module report form (academic year 2007-08) comp1001

UCL DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP1001 Computer Architecture Taught by: K.Bryson P.Rounce Total numbers on course = 74 Mean mark obtained = 62.3 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned No problems were encountered.

C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. No issues were identified.

2 of 106

D. Issues identified by Visiting Examiners and action taken or planned No issues were identified.

E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) The module is being run properly and delivered good results.

3 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP1002 Theory I Taught by: A.Hunter R. Hirsch Total numbers on course = 77 Mean mark obtained = 49.2 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



4 of 106



5 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP1004 Theory II Taught by: A.Hunter D.Gorse Total numbers on course = 76 Mean mark obtained = 58.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



6 of 106



7 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP1007 Principles of Programming Taught by: G.Roberts, M.Ahmed Total numbers on course = 78 Mean mark obtained = 62.5 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The module followed the same structure as in previous years except that the Groovy programming language was used instead of Java. Groovy is closely related to Java but has the advantage of being easier to learn, allowing more interesting material to be introduced more quickly. The change to Groovy was a success. The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. Moodle will be used next year. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.


C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. No major issues were identified. The students requested more feedback at problem classes, in particular on whether their answers to problem questions were correct. One of the goals of problem classes is to get students to evaluate their own answers rather than just be given answers, so this will be given attention next session. On suggestion to be followed up is to get students to publish their answers on a Moodle Wiki, where they can evaluated by other students. One or more of the answers can then be chosen as the best and further improved using the Wiki editing facilities.

8 of 106



9 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP1008 Object Oriented Programming Taught by: G.Roberts Total numbers on course = 76 Mean mark obtained = 48.8 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems This is now a well-established module. This year it followed the same structure and content as in previous years, with minor updates. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. This year Moodle was used to provide the module website, allowing features such as online quizzes and coursework submission to be used. The use of quizzes was found to be a very useful way of providing self-evaluation, feedback and monitoring student progress, so will be used more next year. In particular, a quiz will be set for each lecture topic so students can get direct feedback on how well they have understood the material. Students are expected to do a large number of non-assessed programming exercise questions. Not all students are doing this effectively, so next year, in order to improve participation, students will be required to post all their answers to a private Wiki, making clear what questions they have answered and how well they are doing. In general, the quality of student work and module results were consistent with previous years but there was an increase in the number of students failing or getting lower marks than might be expected. The major cause of this is believed to be students not taking problem and lab classes seriously, and not doing exercise questions to get the essential programming practice needed. Changes such as those outlined above will be introduced to address this problem.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned No significant problems were encountered. The Moodle system was running slowly at the start of term, making it a bit tedious to use, but several mid-term upgrades solved that problem.

C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. The students requested more feedback at problem classes, in particular on whether their answers to problem questions were correct. One of the goals of problem classes is to get students to evaluate their own answers rather than just be given answers, so this will be given attention next session. On suggestion to be followed up is to get students to publish their answers on a Moodle Wiki, where they can evaluated by other students. One or more of the answers can then be chosen as the best and further improved using the Wiki editing facilities.

10 of 106

D. Issues identified by Visiting Examiners and action taken or planned The visiting examiner noted the module average mark could be higher and carefully checked the exam paper and results. He found nothing wrong and concluded that a good paper had been set.

E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) The module is being run properly and delivered reasonable results. Action will be taken to make sure that all students are getting the practical programming experience needed to pass the module well.

11 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP1009 Cognitive Systems and Intelligent Technologies Taught by: J.Dowell D.Gorse Total numbers on course = 110 Mean mark obtained = 46.4 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. The IMB students in year one had a disproportionately high failure rate. The issue is being discussed with the IMB programme tutors.


12 of 106



E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) The module is being run properly and delivered fair results.

13 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP2003 Mathematics and Statistics Taught by: L.Griffin H.Herbots Total numbers on course = 46 Mean mark obtained = 53.6 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



14 of 106



15 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP2007 Concurrent Programming Taught by: K.Bryson G.Roberts Total numbers on course = 48 Mean mark obtained = 58.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.


C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. A binary marking system was introduced last year to increase attendance of students at problem classes and increase their engagement with coursework. Essentially the students had to have their software checked by a demonstrator during the problem class and they were given a simple binary mark for completing this. This lead to problems since the demonstrators were generally overwhelmed by students wanting their work checked just before the deadline. Next year we intend to introduce online coursework for one part of the course with simple binary marking assessed by the lecturer – which should eliminate this problem. The other part of the course will go back to having group coursework to introduce the students to working in groups using Subversion – possibly employing directed peer-assessment.

16 of 106



17 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP2008 Logic and Database Theory Taught by: R.Hirsch J.Dowell Total numbers on course = 47 Mean mark obtained = 60.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



18 of 106



19 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP2009 Software Engineering and Human Computer Interaction Taught by: G.Roberts A.Sasse Total numbers on course = 74 Mean mark obtained = 48.5 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The content of the module remained largely the same as in previous years but the Software Engineering part was taught by myself (Graham Roberts) using the existing lecture slides and notes. These were satisfactory but somewhat over-detailed in places and will be replaced next year by more focused material. Moodle will also be used. The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content but more examples will be provided next year. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



20 of 106

D. Issues identified by Visiting Examiners and action taken or planned No specific issues were identified. The average mark was somewhat low and there were only a few first class results. It is intended to improve the teaching materials and make more use of Moodle in order to increase student motivation.

E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) The module is being run properly and delivered reasonable results but attention should be given to improving the average final mark.

21 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP2010 Compilers Taught by: L.Capra Total numbers on course = 53 Mean mark obtained = 48.8 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



22 of 106



23 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP2011 Databases, Networks and Graphics Taught by: J.Kautz S.Sorensen Total numbers on course = 49 Mean mark obtained = 54.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were mostly appropriate. Students are unhappy about three very different topics merged into one module. This will be addressed when our undergraduate teaching is being overhauled. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



24 of 106

D. Issues identified by Visiting Examiners and action taken or planned No real issues were identified. However, the visiting examiner also wondered about the diverse module content.

E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) The module is being run properly and delivered good results. Course content will be checked again when new undergraduate programme comes in.

25 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3001 Technology Management and Professional Issues Taught by: D.Rosenblum S.Sorensen G.Collins Total numbers on course = 44 Mean mark obtained = 67.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.


26 of 106




27 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3004 Computational Complexity Taught by: R. Hirsch M.Herbster Total numbers on course = 53 Mean mark obtained = 51.4 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



28 of 106



29 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3005 Operating Systems Taught by: M.Handley Total numbers on course = 43 Mean mark obtained = 55.6 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems No response received.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned No response received.

C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. No response received.

30 of 106

D. Issues identified by Visiting Examiners and action taken or planned No response received.

E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report)

31 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3006 Advanced Mathematical Methods Taught by: S.Prince K.Bryson Total numbers on course = 9 Mean mark obtained = 60.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.


C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. Students asked for more worked problems. Will incorporate next year.

32 of 106



33 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3011 Functional Programming Taught by: C.Clack Total numbers on course = 17 Mean mark obtained = 67.8 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



34 of 106



35 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3012 Interaction Design Taught by: A.Sasse S.Laqua Total numbers on course = 7 Mean mark obtained = 65.5 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



36 of 106



37 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3013 Database and Information Management Systems Taught by: J.Dowell E.Tzanis S-H.Choi Total numbers on course = 31 Mean mark obtained = 68.3 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose


38 of 106




39 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3015 Advanced Software Engineering Taught by: G.Roberts Total numbers on course = 6 Mean mark obtained = 60.5 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems This module is taken by a small number of students (the lectures are also attended by COMP3093 students), allowing a more seminar-based experience. Students are encouraged to participate in discussions and all are required to give presentations. The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. Moodle will be used next year. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned One of the class rooms was only just big enough and sometimes lacked seats. A larger room will be booked for next year.


40 of 106



41 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3035 Networked Systems Taught by: G.Knight Total numbers on course = 3 Mean mark obtained = 63.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned Data projector in Maths 500 was faulty throughout. This was reported (twice).


42 of 106



43 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3053 Medical Scientific Computing Taught by: A.Todd-Pokropek Total numbers on course = 16 Mean mark obtained = 65.9 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose. Overall the results were very satisfactory.



44 of 106


E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) No comment required

45 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3058 Artificial Intelligence and Neural Computing Taught by: D.Gorse A.Hunter Total numbers on course = 11 Mean mark obtained = 55.5 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



46 of 106



47 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3071 3D Computer Graphics Taught by: J.Kautz Total numbers on course = 12 Mean mark obtained = 71.5 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



48 of 106



49 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3072 Image Processing Taught by: D.Alexander Total numbers on course = 11 Mean mark obtained = 57.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



50 of 106



51 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3079 Image Processing and Graphics Taught by: S.Arridge S.Prince Total numbers on course = 2 Mean mark obtained = 66.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



52 of 106



53 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3091 Individual Project for Year 3 BSc Taught by: S.Prince Total numbers on course = 35 Mean mark obtained = 59.2 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



54 of 106



55 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3092 Software Engineering Group Project Taught by: L.Capra Total numbers on course = 28 Mean mark obtained = 64.1 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



56 of 106



57 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP3093 Practical Software Engineering Taught by: G.Roberts L.Capra Total numbers on course = 16 Mean mark obtained = 71.4 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems This module is taken by MEng or affiliate students, who also attend the COMP3015 lectures. The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The project groups again performed very well this year, producing high quality results. All groups were working for a client that required a software application to be developed. The project presentations were again sponsored by Goldman Sachs and held in one of their city offices. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned On the whole no problems were encountered but the groups sometimes found it hard to find a place to work together, especially if the student common room was busy. This may improve with the opening of the student facilities in the new Engineering Front building.

C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. The module can be taken by affiliate students but this caused a problem for one student this year, as he was also trying to take 4th year modules during term 2 and had a very high workload. He had also covered some of the material before and experienced cultural differences integrating with the rest of his group. The module should remain available to affiliates but additional checking should be done to avoid the problem repeating.

58 of 106


E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) The module is being run properly and delivered good results. It continues to provide an excellent experience for the students who are highly motivated and put in a great deal of effort and enthusiasm.

59 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4012 Research Methods Taught by: M.Herbster D.Alexander Total numbers on course = 2 Mean mark obtained = 69.5 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) takento resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



60 of 106



61 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4014 Systems Requirements Engineering Taught by: E.Letier Total numbers on course = 4 Mean mark obtained = 65.3 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



62 of 106



63 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4022 Advanced Analysis and Design Taught by: D.Rosenblum Total numbers on course = 8 Mean mark obtained = 67.4 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.


C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. A few students complained about the inclusion of basic review material during the first couple of weeks and the corresponding short-changing of more advanced topics, but I still find that the review is necessary for the many students who are weak on some of the necessary background concepts.

64 of 106



65 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4023 Validation and Verification Taught by: E.Letier D.Rosenblum Total numbers on course = 7 Mean mark obtained = 57.4 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



66 of 106



67 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4024 Tools and Environments Taught by: W.Emmerich Total numbers on course = 7 Mean mark obtained = 80.7 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.


C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. Following the written examination students complained about the degree of difficulty of the examination. All but one students passed the course with an A grade and one student passed the course with a B grade. The complained was therefore dismissed as unfounded.

68 of 106



69 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4026 Financial Institutions and Markets Taught by: D.Lawrence Total numbers on course = 12 Mean mark obtained = 74.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



70 of 106



71 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4027 Financial Information Systems Taught by: B.Weber Total numbers on course = 5 Mean mark obtained = 75.6 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The course learning went at an appropriate pace. With a larger number of post-graduates in the course and a small number of undergraduates, I assumed familiarity with basic economic and financial business topics such as interest rates and balance sheets. This did not appear to present a problem for the younger students, and I would always mention web resources for learning about these concepts. – Also the class met 6 hours a day for one day a week for 5 weeks. To keep the density and intensity from being overwhelming, I used guest speakers twice, and videos, and 3 lab sessions.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned Three of the 10 class sessions were hands-on analysis labs – portfolio management, financial optimization, derivatives analysis -- in the PC rooms in MPEB 4.12 and 1.17. This spread the class over two places, I had to make the lab “self-directed” with a worksheet. I then circulated between the rooms to answer questions, and to monitor progress the student handed in answers to the exercises at the end of the lab. These were unassessed but recorded on a credit-no credit basis.

C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. Some students were concerned that they could not complete the lab exercises in the class time. I explained that they could complete it on their own time as an assignment/revision for the exam. My preference is to challenge the most capable students and allow extra time for the others to complete the exercises.

72 of 106

D. Issues identified by Visiting Examiners and action taken or planned No issues were identified

E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) I felt the module ran properly and delivered good results

73 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4030 Distributed Systems and Security Taught by: B.Karp Total numbers on course = 6 Mean mark obtained = 60.7 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems No response received.



74 of 106



75 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4033 Network Performance Taught by: D.Wischik Total numbers on course = 3 Mean mark obtained = 74.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner The pace and content were appropriate, judging by the results of the MScDCNDS students. The COMP4033 students were too few in number for me to draw any general lessons, and they had very different abilities. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned There is a systematic problem with the lecture rooms used by CS: they have far too little blackboard space for the lecturer to write on. Some rooms (e.g. the room I used in Foster Court, and the Roberts engineering building) are less bad. The rooms in Malet Place Engineering are atrocious -- whoever planned them should read Tufte on why Powerpoint destroys our ability to think and communicate. In my own office I have a bigger whiteboard than that in MP1.20. No action taken.

C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (of my own design), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. No issues were identified.

76 of 106

D. Issues identified by Visiting Examiners and action taken or planned No major issues were identified. The examiners suggested that the course was maths-heavy and that it might be appropriate to set an exam question which permits a discursive style of answer. I shall do so this coming year.


77 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4034 Multimedia Systems Taught by: M.Handley Total numbers on course = 4 Mean mark obtained = 66.3 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems No response received.



78 of 106



79 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4038 Mobile and Adaptive Systems Taught by: B.Karp S.Hailes C.Mascolo Total numbers on course = 2 Mean mark obtained = 71.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems No response received.



80 of 106



81 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4053 Medical Scientific Computing Taught by: A.Todd-Pokropek Total numbers on course = 1 Mean mark obtained = 68.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate, though the following adjustments were made: Since eventually one student was enrolled, the material was presented primarily in the form of tutorials. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose. Only one student registered. This is however a shared course. With the VIVE MSC GV09



82 of 106



83 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4054 Machine Vision Taught by: S.Prince Total numbers on course = 2 Mean mark obtained = 48.5 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned Matlab not available in cluster room for practicals. Moved to different room.


84 of 106



85 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4055 Supervised Learning Taught by: J.Shawe-Taylor Total numbers on course = 1 Mean mark obtained = 62.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



86 of 106



87 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4057 Evolutionary Computation Taught by: M.Herbster Total numbers on course = 2 Mean mark obtained = 69.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



88 of 106



89 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4058 Intelligent Systems in Bioinformatics Taught by: D.Jones K.Bryson Total numbers on course = 1 Mean mark obtained = 63.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



90 of 106



91 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4061 People and Security Taught by: A.Sasse Total numbers on course = 5 Mean mark obtained = 69.6 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



92 of 106



93 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4072 Mathematical Methods, Implementations and Algorithmics Taught by: S.Julier Total numbers on course = 1 Mean mark obtained = 70.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



94 of 106



95 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4074 Advanced Modelling, Rendering and Animation Taught by: A.Steed J.Kautz Total numbers on course = 1 Mean mark obtained = 77.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



96 of 106



97 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4076 Virtual Environments Taught by: A.Steed S.Julier Total numbers on course = 4 Mean mark obtained = 62.0 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned We have continued minor problems with a specific piece of software in the student labs. This was solved this year by supporting students working on laptops, and we will attempt a fix again next year.


98 of 106



99 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP4091 Individual Project for Year 4 MSci Taught by: S.Prince Total numbers on course = 10 Mean mark obtained = 76.9 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.



100 of 106



101 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP6005 Introduction to Business and Entrepreneurship Taught by: P.Treleaven A.Scott Total numbers on course = 111 Mean mark obtained = 66.2 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. Students enjoyed the course. The pace and content were appropriate. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose. To improve support for the students I used SKEEGLE.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned No problems were encountered. Very happy with lecturers.

C. Issues identified by students (from questionnaires, staff-student committees etc.) and action taken or planned Students are asked to fill in course feedback questionnaires (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/assessment/staff/archive), raise issues at the Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/ug/sscc/index.htm) and talk to their tutor. No issues were identified. Fine.

102 of 106


E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) The module is being run properly and delivered good results. Philip Treleaven

103 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP6007 Communications and Networks Taught by: S.Sorensen B.Karp Total numbers on course = 17 Mean mark obtained = 49.2 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems No response received.



104 of 106


E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) No response received.

105 of 106


MODULE REPORT FORM (Academic Year 2007-08) COMP6008 Multimedia Computing Taught by: P.Treleaven Total numbers on course = 103 Mean mark obtained = 65.3 A. Quality of student work, pace and content, appropriateness of teaching methods and action(s) taken to resolve any problems The quality of student work is reflected in the results presented, which have been approved by the external examiner. Students say they enjoyed the course and the lecturing was of high standard. The pace and content were appropriate. Fine. The teaching methods were appropriate for the course content. Works well. No significant problems occurred. Actions on minor issues were taken as they arose.

B. Any Learning Resources problems which have affected the provision of the course (quality of lecture or tutorial rooms, laboratory or IT facilities and action taken or planned No problems were encountered. No problems.


106 of 106

D. Issues identified by Visiting Examiners and action taken or planned No issues were identified. Fine.

E. Head of Teaching Committee’s Comments and Action Taken or Planned (Where applicable. Where no comment is required, please see the overall departmental report) The module is being run properly and delivered good results. Philip Treleaven

module report form (academic year 2007-08) comp1001

Documents