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Monash University

FIT2075 Information strategies and systems development - Semester 2, 2013

This unit provides students with an introduction to the key concepts and principles involved in the management of information assets as a key organisational resource. Information assets and the information systems which create and use them are of critical importance to the operations of most modern organisations. The unit examines two main themes: the development and implementation of organisational approaches to the management of its information assets, and organisational approaches to the acquisition and development of information systems. As well as addressing the separate sets of issues specific to each of these themes, it will focus on the interactions between them and their implications for development of an integrated approach to organisational information management.

Mode of Delivery

Caulfield (Day)

Contact Hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs tutorials/wk

Workload requirements

You are expected to spend 12 hours per week on attending classess and carrying out various activities including reading, communication with other students and unit lecturers, and preparation for learning tasks and formal assessments.

Unit Relationships

Prerequisites

FIT1036 or FIT1003

Chief Examiner

Campus Lecturer

Caulfield

Martin Atchison

Consultation hours: Tuesday 2-4; Wednesday 10-2

Tutors

Caulfield

Martin Atchison

Consultation hours: Tuesday 2-4; Wednesday 10-2

Academic Overview

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit, students will:
  • know and understand the business imperatives which drive organisational needs in key areas of information management and information systems acquisition and development;
  • know and understand the key principles and contemporary practices in the development and implementation of information management strategies in organisations;
  • know and understand the key principles and approaches to the development, acquisition and implementation of IT-based systems in organisations;
  • recognise the need and understand the importance of taking an integrated approach to tasks of information management and systems development in organisations;
  • be able to analyse needs and specify solutions for a range of organisational information management and systems development problems;
  • be able to critically evaluate the relative merits and disadvantages of different information management and systems development strategies for a given situation.

Unit Schedule

Week Activities Assessment
0   No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0
1 Setting the context: Introduction to unit. recap of basic concepts in the theory and practice of systems development and information management; recap of relevant material from earlier units Discussion of requirements for Assessment task 1: This assessment relates to tutorial participation and will be assessed weekly from Weeks 2 to 11
2 System development and information strategies (1): The science/engineering paradigm and the evolution of structured approaches to the development of systems for the provision of information Assessment task 2: Systems development in action handed out and is assessed between Weeks 7 to 10
3 Data and information management (1): as organizational problems: evolution of structured approaches to data collection and retrieval  
4 Systems development and information strategies (2): Solving the specification problem in system development - iterativity and incrementalism  
5 Data and information management (2): From structured to unstructured data collection and retrieval Assignment 3: Systems development and information management issues for organizations handed out
6 System development and information strategies (3): Bringing the user inside - user participation and agile development  
7 Data and information management (3): 'Agile' data collections and information architectures Assessment task 2 submissions start
8 Systems development and information strategies (4): Changing the development paradigm - soft systems Assessment task 2 submissions continue
9 Data and information management (4): The problem of semantics Assessment task 2 submissions continue
10 System development and information strategies (5): Standardisation and packaged solutions Assessment task 2 submissions continue
11 Data and information management (5): 'Big data' - dreams and realities Assessment task 3 due
12 Reflection and bringing it all together: The evolving role of information professionals in organizations  
  SWOT VAC No formal assessment is undertaken in 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 learning system.

Assessment Summary

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

Assessment Task Value Due Date
Tutorial participation 10% Weeks 2 - 11
Systems development in action 15% Weeks 7 - 10
Systems development and information management issues for organizations 15% Week 11
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.

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)

Academic Integrity - Please see the Demystifying Citing and Referencing tutorial at http://lib.monash.edu/tutorials/citing/

Assessment Tasks

Participation

Assessment task 1 - Tutorial participation:  Students will be expected to prepare, participate and present in tutorial discussions throughout the semester.  Student performance will be assessed by the tutor with the aid of peer reviews carried out by the students in each tutorial class.  Student performance will be assessed in selected tutorials throughout the semester (see unit guide), and the student's mark will be based on their best eight results.  Tutorial participation will be worth 10% of the student's mark.

  • Assessment task 1
    Title:
    Tutorial participation
    Description:
    Tutorial participation will be based around the weekly tutorial activities.
    Weighting:
    10%
    Criteria for assessment:

    Criteria for assessment will depend on the nature of the work being carried during the tutorial.  In general, students will be expected to prepare adequately for the tutorial by reading the material provided in advance, and participating actively in the discussions and other tasks which they are asked to perform.  Detailed criteria will be provided to students as appropriate before the tutorial work is done.

    Due date:
    Weeks 2 - 11
  • Assessment task 2
    Title:
    Systems development in action
    Description:
    Students will investigate and report on a case study of an aspect of systems development as the basis for understanding the issues associated with the development of large systems to satisfy organizational information needs.
    Weighting:
    15%
    Criteria for assessment:

    Criteria for assessment will be based on the level of understanding which students demonstrate of the nature of the development process, the issues confronting a development team and the adequacy of specific development approaches to the case study.  A detailed set of assessment criteria and the marking guide will be provided to students with the description of the assignment task.

    Due date:
    Weeks 7 - 10
  • Assessment task 3
    Title:
    Systems development and information management issues for organizations
    Description:
    Students will investigate and report on a topic of importance to contemporary systems development and information management practice.
    Weighting:
    15%
    Criteria for assessment:

    Criteria for assessment will be based on the level of knowledge and understanding which students demonstrate about development and information management processes, and the issues confronting IT professionals in addresing them.  A detailed set of assessment criteria and the marking guide will be provided to students with the detailed description of the assignment task.

    Due date:
    Week 11

Examinations

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

Learning resources

Monash Library Unit Reading List
http://readinglists.lib.monash.edu/index.html

Feedback to you

Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:
  • Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
  • Graded assignments with comments

Extensions and penalties

Returning assignments

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). Please note that it is your responsibility to retain copies of your assessments.

Online submission

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

Recommended Resources

Lists of readings on the topics covered in the unit will be provided during the semester.

Other Information

Policies

Graduate Attributes Policy

Student services

Monash University Library

Disability Liaison Unit

Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis.

Your feedback to Us

Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit

Previous feedback has highlighted the main strength in this unit as being its extensive use of readings and tutorial discussion to highlight the significance of theory and its relevance to the way issues arise in practice.  The unit will aim to continue this approach to require students to read extensively and discuss issues in class.

Student feedback has also informed improvements to this unit including:

  • the posting of materials earlier on the web site to enable students to read and prepare for classes earlier.
  • the development of clearer specifications for assignment work and expectations of the issues which should be addressed by student work.

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

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