Overview

This unit provides students with industry-oriented, project-based learning experiences focused on the design and development of secure digital systems. Through authentic case studies and hands-on projects, students apply contemporary methodologies and technologies from software engineering, data analytics, cybersecurity, and networked systems to address real-world challenges. The curriculum embeds secure-by-design principles, ethical considerations, privacy requirements, and professional practice throughout the learning outcomes, teaching activities, and assessments. Students develop both individual technical expertise and collaborative teamwork skills to design, implement, evaluate, and communicate secure digital solutions in multidisciplinary and evolving industry contexts.

Requisites

Equivalent units

COS80024 Data Science Project 1

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
01-March-2027
30-May-2027
Last self-enrolment date
14-March-2027
Census date
30-March-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
20-April-2027
Results released date
06-July-2027
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-August-2027
31-October-2027
Last self-enrolment date
15-August-2027
Census date
31-August-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
21-September-2027
Results released date
07-December-2027

Unit learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

  1. Critically integrate security, privacy and ethical considerations throughout the software development life cycle
  2. Analyse and model cyber threats for real-world systems
  3. Critically evaluate machine-learning and AI-enabled approaches with reference to safety, security, bias, misuse and governance requirements in software design
  4. Assess security and privacy risks in mobile, cloud and networked environments, and justify controls for resilience, monitoring and data protection
  5. Collaborate effectively within a team to develop and justify technology design decisions in an agile manner

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Lecture		 1.00  12 weeks  12
On Campus
Workshop		 2.00  12 weeks  24
Specified Activities
Various		 1.00  12 weeks  12
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning		 8.50  12 weeks  102
TOTAL     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Design Concept Group  20 - 30%  2,3,4,5
Project Demonstration/Presentation Group  20 - 40%  3,4,5
Project Report Individual  20 - 40%  1,2,3,4
Mid-Semester Test Individual  20 - 30%  1,2 
Final-Semester Test Individual 20 -30% 1,2,3,4

Content

  • Software Development Life Cycle, Agile Methodology, teamwork dynamics

  • Security and Privacy Principles and Real-world Case Studies (on Domestic Violence and Robotic and Health Care with AI)

  • Cyber Threat Modelling and applying in practices (e.g., software flight booking system and intrusion detection system)

  • Software Security and cryptography pitfall in software development

  • Machine Learning and its Applications

  • Responsible AI and Case Studies

  • Software Development and AI agent governance in software project management 

  • Mobile Development and Mobile Security

  • Cloud database security and Fundamental Network Security

  • Machine Learning Security and Privacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.