undertake boundary-free environmental footprinting by integrating economic and environmental accounts, and by applying Leontief's calculus to data published by statistical offices. Students will walk away from this unit equipped with all skills needed to calculate footprints, and prepare sustainability reports for any organisation, city, region, or nation, using organisational data, economic input-output tables and environmental accounts. Students will also benefit from also enrolling in PHYS5034 for a sound understanding of the role of input-output analysis within the field of Life-Cycle Assessment.

For more information on units of study visit CUSP https://cusp.sydney.edu.au