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 COMP51515: DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS: FUTURE TRENDS AND RESEARCH
Department: Computer Science
COMP51515: DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS: FUTURE TRENDS AND RESEARCH
| 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 objectives are to familiarise the student with, and give them practical/laboratory experience of, state-of-the-art research trends in the field. Both 'process' and 'product' topics will be addressed. While the details of the syllabus will vary from year to year to reflect advances in the field, the module will be given by staff members who are leading researchers in their field.
Content
- The learning objectives will be met by selecting at least four advanced topics that are currently the subject of research (in the department), and will affect the Internet and distributed systems, and study these in depth. In the laboratory, experiments will be undertaken to gain hands-on experience of these topics, using existing and current software tools (e.g. as used in research projects in the department).
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Specialist knowledge: teaching of at least 4 advanced research topics
- Practical design skills
- Engineering of software systems: using the topics to build and demonstrate applications
- Professional skills: future ethical and professional issues of internet and distributed computing developments
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. In this module, the students will be expected to follow up taught material with reading of the latest papers in the area.
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 |
| Seminars | 2 | in week 2 | 1 hour | 2 | 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 | 44 | ||||
| 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.