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COMP3506 – Algorithms & Data Structures

Lecturer Dr Larissa Meinicke
Course Link UQ Site
Faculty EAIT
Prerequisites CSSE2002 + (MATH1061 or (CSSE2010 + STAT2202))
Contact Hours 3 Lecture hours, 1 Tutorial hour
Semester(s) Taught Semester 2
Course Units 2
Submit reviewView reviews (3)

Rating

Total average

62/100
Learning Materials ( 61.7 )
Learning Activities ( 57.3 )
Blackboard Management ( 51.7 )
Course Content ( 85 )
Course Structure ( 70 )
Contact Availability ( 56.7 )
Course Difficulty ( 42.5 )

Reviews (3)

Kurt
   
COMP3506 – Algorithms & Data Structures 73.0

Did this course during the second semester of 2020, while the coronavirus pandemic was still around. So I imagine the quality of delivery is a fairly unhelpful review criteria for future students, however the lecture videos and tutors were very pleasant and helpful throughout the course.

All the content felt like useful information and was well described by the lecturer, with helpful tutorial content supplementing it. Although as one criticism, often consecutive slides for each step of a process were used in the content notes instead of dynamic PowerPoint animations, making it hard to go through lecture slides outside of video delivery.

The assignments were by far the most challenging part of the course, however with thorough testing methods provided and support through student help forums on piazza, it never felt as though my results were unjustified even with a harsh marking scheme. A lot of questions were also flavoured to feel relevant to the algorithms' real world use, or were playful questions which served to brighten up the labour of the difficult critical thinking needed to do well in all of the questions in the assignment. From the complaints I heard of other students, I would say these assignments are not easy to pass if a pass is what you are aiming for at the get go, so make sure you work hard at them and you will be rewarded.
Semester taken

Long Long Ago!

Your program/major

Electrical Engineering/Information Technology

Is lecture attendance necessary?

No

Is the textbook necessary?

No, but online resources are plentiful

Positives
  • Rewarding Content and assignments
  • Helpful tutors and student forum help
  • Fair exams
Negatives
  • Harsh marking scheme on assignments
  • Difficult critical thinking q's on assignments with very few questions which are easy for passing grades
  • Short turnaround for assignments, get on top of them early
Posted on November 19, 2020 5:39 pm
Anonymous
   
COMP3506 – Algorithms & Data Structures 42.1

Course content was really interesting and fun. I felt like the exams had the right amount of predictable questions and the right amount of challenging questions, and that how I went was pretty indictative on my knowledge and understanding of algorithms and data structures.

The assignments is another story. This may be just my semester, not indicative of how the course plays out on average. But the marking and the general handling of the assignments was atrocious, very very little guidience was given on report writing or on how the automated marking would work (with no test cases given in the case of the second assigment) and marking was very harsh. Newsgroup posts were barely answered, questions about the assignments were answered very late even when sent to the one tutor directly. The course coordinator was barely around (maybe not he fault, but we felt the results as a cohort). On top of this, marking was released waaay after swotvac, like we're sort of sorting them out now and it's the 30th of November. /After/ tvals, so that was very strategic.

I might end up getting a 4 (maybe 5) on a subject where I get 85% midsem and 70-85% on the final. Because of unclear marking guidelines and weird assignments. If you do this course; hound your tutor, and hound your course coordinator before its due, if you think something is even a little unclear demand clarification, demand criteria sheets. You are not assessed on your knowledge or understanding of course content, only on your ability to game the system, and guess what the tutor was thinking.

Sad to say that it's the worst run course I've done at UQ so far, which is a bummer because the content is actually really interesting.

Semester taken

Semester 2 - 2015

Your program/major

Bachelor of Engineering (Software)

Is lecture attendance necessary?

They are recorded, a lot of the content is better explained online elsewhere.

Is the textbook necessary?

Not really

Positives
  • Interesting course content
Negatives
  • Poor tutoring and help
  • Weirdly harsh and very late marking of assignments
  • Incompetently run
Posted on November 30, 2015 9:03 am
Anonymous
   
COMP3506 – Algorithms & Data Structures 71.0

This course contains many important programming concepts and is compulsory for software engineering students. Like many programming courses, the difficulty will depend on your prior knowledge. Assignments require critical thinking and are not simply repeating lecture content.

Larissa, the lecturer brings enthusiasm to every lecture, although she can sometimes be unreliable or vague. (Assignments are almost always released late) Generally any issues can be resolved through email communication. I also found the lecture slides far more useful than in CSSE2002. Unfortunately in my year, some content was rushed towards the end and was not examined. Some may find her manner of speaking slightly irritating.
Semester taken

Semester 2 - 2013

Your program/major

Engineering (Software)

Is lecture attendance necessary?

No

Is the textbook necessary?

No

Positives
  • Very useful content
  • Enthusiastic lecturer
Negatives
  • Assessment schedule subject to change
  • Occasionally distracted by ponies
Posted on July 15, 2014 4:01 pm

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