[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]

http://www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/directions.html) and strives for the highest possible quality in teaching and learning.

To monitor how successful we are in providing quality teaching and learning Monash regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through Unit Evaluation Surveys. The University’s Unit Evaluation policy (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/unit-evaluation-policy.html) requires that every unit offered is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys as they are an important avenue for students to “have their say”. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

Faculties have the option of administering the Unit Evaluation survey online through the my.monash portal or in class. Lecturers will inform students of the method being used for this unit towards the end of the semester.

Student Evaluations

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/cheq/evaluations/unit-evaluations/

Improvements to this unit

This unit went through a major re-development in 2007, and we are continuing to improve the teaching approaches and content of the unit, so we value your input on what works for you and improvements you would like to see. We are currently reviewing the assessment strategies for 2009 based on the feedback of 2008 students. 

Unit staff - contact details

Unit leader

Ms Chris Gonsalvez
Associate Head of School
Phone +61 3 990 32554

Contact hours : By appointment only - please email me with a brief description of your query and a contact phone no.

Lecturer(s) :

Mrs Kirsten Ellis
Lecturer Part-time
Phone +61 3 990 47132
Fax +61 3 990 47125

Contact hours : Thursday 2-3 pm, Friday 2-3 pm.

Ms Chris Gonsalvez
Associate Head of School
Phone +61 3 990 32554

Contact hours : By appointment only - please email me with a brief description of your query and a contact phone no.

Mrs Yumiko Isawa
Lecturer
Phone +27 11 950 4136
Hilton Chiwamira
Gerald Omachar
Nyasha Ruznidzo
Mr Boon Yeap

Contact hours : To be advised in lecturers and available on lecturer's door.

Dr Raymond Smith
Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 26462

Tutor(s) :

Mr Boon Yeap
Ms Chris Gonsalvez
Associate Head of School
Phone +61 3 990 32554
Dr Dora Constantinidis
Ms Erica Foley
Ms Jaspreet Kaur
Mrs Kirsten Ellis
Lecturer Part-time
Phone +61 3 990 47132
Fax +61 3 990 47125
Mrs Pamela Spink
Dr Raymond Smith
Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 26462
Mr Shlok Malhotra

Additional communication information

Consultation details will be available on the unit website.

Students from the Caulfield, Berwick, Gippsland, Sunway-Malaysia and South Africa campuses, and off-campus students in distance education mode are studying FIT1003 this semester. If you have questions that relate to the unit please use the Moddle discussion groups, where all students will benefit from the answer. Other discussion groups will also be available for more informal contact. You are strongly encouraged to participate in the discussion groups available in the FIT1003 Moodle site. 

Personal questions related to your progress or study needs should be directed to your lecturer or tutor in person or by email.

Teaching and learning method

FIT1003 provides students with a comprehensive set of weekly study guides, readings, tutorials and solutions to facilitate their learning. The lectures and tutorials will build on these teaching resources rather than reproduce them, and are an opportunity for you to raise questions.

Lectures: You are strongly advised to read through the study guide prior to the lecture, as two hours is far too short to cover all the important concepts. Emphasis in lectures will be given to providing examples of the concepts and discussing some of the debates that these ideas provoke.

Tutorials: Each week's material is accompanied by a set of tutorial questions, usually drawn from the textbook, that play two roles:

  1. Lets you test how well you have understood the content;
  2. They form the basis of the interaction you will have with other students and your tutor during the tutorial classes.

You are expected to have completed all or a subset of the questions prior to attending the class. In some cases students will be responsible for tutorial activities and so will need to prepare for the class. The tutorial classes will be used to discuss the questions that you have identified while you are attempting the set problems, and to explore some of these concepts in greater depth. Normally your lecturer will advise you which questions will be addressed during the tutorial class.

The assignments will provide you with feedback of your grasp of the content as well as record a mark toward your final grade.

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system:

http://allocate.cc.monash.edu.au/

Off-campus distributed learning or flexible delivery

Students studying by off-campus learning will not have scheduled tutorial times. Instead, you are encouraged to use the discussion groups and chat rooms in Moodle as a virtual tutorial room.

If there is sufficient interest amongst OCL students in using the Marratech video conferencing system for group discussions this will be arranged.

.

Communication, participation and feedback

Monash aims to provide a learning environment in which students receive a range of ongoing feedback throughout their studies. You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This may take the form of group feedback, individual feedback, peer feedback, self-comparison, verbal and written feedback, discussions (on line and in class) as well as more formal feedback related to assignment marks and grades. You are encouraged to draw on a variety of feedback to enhance your learning.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem that is affecting your study. Semesters are short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Unit Schedule

Week Topic Study guide References/Readings Key dates
1 Introduction to Organisations Study Guide 1 Refer to Study Guide 1  
2 Information and Information Systems Study Guide 2 Refer to Study Guide 2  
3 Introduction to Business Processes Study Guide 3 Refer to Study Guide 3  
4 Information Technologies in the Organisation Study Guide 4 Refer to Study Guide 4  
5 Supporting Business Functions with IT Study Guide 5 Refer to Study Guide 5  
6 Developing Successful IT Systems - Part 1 Study Guide 6 & 7 Refer to Study Guide 6 & 7 Assignment 1 due
Mid semester break
7 Developing Successful IT Systems - Part 2 Study Guide 6 & 7 Refer to Study Guide 6 & 7  
8 Communication Concepts Study Guide 8 Refer to Study Guide 8  
9 Working in Teams Study Guide 9 Refer to Study Guide 9  
10 Communication in Organisations Study Guide 10 Refer to Study Guide 10 Assignment 2 due
11 Managing IT Security Study Guide 11 Refer to Study Guide 11  
12 Professional Issues Study Guide 12 Refer to Study Guide 12 Assignment 3 due
13 Revision      

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

Haag, Baltzan and Phillips, Business Driven Technology, 2nd edition or 3rd edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin

Weekly readings, cases and problems are set from this text. Failure to obtain or have access to the textbook will not be grounds for special consideration. Limited numbers of copies are available for short term loan from some libraries, but you should not rely on these. Library acquisition processes do not ensure availability from the start of the semester at all locations.

Digitised readings for some topics are available from the FIT1003 Reading List:

http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/resourcelists/f/fit1003.html

Recommended text(s) and readings

Curtis, G. and Codham, D. (2005) Business Information Systems Prentice-Hall

Dwyer, J. (2005)  Communication in Business: Strategies and Skills 3rd edition, Perason Education, Australia.

Eunson, B. (2005), Communicating in the 21st Century, John Wiley & Sons, Australia

Required software and/or hardware

There is no specific recommended software for the unit, however you will need access to:

  • An Internet browser with Acrobat Reader
  • A word processor
  • A simple graphics editor such as that in Word or PowerPoint, which is useful but not essential

Software may be:

  • purchased at academic price at good software retailers

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access.

You are able to use the facilities available in the computing labs at university campuses. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.

You will need to allocate up to 5 hours per week in some weeks, for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

  • 12 Study Guides published on the Unit Website in Moodle
  • This Unit Guide outlining the administrative information for the unit
  • The FIT1003 web site on Moodle, where study guides, lecture slides, weekly tutorial requirements, assignment specifications, sample solutions and supplementary material will be posted.
  • Communication information and newsgroups/discussion groups for each campus that can be linked to from the Unit Homepage.

You are expected to purchase or have regular substantial access to the prescribed text book. You will not be granted extensions or special consideration for assessment on the grounds that you were not able to obtain a copy if the bookshop has copies for sale.

Library access

The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and catalogue searching.  To learn more about the library and the various resources available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.

The Educational Library and Media Resources (LMR) is also a very resourceful place to visit at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/library/

Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

All unit and lecture materials are available through MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources. Some units will be piloted in Moodle. If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle (http://moodle.monash.edu.au) and can bookmark this link to access directly. In Moodle, from the Faculty of Information Technology category, click on the link for your unit.

You can access MUSO and Blackboard via the portal: http://my.monash.edu.au

Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.

In order for your Blackboard unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be correctly configured.

For example:

  • Blackboard supported browser
  • Supported Java runtime environment

For more information, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html

You can contact the MUSO Support by phone : (+61 3) 9903 1268

For further contact information including operational hours, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html

Further information can be obtained from the MUSO support site: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

Assessment

Unit assessment policy

The unit is assessed with three assignments representing 40% of the marks and a three hour closed book examination representing 60% of the marks. To pass the unit you must :

  • score 40% or more in the unit's examination and
  • 40% or more in the assignments and
  • an overall unit mark of 50% or more
If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the assignments, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 44% then a mark of 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

Assignment tasks

  • Assignment Task

    Title : Assignment 1: IT & IS in Organisations

    Description :

    The assignment is an individual assignment based on a case study of an organisation. You will present the assignment as a report.

    Weighting : 15%

    Criteria for assessment :

    The criteria used to assess submissions are:

    • Correctness and understanding - there may be more than one "right" answer in many cases. We will look for answers that reflect understanding of the underlying principles and theories.
    • Completeness - that you have answered all parts of each question.
    • Presentation - that you have presented your answers in a suitably formatted report style.
    • Use of evidence and argument - you are able to explain your position by using logical argument drawing on the theory presented in the unit.

    Due date : Week 6 - Monday

    Remarks ( optional - leave blank for none ) :

    The assignment will be made available on the FIT1003 site in Moodle with detailed submission instructions. The title and due date are subject to change.

  • Assignment Task

    Title : Assignment 2: Systems Development and Communication

    Description :

    This assignment will have both group and individual components.  It will require your team to report on your analysis of a business problem and present a proposed solution to a client using a range communication techniques.  It will address objectives relating to:

    • Understanding typical business functions and strategies used by business organisations to achieve their purposes and appreciating the integral nature of information technology in the success of these business strategies;
    • Understanding some of the different development methods used to develop IT systems;
    • Explaining the key principles that underlie successful systems development;
    • Understanding the importance of communication to the IT professional;
    • Using communication theories to describe and analyse communication.

    Weighting : 20%

    Criteria for assessment :

    The criteria used to assess submissions are:

    • Correctness and understanding - there may be more than one "right" answer in many cases. We will look for answers that reflect understanding of the underlying principles and theories.
    • Completeness - that you have answered all parts of each question.
    • Presentation - that you have presented your answers using the appropriate communication method.
    • Use of evidence and argument - you are able to explain your position by using logical argument drawing on the theory presented in the unit.

    Due date : Week 10 - Monday

    Remarks ( optional - leave blank for none ) :

    The assignment will be made available on the FIT1003 site in Moodle with detailed submission instructions. The title and due date are subject to change.

  • Assignment Task

    Title : Assignment 3: Presentation

    Description :

    Presentation of system to client

    Weighting : 5%

    Criteria for assessment :

    • evidence of preparation
    • conduct of presentation
    • quality of visual aids
    • presentation style

    Due date : Week 12 - Tutorial

    Remarks ( optional - leave blank for none ) :

    The assignment will be made available on the FIT1003 site in Moodle with detailed submission instructions. The title and due date are subject to change.

Examinations

  • Examination 1

    Weighting : 60%

    Length : 3 hours

    Type ( open/closed book ) : Closed book


Assignment submission

You will be advised of assignment submission processes and requirements for your campus on the FIT1003 website.

Assignment coversheets

You should complete, sign the plagiarism declaration and attach the Faculty of IT cover sheet to all assignment submissions.

The cover sheet is available via  "Student assignment coversheets" on the Faculty website:( http://infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/assignments/ ) or in the Moodle site for the unit.

University and Faculty policy on assessment

Due dates and extensions

The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section. Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Requests for extensions must be made to the unit lecturer at your campus at least two days before the due date. You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary.

A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 5% per day. Assignments received later than one week (seven days) after the due date will not normally be accepted. In some cases, this period may be shorter if there is a need to release sample solutions.

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the Monash University Education Policy at http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

We will aim to have assignment results made available to you within two weeks after assignment receipt.

An assignment review will be released after all assignments have been returned.

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with the University Plagiarism policy and procedure (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-procedures.html) which applies to students detected plagiarising.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Register of counselling about plagiarism

The university requires faculties to keep a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (e.g. warnings). The register is accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees) and, where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the register. The register is to serve as a record of counselling about the nature of plagiarism, not as a record of allegations; and no provision of appeals in relation to the register is necessary or applicable.

Non-discriminatory language

The Faculty of Information Technology is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however, the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your communications and written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are, therefore, requested to check for this and to ensure your work and communications are non-discriminatory in all respects.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

Deferred assessment and special consideration

Deferred assessment (not to be confused with an extension for submission of an assignment) may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Information and forms for Special Consideration and deferred assessment applications are available at http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html. Contact the Faculty's Student Services staff at your campus for further information and advice.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]