This is an annual course which enables students to analyze and create cyber-physical systems both individually and in diverse teams under academic supervision.

This course will create disciplinary experts who have a hands-on understanding of new and emerging technological constellations and their separate components. Participants will complete a range of lab-based projects to develop a technical understanding of systems as designed objects which embody values. They will also gain technical skills in designing, building and understanding cybernetic systems, and understanding Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) from the ‘inside’, with an emphasis on making and building. This complements the approach in CECS6001 and CECS6002, which challenge participants to consider cybernetic systems from the ‘outside’ via interrogating case studies.

Participants will not emerge from the course as qualified programmers or computer scientists. Instead, through learning-by-doing, participants will gain sufficient knowledge and practice to drive meaningful and accurate conversations about cybernetic systems and shape design decisions as a part of a multidisciplinary team developing new and emerging technologies.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Interrogate, using accurate terminology, the separate components of cyber-physical systems.
2. Understand basic principles, capabilities and limits of common components of cyber-physical systems, as well as some of the the social, regulatory, and environmental factors that may shape the capabilities and limits of both the components and the systems they come together to create.
3. Synthesize technical judgment with principles from concurrent School of Cybernetics masters level courses to generate and evaluate complex ideas and concepts through a holistic and accurate analysis of new and emerging technological constellations.
4. Plan and execute a substantial research-based project to collectively design, build, manage, assess a cyber-physical system, and develop a standard approach that disciplinary experts can follow to document this process.
5. Fluently apply teamwork and project management skills to enable a collaborative project leading to the creation of a prototype cyber-physical system.
6. Critically assess information, including data sources, for accuracy, authenticity, and in consideration of principles of ethical use when creating a new cyber-physical system.
7. Generate and communicate complex outcomes of cyber-physical research in relevant formats for diverse audiences.
8. Work effectively with peers from a variety of backgrounds to share prior practical skills, learn from others, and deliver and take on critical and constructive feedback.

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	A Tale of Two Chatbots
2	A Tale of Two Chatbots
3	Purposeful Behaviour
4	Purposeful Behaviour
5	Modelling, Simulation and Feedback Loops
6	Modelling, Simulation and Feedback Loops
7	Sensors, Circuits and Actuators
8	Sensors, Circuits and Actuators
9	Data and Networks
10	Data and Networks
11	Introduction to Machine Learning
12	Introduction to Machine Learning

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Fortnightly Homework	30 %	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Skills and Session Contribution and Curation	5 %	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Build Journey	20 %	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Maker Project	20 %	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Cyber-Physical System project	25 %	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Fortnightly Homework

Homework is designed to support your learning via out-of-class lecture videos, exercises, and reflective writing assignments. It will be assigned in fortnightly blocks and assessed regularly throughout the year. It is due at midnight on the Friday of the second week of each fortnight. Work of relevance to this assessment category are varied; examples of the activities you will be assessed on may include coding exercises, worksheets, reflective writing, short-answer essays, hands-on activities, or readings.  

Homework is an individual exercise, though you are welcome to work with classmates as long as any materials you finally submit are your own. Assessment takes into account effort shown in submitted work. Please note we will provide assistance in completing any exercises in our tutorial sessions, and in-class skills sessions will build on homework tasks.  

In total, there’ll be 11 homework assigned for the year.  However, each student’s final homework grade for the course will be based on the best 10 out of the 11 submissions. 

Assessment Task 2

Skills and Session Contribution and Curation

This assessment is meant to encourage active engagement in and contribution to the group activities held in the skills and studio session. Students will receive feedback on their performance and how they can improve in future blocks from the teaching team at the end of each semester.  In addition, students are expected to curate their own work properly to demonstrate good data management practice.

Assessment Task 3

Build Journey

The Build Journey is intended to tell the story of each student’s learning trajectory through the entire Master Program. It is a way for students to document, reflect and showcase what skills they have developed and record their key learning moments. Within the Build Journey, students will have the opportunity to engage with resources, concepts, skills development, experimentation, activities, events, workshops, guest perspectives, class discussions, and giving and incorporating feedback. Students will explore connections between the courses, raise critical, creative and constructive questions, designs and practices, and express what was most meaningful to their Masters experience and learning as cohort.  The Build Journey comprises two submissions per semester; due April, June (semester one), August, and November (semester two).

Assessment Task 4

Maker Project

The goal of the maker project is to enable students to work on building skills and confidence in a variety of fabrication and/or programming techniques in a free and creative way. The goal is to build something that is related to the new branch of engineering. We want students to be creative and motivated to build something, so this link is very broad. It should be reasonably achievable within 9 weeks, fit within a $200 budget, and help students build new skills in addition to leveraging existing skills. 

The deliverables of the project will include a design brief in which students present their progress in week 6, a prototype demonstration, and a brief interview with teaching staff in the exam period (June) which is intended to show a deeper understanding of the built prototype and reflections on the lessons learned. A small component of the assessment is linked to feedback and helps students provide to colleagues, as a means to encourage and support group cohesion and capacity for delivering constructive feedback. 

Assessment Task 5

Cyber-Physical System project

Weeks 11-24 will be focussed on taking the skills students learned in the first 10 weeks across all courses and applying them to build a working cyber-physical system as a team. Students will receive feedback on their cyber-physical system from another team from concept to construction using cybernetic principles and will have opportunities to build on that feedback. There will be significant creative freedom in this task, but each team’s cyber-physical system will need to have the potential to make a significant impact in the world, as well as have the potential to scale (i.e., reach many places, markets, cultures, and/or worlds). Teams will be formed in week 11 of semester 1 and will begin the design process around the system in preparation for presenting the design brief in week 5 of semester 2. Students will be assessed as a group on the design brief, documentation of the peer assessment process in weeks 6 and 12, as well as a prototype demonstration and a brief group interview with teaching staff in exam period (November). Students will also be assessed on their individual contribution to the group.  

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students