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Unit of study_

DECO3000: Designing Intelligent Systems

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study will equip students with the capacity to design interactive systems with an artificial intelligence (AI) component. From our commute to our kitchens, intelligent systems are shaping how we live. Our entertainment is handpicked by machines, our homes are connected to smart devices that wait on our every need, and our roads may soon be dominated by high-speed robots. In this unit students will gain a practical understanding of what AI is and isn't capable of, through a combination of case studies and problem-solving. Students will develop real prototype AI-driven interactive systems, exploring possible futures of these technologies and how they might reshape daily life.

Unit details and rules

Unit code DECO3000
Academic unit Design Lab
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
DECO1012 and DECO1016 and DECO2017
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

Experience and comfort coding in JavaScript (definitely) and Python (preferably)

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Kazjon Grace, kazjon.grace@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment group assignment Final Project Submission
A working AI-powered prototype, with documentation.
40% Please select a valid week from the list below
Due date: 10 Nov 2023 at 23:59
N/A
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
Assignment An AI-Assisted Essay On AI
Write an essay on a topic related to AI, using an AI writing tool.
10% Week 05
Due date: 01 Sep 2023 at 23:59
1000wds
Outcomes assessed: LO1
Assignment Peer Assessment of AI Writing
Mark, according to a provided rubric, an AI-written assignment.
10% Week 07
Due date: 15 Sep 2023 at 23:59
1 page
Outcomes assessed: LO1
Presentation AI Project Concept Pitch
Present a project pitch for your final assignment (individually)
20% Week 09
Due date: 06 Oct 2023 at 23:59
7 minutes.
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3
Presentation group assignment Project Proof-of-Concept Presentation
Show working core functionality for your final project (in groups).
20% Week 12
Due date: 27 Oct 2023 at 23:59
7 minutes.
Outcomes assessed: LO2
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Work of outstanding quality, demonstrating mastery of the learning outcomes
assessed. The work shows significant innovation, experimentation, critical
analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or exceptional skill.

Distinction

75 - 84

Work of excellent quality, demonstrating a sound grasp of the learning outcomes
assessed. The work shows innovation, experimentation, critical analysis,
synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or superior skill.

Credit

65 - 74

Work of good quality, demonstrating more than satisfactory achievement of the
learning outcomes assessed, or work of excellent quality for a majority of the
learning outcomes assessed.

Pass

50 - 64

Work demonstrating satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes
assessed.

Fail

0 - 49

Work that does not demonstrate satisfactory achievement of one or more of the
learning outcomes assessed.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late work will receive a 5% per calendar day penalty, calculated multiplicatively (i.e. if you are late by three days, your mark will be multiplied by 0.85). Teaching staff cannot guarantee availability every day for late presentations, and penalties will accrue even when the delay is due to the staff member's schedule.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Weekly Lectures, in-class discussion and guided tutorial exercises on AI, interacting with AI, and how to design intelligent systems. Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3

Attendance and class requirements

If a student's attendance drops below 95% without explanations provided to the UoS Coordinator in writing, the student's grade will be penalised proportional to their absence (i.e., if a student misses 10% of classes and does not provide an explanation, their final grade will be multiplied by 0.9).

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

A list of required readings for this unit can be found on Canvas.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Evaluate proposed use cases for AI for plausibility and complexity, as well as design plausible conceptual architectures for provided AI use cases.
  • LO2. Prototype both predictive and generative machine learning solutions.
  • LO3. Design interfaces for interacting with intelligent systems, with attention to both the user experience/interaction design dimension as well as the architecture (inputs, model, outputs) of the intelligent system itself.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.