• Offered by School of Computing
  • ANU College ANU College of Systems and Society
  • Course subject Computer Science
  • Areas of interest Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Ethics, Communications
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Course convener
    • Dr Catherine Galvin
    • Susan Hansen
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Co-taught Course
  • Offered in First Semester 2026
    Second Semester 2026
    See Future Offerings
  • STEM Course

This professional practice course for computing and engineering graduate students focuses on developing professional and communication skills essential for the 21st-century workplace.


The course builds upon individual capacity, and further develops students’ professional skills, values, and attributes in ways that directly complement their technical expertise. These skills will enable students to perform effectively in the complex transdisciplinary environments in which computing and engineering professionals operate. In particular, the course will provide students with skills to interpret, critically evaluate, and justify their own and others’ decisions with reference to ethical and professional standards and expectations. The practical focus on these skills and their integration into the computing and engineering curriculum reflects the contemporary expectations of professional organisations (e.g. ACS (Australian Computer Society) and Engineers Australia) and enhances the employment and leadership opportunities of graduates.

 

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Demonstrate understanding of membership in a professional community through engagement in ethical reflective practice, critical self-review and peer evaluation.
  2. Demonstrate effective team membership skills within diverse team environments.
  3. Apply key aspects of responsible innovation, inclusive and ethical practice to projects.
  4. Reflect on the value of systems approaches within a transdisciplinary context in professional practice.
  5. Identify, analyse and synthesise information from multiple sources and perspectives when developing solutions to complex problems.
  6. Communicate effectively in written and spoken formats to transfer complex knowledge and ideas to technical and non-technical audiences.

Other Information

Credit or exemption is not available for Responsible Practice, Innovation and Leadership. This course has been specifically designed to meet ACS accreditation requirements and cannot be satisfied through prior learning.

Indicative Assessment

  1. Lecture and tutorial participation and quizzes  (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
  2. Exam (20) [LO 1,2,3,4,6]
  3. Assignments - number and weighting of assessment items will be confirmed by the course convener at the start of semester and published in the course outline. (60) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]

The ANU uses 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. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

Lectures, tutorials, groupwork, assignments, self-study & exam prep for a total of 130 hours.  

Inherent Requirements

Students are required to work in groups within this course.

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must be enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Computing or Master of Computing or Master of Computing (Advanced) or Master of Machine Learning and Computer Vision. Incompatible with COMP8260, ENGN8260 and ENGN8280.

Prescribed Texts

None

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees

Student Contribution Band:
2
Unit value:
6 units

If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2026 $5520
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2026 $7020
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

First Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
4131 23 Feb 2026 02 Mar 2026 31 Mar 2026 29 May 2026 In Person N/A

Second Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
9072 27 Jul 2026 03 Aug 2026 31 Aug 2026 30 Oct 2026 In Person N/A

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions