FIT3084 : Multimedia Programming and the WWW
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a compulsory lab session?
A: No. You may speak to the tutor/lecturer for
assistance during the listed consultation/tutorial times but this is not compulsory.
Q: Are the tutorial exercises compulsory?
A: No, the tutorial exercises are highly
recommended, but optional. (The assignment and peer assessment
tasks are compulsary.) You may complete the tutorial in your own time.
You may show the completed exercises to the lecturer for feedback.
Q: I have only found two people for my assignment group, what should
I do?
A: Find two other people in the same situation. You must work in groups of four - so ask around at lectures and on the unit newsgroup (accessed through MUSO) for un-grouped students. If the number of students in the class is not divisible by four the lecturer will make allowances.
Q: Should I print the lecture notes out?
A: You can print the notes out each week and make your own pencil notes during lectures in the margins. You can download the files to your own computer at exam time and read them. (See the following Q's for further details)
Q: Why are the web page lecture notes so LONGGGGGG?
A: The files for each lecture are very long (lousy web design) so that you can easily copy them to your hard-disk (or print them) and locate the lecture material you're interested in (thoughtful design).
Q: Will
the lecture note pages remain the same all semester?
A: No, the pages will be constantly updated as more information comes to hand and the lectures progress. (Hence, use them live online if possible to be sure you are reading the latest version... the web is a dynamic medium remember!?)
Q: Should I take notes in class?
A: Of course you must take notes in class! The notes on the web are not a substitute for this. Everything said in class is examinable, whether it eventually winds up on the web site or not! Take thorough notes in class and compare them with those of your classmates to ensure you didn't miss anything. Compare them with the web site to see if there is anything else you missed or anything which you should research.
If all the material were to go on the web site, and if you were to study from the web site alone, why would the lecturer need to give lectures at all? He may as well offer this course purely by correspondance! :-)
Q: Where
can I obtain information about computer accounts?
A: Have a look at the link from the unit homepage.
Q: What computer accounts do I need for this course?
A: You should have an account for both the PC machines in the labs and a UNIX account for publishing your web pages (e.g. on the server sng.its.monash.edu.au, which is a Sun-based Solaris system). It is assumed that you are familiar with the basic operation of a UNIX system (If you need more information on UNIX functionality or commands, try Robbins, A. "Unix in a Nutshell", O'Reilly & Associates, 1999)
Q: What if I can't access one of my accounts?
A: Computer accounts are created automatically for students who are enrolled in the subject. If you can't access your account please check with the University (ITS) Help Desk on your campus. (If you do not have a UNIX computer account you may need to obtain authorization from your course co-ordinator to obtain an account.)
Q: What software is available to do the assignments?
A: The software you will need depends on where you do the assignments. Useful software includes: Internet Explorer (the latest version), Firefox, Mozilla with Shockwave Flash, Quicktime and Real Audio plugins; Text editor (for editing HTML), Paint Shop Pro or Corel Draw or Macromedia Fireworks (bitmap paint programs), C compiler, Perl interpreter (on UNIX, for writing CGI scripts).