This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Postgraduate Handbook 2012-2013 (archived)
Module COMP51415: PERVASIVE COMPUTING: MOBILE, WIRELESS AND DISTRIBUTED APPLICATIONS
Department: Computer Science
COMP51415: PERVASIVE COMPUTING: MOBILE, WIRELESS AND DISTRIBUTED APPLICATIONS
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 4 | 15 | Available in 2012/2013 | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- None.
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- None.
Aims
- The objective is to address an application of distributed computing which is currently growing very rapidly in importance. The advanced principles will be covered, taking a strong architectural perspective, and these will be illustrated and motivated by current and future applications.
Content
- Introduction: research challenges in mobile and wireless computing
- Fundamentals and concepts
- Underlying technologies
- System architectures
- Mobile code and mobile agents
- Analysis and comparison: mobile systems
- Transaction and recovery management in pervasive computing
- Security and fault tolerance in mobile wireless applications
- Seminar and further case studies
- The way forward
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Specialist knowledge: ten lectures, seminars and discussion sessions, and projects
- Practical design skills: wireless communication protocols; practical system analysis; case studies
- Management: data management in mobile and pervasive applications
- Design integration: system analysis and comparison; case studies; module projects
- Engineering of software systems: design and engineering of mobile e-commerce systems
- Professional skills: social implications of pervasive computing; and presentations of the module projects
Subject-specific Skills
Key Skills
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- The module comprises 1 week's intensive directed reading and laboratory exercises; 5 days of lectures, tutorial, and reading, and two weeks undertaking a major laboratory assignment. The overall workload conforms to the standard SLAT requirement of 150 hours equivalent to 15 credits.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 2 per day in week 2 | 1 hour | 10 | Yes |
| Tutorials | 4 | weekly | 1 hour | 4 | Yes |
| Practicals | 5 | daily in week 1 | 6 hours | 30 | Yes |
| Laboratory | 10 | daily in weeks 3 and 4 | 6 hous | 60 | Yes |
| Preparation and Reading | 46 | ||||
| Total | 150 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory report | 100% | Laboratory report | 2500 words | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Written drafts of chapters and feedback on software tool experiments with written feedback.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.