This unit focuses theoretical concepts, applications and research issues of mobile software agents. Students will learn techniques to design and develop mobile agent applications. A number of different toolkits/development environments will be discussed and used for the practical component of the unit. The unit analyses mobile software agents technology with respect to their use in different application domains - focusing on pervasive applications, electronic commerce/web services and distributed data/network management. Advanced research issues/topics such as communication, coordination, security and trust for mobile agent systems will also be presented.
2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk
Students will be expected to spend a total of 12 hours per week during semester on this unit as follows:
For on-campus students:
Lectures: 2 hours per week
Tutorials/Lab Sessions: 2 hours per week
and up to an additional 8 hours per week for completing lab and project work, private study and revision.
CPE5010
Recommended Knowledge: It is assumed that all students have a working knowledge of fundamental Java programming.
Grace Rumantir
Consultation hours: Monday 2-4pm
Kutila Gunasekera
Consultation hours: Thursday 4-6pm
In-semester assessment: 50%; Examination (3 hours): 50%
| Assessment Task | Value | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Test | 15% | 18 April 2012 (in the lecture time slot) |
| Assignment - Practical Project | 35% | Stage 1 during Week 10 tutorial, Stage 2 Code due Week 11 (16 May 2012), Stage 2 Demonstration during Week 12 tutorial |
| Examination 1 | 50% | To be advised |
Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through SETU, Student Evaluation of Teacher and Unit. The University's student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.
For more information on Monash's educational strategy, and on student evaluations, see:
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http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html
I am planning to do a MONQUEST Evaluation for this unit.
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Please check with your lecturer before purchasing any Required Resources. Prescribed texts are available for you to borrow in the library, and prescribed software is available in student labs.
JADE software toolkit. Students can download this free software from:
http://jade.tilab.com/
| Week | Activities | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0 | |
| 1 | Introduction to Agents and Mobile Agents | |
| 2 | Mobile Agent Applications | |
| 3 | Mobile Agent Toolkits and Development Environments | |
| 4 | Mobile Agent Modelling | |
| 5 | Mobile Agent Security | |
| 6 | Software Agent Architectures | |
| 7 | Unit Test (in the lecture time slot - tute still on) | Unit Test (in Week 7 Lecture) |
| 8 | Multi Agent Architectures | |
| 9 | Anzac Day (no lecture, no tute) | |
| 10 | Agent Communication Languages | Assignment Stage 1 Interview (in tutorial time slot) |
| 11 | Agent Coordination Protocols | Assignment Stage 2 Code Submission |
| 12 | Agent Oriented Software Engineering | Assignment Demonstration/Interview (in tutorial time slot)) |
| SWOT VAC | No formal assessment is undertaken SWOT VAC | |
| Examination period | LINK to Assessment Policy: http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/ academic/education/assessment/ assessment-in-coursework-policy.html |
*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your MUSO (Blackboard or Moodle) learning system.
Faculty Policy - Unit Assessment Hurdles (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/staff/edgov/policies/assessment-examinations/unit-assessment-hurdles.html)
Correct answers to questions and quality of solutions to problems which demonstrate understanding of the learning material.
Further details on the coverage and format of the unit test will made available on Moodle.
Stage 1: Group formation and understanding the assessment tasks (non assessable).
Stage 2: Submission (35%)
Students are to submit their code in Week 11. In Week 12 demonstration/interview both team members will need to demonstrate complete familiarity with the system/code and will need to individually change parts of the system as required by the tutor. Inability to demonstrate understanding, familiarity and competent programming skills will result in loss of marks for the individual.
It is a University requirement (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-procedures.html) for students to submit an assignment coversheet for each assessment item. Faculty Assignment coversheets can be found at http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/. Please check with your Lecturer on the submission method for your assignment coversheet (e.g. attach a file to the online assignment submission, hand-in a hard copy, or use an online quiz).
Submission must be made by the due date otherwise penalties will be enforced.
You must negotiate any extensions formally with your campus unit leader via the in-semester special consideration process: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html.
Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University's academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them.
You can find Monash's Education Policies at:
http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html
Key educational policies include:
The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at www.monash.edu.au/students. For Sunway see http://www.monash.edu.my/Student-services, and for South Africa see http://www.monash.ac.za/current/
The Monash University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. At Sunway, visit the Library and Learning Commons at http://www.lib.monash.edu.my/. At South Africa visit http://www.lib.monash.ac.za/.
Academic support services may be available for students who have a disability or medical condition. Registration with the Disability Liaison Unit is required. Further information is available as follows: