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Monash University

FIT1039 Web systems - Semester 1, 2015

This unit is the first core unit in the BITS Applications development major, which aims to teach students the technical and development process skills required for the development of IT-based application systems. The unit aims to provide a broad introduction to the process and tasks of applications development by giving students practical experience in the development of a small application system. The unit uses the world-wide web as a development platform for this application.

The unit will introduce students to the key web technologies, and examine the way in which their features and characteristics affect the development processes required to build application systems. It will introduce students to a number of key techniques required in systems development, and the knowledge and skills required to apply them effectively. This examination of the specific features of the web as a development environment will be used to highlight the broader needs and issues in the systems development process which will be addressed in subsequent units in the major.

The emphasis throughout the unit will be on providing a broad overview of a range of topics, rather than examining specific topics in great depth. There will be a strong emphasis on practical demonstration of the concepts being studied, and their use to highlight key aspects of development theory.

Mode of Delivery

  • Caulfield (Day)
  • Malaysia (Day)

Workload Requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

  • Two hours of lectures
  • One 2-hour tutorial

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

  • A minimum of 8 hours of personal study per week for completing lab and project work, private study and revision.

See also Unit timetable information

Unit Relationships

Prohibitions

FIT1011, FIT2053

Chief Examiner

Campus Lecturer

Caulfield

Yohann Pitrey-Helpiquet

Malaysia

Judyanne Gilbert

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 the Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) survey. 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, see:

www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/ and on student evaluations, see: www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html

Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit

The unit has run since semester 1, 2011. The unit was well received by students and the feedback was positive.

No major changes to the content or structure of the unit are planned for this semester. 

This year the unit will move from using the Joomla! content wordpress system to Wordpress. Wordpress and Joomla! are very similiar in the functions they provide, however, the user base of Wordpress has grown significantly in the last few years making it the major CMS used in industry. Wordpress is (this is subjective) probably a little easier to use and will be well liked by the students as a result of that and it's long term industry relevance.

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

Academic Overview

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit, students will:
  • know the technological capabilities and limitations of the world-wide web and understand their impact on the development process for web-based application systems;
  • know the main processes and tasks required in the development of IT-based systems;
  • recognise and understand the need for formalisation of development processes and techniques to address the issues arising during the development of an IT-based application;
  • be able to specify an appropriate development process to meet the needs of a given application development problem;
  • understand the principles of good practice with respect to the management of information systems development projects;
  • recognise the range of skills and competencies required in the development of web-based application systems;
  • be able to identify the range of technical and systems expertise needed in the development of a web-based system for a given set of circumstances;
  • be able to perform the basic information analysis and design tasks required during development of a web-based application system;
  • be able to interact with system users and with other members of a team in the tasks involved in the development of an application system.

Unit Schedule

Week Activities Assessment
0   No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0
1 The world of the web  
2 Build versus buy  
3 HTML and CSS I  
4 HTML and CSS II Assignment 1 due (personal website)
5 The world of CMS  
6 Introduction to the Wordpress CMS Assignment 2 due (on-line form)
7 Setting up Wordpress menus, adding content  
8 Using templates in Wordpress  
9 Extending Wordpress  
10 Advanced Wordpress tricks Assignment 3 due (Wordpress website)
11 Web 2.0 and it's impact on systems  
12 Why building systems is so hard. Assignment 4 due (tech evaluation)
  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.

Teaching Approach

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

Assessment Summary

Examination (3 hours): 50%; In-semester assessment: 50%

Assessment Task Value Due Date
Building a personal web site from a template. 5% End of Week 4
Creating an on-line form to collect data. 5% End of Week 6
Create a fully functioning Wordpress web site. 30% End of Week 10
Technology evaluation. Product comparison report and recommendation. 10% End of Week 12
Examination 1 50% To be advised

Assessment Requirements

Assessment Policy

Assessment Tasks

Participation

  • Assessment task 1
    Title:
    Building a personal web site from a template.
    Description:
    A client - who is an IT consultant - has asked you to create a personal web site to advertise their services. The site will need to explain who they are, what skills they have, their work history and how they can be contacted - a bit like an on-line CV.

    To create the site, you will use an (free) template-based web site generator. Your submission will include a link to the site and a brief report about the strengths and weaknesses of the web site generator you used.

    Further details are available on the unit web site.
    Weighting:
    5%
    Criteria for assessment:

    The web site will be assessed by examining if the required functionality has been implemented.

    The report will be assessed for the quality of the evaluation (especially looking at the criteria that are used and the method used to assess and rank the alternatives against those criteria), and also the presentation of the report (Is the report well presented, structured and written?).

    Further details are available on the unit web site.

    Due date:
    End of Week 4
  • Assessment task 2
    Title:
    Creating an on-line form to collect data.
    Description:
    You will create a set of forms for a client - using a 3rd party tool - to allow customers to add and remove their names to a mailing list for an electronic newsletter. These forms will use the client's custom CSS.<br><br>Further details are available on the unit web site.
    Weighting:
    5%
    Criteria for assessment:

    The submission will be assessed by examining if the required functionality has been implemented.

    Due date:
    End of Week 6
  • Assessment task 3
    Title:
    Create a fully functioning Wordpress web site.
    Description:
    You will create a fully functioning Wordpress web site for an on-line business.

    Further details - including a detailed case study, describing the client - are available on the unit web site.
    Weighting:
    30%
    Criteria for assessment:

    The submission will be assessed by examining the completeness of the functionality, the design of the template and the overall ease of use of the site created. Further details are available on the unit web site.

    Due date:
    End of Week 10
  • Assessment task 4
    Title:
    Technology evaluation. Product comparison report and recommendation.
    Description:
    You will submit a short report comparing a handful of technology options that a client might need to choose from for a web project. You will be able to choose one of the following to evaluate:
    • different ISPs
    • the use of Shopify versus Wordpress for an e-Commerce site
    • different Payment gateways
    • the use of Flash vrs HTML5 for a web site
    • different Email providers
    Further details are available on the unit web site.
    Weighting:
    10%
    Criteria for assessment:

    The submission will be assessed by examining the quality of the assessment (this will involve looking at the criteria used, and the methods used to rate each alternative against those criteria), and the overall presentation of the report (Is the report well presented, structured and written).

    Due date:
    End of Week 12

Examinations

  • Examination 1
    Weighting:
    50%
    Length:
    3 hours
    Type (open/closed book):
    Closed book
    Electronic devices allowed in the exam:
    None

Learning resources

Reading list

The unit content has been drawn in part from:

  • Kramer, J. (2010) Joomla! Start to Finish: How to Plan, Execute, and Maintain Your Web Site Wrox.

Each week, on the unit web site, students will be provided with relevant readings and other resources.

Monash Library Unit Reading List (if applicable to the unit)
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
  • Solutions to tutes, labs and assignments
  • Other: Comments on reflective journal entries from staff and fellow students..

Extensions and penalties

Returning assignments

Assignment submission

It is a University requirement (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/student-academic-integrity-managing-plagiarism-collusion-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 electronic submission). 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

Students who own a laptop computer are encouraged to bring that computer to classes. Most laboratory classes will be scheduled in a room that allows students to work using their own laptop. A standard laboratory - with University computers - is available for students who don't own their own laptop. For more details see Allocate+.

The unit will make extensive use of a variety of web-based systems and tools. Students will be provided with an account on the studentweb web server.

Recommended text(s)

Kramer, J.. (2010). Joomla! Start to Finish: How to Plan, Execute, and Maintain Your Web Site. () Wrox.

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: www.policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html

Faculty resources and policies

Important student resources including Faculty policies are located at http://intranet.monash.edu.au/infotech/resources/students/

Graduate Attributes Policy

Student Charter

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.

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