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Monash University

FIT1003 IT in organisations - Semester 1, 2012

The unit will provide students with an introduction and broad overview of the application of IT to the management of information in organisations, and the role of the IT professional in developing and implementing IT-based solutions to information problems. The discussion of the organisational framework for IT and IT professional practice will be set within its broader social context. The opportunities, problems and risks associated with IT will be examined, together with their implications for the rights and responsibilities of IT professionals.

Mode of Delivery

South Africa (Day)

Contact Hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs tutorials/wk

Workload

Workload commitments are:

  • two-hour lecture and
  • two-hour tutorial (requiring advance preparation)
  • a minimum of 2-3 hours of personal study per one hour of contact time in order to satisfy the reading and assignment expectations.

  • 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.

Unit Relationships

Prohibitions

CSE1204, ELC1000, IMS1704, BUS1021, CPE1006

Chief Examiner

Dr Abraham van der Vyver

Campus Lecturer

South Africa

Dr. Abraham van der Vyver

Tutors

South Africa

To be advised

Academic Overview

Outcomes

At the completion of this unit students will have -
A theoretical and conceptual understanding of:
  • basic concepts of information, including organisational and social issues relating to the ownership and control of information;
  • basic concepts of information systems, including their role and importance in organisations and society;
  • basic concepts of organisations, including organisational structures, the roles of individuals and groups in organisations, the role of communication in achieving organisational objectives, and the nature of communication in organisations;
  • basic concepts of IT as it is used in organisations and society, including the evolution of the role of IT in organisations and society;
  • information technologies and information technology infrastructures employed by organisations;
  • the business and information management processes and functions for which IT is used in organisations, and in which IT professionals are involved;
  • opportunities, risks and liabilities arising from the usage and application of IT in organisations;
  • processes of acquiring, developing and managing IT in organisations;
  • techniques and tools for describing and analysing information management processes in organisations;
  • the roles of IT workers in organisations and the range of ethical and professional rights and responsibilities associated with them; and
  • organisational and social issues arising from the use of IT in organisations, including privacy and civil liberties issues.

Developed attitudes that enable them to:
  • recognise the importance of information to organisational processes and functions;
  • recognise the opportunities and limitations of the role which IT can play in managing information in organisations; and
  • appreciate the importance of the IT practitioners role in organisations and society, and the responsibilities it entails.

The skills to:
  • document organisational information-related functions and processes;
  • assess the potential scope for using IT as part of the solution to an organisational information problem;
  • identify and discuss issues, problems and opportunities in using IT in organisations;
  • identify and discuss the organisational and social impacts of IT, and the ethical dimensions of IT-related decisions;
  • recognise the team skills necessary for successful development and implementation of IT solutions to information problems in organisations; and
  • appreciate the importance of the inter-relationships between IT professionals and the stakeholders in IT-based systems in organisations.

Graduate Attributes

Monash prepares its graduates to be:
  1. responsible and effective global citizens who:
    1. engage in an internationalised world
    2. exhibit cross-cultural competence
    3. demonstrate ethical values
  2. critical and creative scholars who:
    1. produce innovative solutions to problems
    2. apply research skills to a range of challenges
    3. communicate perceptively and effectively

Assessment Summary

Examination (3 hours): 60%; In-semester assessment: 40%

Assessment Task Value Due Date
Assignment 1: IT & IS in Organisations 20% 17 April 2012
Assignment 2: Analysis of a case study in the field of Systems Development. 20% 8 May 2012
Examination 1 60% To be advised

Teaching Approach

Lecture and tutorials or problem classes
This teaching and learning approach provides facilitated learning, practical exploration and peer learning.

Feedback

Our feedback to You

Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:
  • Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
  • Graded assignments without comments
  • Solutions to tutes, labs and assignments

Your feedback to Us

Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through SETU, Student Evaluation of Teacher and Unit. The University's student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

For more information on Monash's educational strategy, and on student evaluations, see:
http://www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/directions.html
http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html

Previous Student Evaluations of this unit

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp

Required Resources

Please check with your lecturer before purchasing any Required Resources. Prescribed texts are available for you to borrow in the library, and prescribed software is available in student labs.

No software is required for this unit.

Prescribed text(s)

Prescribed texts are available for you to borrow in the library.

Baltzan, P. & Phillips, A.. (2010). Business Driven Technology. (4th) McGraw-Hill Irwin (ISBN: 9780071220538).

Unit Schedule

Week Activities Assessment
0   No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0
1 Introduction to Organisations  
2 Information and Information Systems  
3 Introduction to Business Processes  
4 Information Technologies in the Organisation  
5 Developing Successful IT Systems - Part 1  
6 Supporting Business Functions with IT  
7 Developing Successful IT Systems - Part 2 Assignment 1 due 17 April 2012
8 Communication Concepts  
9 Working in Teams  
10 Communication in Organisations Assignment 2 due 8 May 2012
11 Managing IT Security  
12 Professional Issues  
  SWOT VAC No formal assessment is undertaken SWOT VAC
  Examination period LINK to Assessment Policy: http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/
academic/education/assessment/
assessment-in-coursework-policy.html

*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your MUSO (Blackboard or Moodle) learning system.

Assessment Requirements

Assessment Policy

Faculty Policy - Unit Assessment Hurdles (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/staff/edgov/policies/assessment-examinations/unit-assessment-hurdles.html)

Assessment Tasks

Participation

Students must attend at least 9 of the tutorials and constructively participate in activities that form part of the tutorial. This is a hurdle requirement to pass the unit. Attendance and participation will be recorded by your tutor.

  • Assessment task 1
    Title:
    Assignment 1: IT & IS in Organisations
    Description:
    The assignment is an individual assignment and will consist of a set of theoretical questions.
    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 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:
    17 April 2012
    Remarks:
    The assignment will be made available on the FIT1003 site in Moodle with detailed submission instructions. 
  • Assessment task 2
    Title:
    Assignment 2: Analysis of a case study in the field of Systems Development.
    Description:
    This assignment is an individual assignment.  It will be required of the student to apply the theory in order to analyse a case study.
    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.
    • 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:
    8 May 2012
    Remarks:
    The assignment will be made available on the FIT1003 site in Moodle with detailed submission instructions. 

Examinations

  • Examination 1
    Weighting:
    60%
    Length:
    3 hours
    Type (open/closed book):
    Closed book
    Electronic devices allowed in the exam:
    None

Assignment submission

It is a University requirement (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-procedures.html) for students to submit an assignment coversheet for each assessment item. Faculty Assignment coversheets can be found at http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/. Please check with your Lecturer on the submission method for your assignment coversheet (e.g. attach a file to the online assignment submission, hand-in a hard copy, or use an online quiz).

Online submission

If Electronic Submission has been approved for your unit, please submit your work via the VLE site for this unit, which you can access via links in the my.monash portal.

Extensions and penalties

Submission must be made by the due date otherwise penalties will be enforced.

You must negotiate any extensions formally with your campus unit leader via the in-semester special consideration process: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html.

Returning assignments

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

Other Information

Policies

Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University's academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them. You can find Monash's Education Policies at:
http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html

Key educational policies include:

Student services

The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at www.monash.edu.au/students. For Sunway see http://www.monash.edu.my/Student-services, and for South Africa see http://www.monash.ac.za/current/

The Monash University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. At Sunway, visit the Library and Learning Commons at http://www.lib.monash.edu.my/. At South Africa visit http://www.lib.monash.ac.za/.

Academic support services may be available for students who have a disability or medical condition. Registration with the Disability Liaison Unit is required. Further information is available as follows:

  • Website: http://monash.edu/equity-diversity/disability/index.html;
  • Email: dlu@monash.edu
  • Drop In: Equity and Diversity Centre, Level 1 Gallery Building (Building 55), Monash University, Clayton Campus, or Student Community Services Department, Level 2, Building 2, Monash University, Sunway Campus
  • Telephone: 03 9905 5704, or contact the Student Advisor, Student Commuity Services at 03 55146018 at Sunway

Other

READING LIST

Curtis, G. and Cobham, 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

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