No.

CILOs

Weighting
(if applicable)

1.

develop in-depth understanding of relational databases that allows them to optimize  database performance in practice;

2.

identify the objective of each type of databases, and the applications where they are most useful;

3.

communicate advanced concepts in database systems to other professionals;

4.

apply the taught methodology to design fast algorithms for solving practical database problems;

5.

develop basic understanding of research topics in database.

CILO No.

TLAs

Hours/week
(if applicable)

CILO 1,
CILO 2

Lecture: The instructor will explain the course material in detail. Lectures support ILOs 1 and 2.

CILO 1,
CILO 2,
CILO 4

Assignment: Each student is required to independently work on 2-3 assignments.  Each assignment contains several questions designed to help students consolidate the concepts/algorithms learned.  This learning method supports ILOs 1, 2 and 4.

CILO 3

Case Study: In tutorials, some problem cases will be given to the student.  The student will be required to give a presentation that explains her/his solution to the problem case.  The instructor will guide the discussion during the presentation.  This method supports ILO 3 and encourages communication among students and class participation.

CILO 3,
CILO 5

Surveying Study: The student will be required to do a guided study in database.  The instructor will help the student to select some papers in database research to read.  The student will then conduct a surveying of the selected topic.  The student will submit a report and give a presentation at the end.  The surveying study supports ILO 3 & 5.  The study gives student a basic understanding of the research problem in database.  Moreover, it gives student an opportunity to present his idea and improve his communication skill.

CILO No.

Type of Assessment Tasks/Activities

Weighting
(if applicable)

Remarks

CILO 1

Develop in-depth understanding of relational databases that allows them to optimize database performance in practice.
Coursework: The questions in assignments will test students’ understanding about the topics covered in the course. These questions may request a student to compute the cost of particular execution plans, identify the best plan, and analyze how it can be further improved.
Exam: Students may be required to design an execution plan for processing a query, such that the cost of the plan does not exceed a certain threshold.  The design may need to take into account the available indexes and data statistics.

CILO 2

Identify the objective of each type of databases, and the applications where they are most useful.
Coursework: Students may be given various practical scenarios, and required to identify the best type of databases for each scenario.  In case a scenario can be implemented with different types of databases, students may also be requested to explain the advantages/disadvantages of each implementation.

CILO 3

Communicate advanced concepts in database systems to other professionals;
Coursework: The communication skill of a student will be assessed based on the quality of her/his presentation.  The quality concerns primarily the clarity of the presentation.

CILO 4

Apply the taught methodology to design fast algorithms for solving practical database problems.        
Exam: The final exam will contain 1-2 difficult problems that require a student to perform sophisticated and creative analysis using the taught knowledge.  These problems usually concern issues in practice that cannot be solved efficiently using the existing utilities in a commercial database system.  The student is expected to work out alternative solutions with lower cost.

CILO 5

Develop basic understanding of research topics in databases
Coursework: The student’s understanding of the research topic in database will be assessed based on the quality of her/his surveying study.  The quality is measured by the technical merit of his study.