FIT3026 Information technology project 2 - Semester 2 , 2007

Unit leader :

Shyh Wei Teng

Lecturer(s) :

Gippsland

  • Shyh Wei Teng

Introduction

Welcome to FIT3026 IT Project 1 for semester 2, 2007. This unit is core to the following 2 majors in the Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems degree programs:

  • Business Systems
  • Applications Development and Networks

This unit is worth 6 Enrolled Credit Points.  Upon satisfactory completion of this unit, students will be credited 12 points (i.e. 6 for FIT3025 and 6 for FIT3026).

The unit has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills acquired from units you have  already taken in the course in developing an IT system.

Unit synopsis

Students work in project groups (usually 3-5 people) on a system development project for a client who may be either internal or external to Monash. In general, projects involve all aspects of the system development lifecycle. Project management aspects of system development are stressed. The requirements of the subject are fulfilled by the team producing an identified set of deliverables, usually a project proposal, project plan, a system specification, user documentation and software. The team must perform software management activities to ensure that the project is delivered on time. Students are required to maintain a development log with a full record of all their project-related activities. Each member of the team must demonstrate a significant contribution to the team effort, a sense of responsibility for the project outcome and skills for interaction with the client. Internal students meet formally with the subject adviser each week for seminar presentations and tutorial sessions. In the case of external students an individual project or smaller project group (two or three people) may be permitted. Students admitted to the school's industry experience scheme fulfil the unit requirements by undertaking a project with their employer.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

This unit builds on knowledge and understanding developed in core units throughout first and second level studies. Students will:

 

  • understand all stages of the process of developing an information system;
  • understand the roles and responsibilities of clients, system users and developers in a systems development project;
  • understand how information systems are developed;

 

Attitudes, Values and Beliefs

This subject aims to develop in students:

 

  • the capacity to apply, in a practical setting, the theoretical work covered in their course.
  • the ability to develop a significant computing application, from the analysis and design stages, through coding and implementation to evaluation.

 

Practical Skills

On completion of this subject students should be able to:

 

  • work with clients and communicate effectively with them
  • define a problem, and gather data, facts, opinions and information needed to analyse and solve it
  • outline and evaluate alternative solutions to a system development problem
  • perform a feasibility study that includes estimates of costs, time requirements, a schedule for the development, and the benefits expected from the system
  • identify hardware and software requirements for a system
  • document a system design using tools which include system flow charts and data flow diagrams
  • implement a system, including testing and debugging
  • evaluate a system, identifying any weakness or possible enhancements

 

Relationships, Communication and TeamWork

This subject aims to develop in students:

 

  • the ability to operate effectively as a member of a development team.

 

Workload

Students are required to spend a minimum of 12 hours per week to work on their projects.

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed

FIT3025 in the immediately preceeding academic semester.

Relationships

FIT3026 is a core unit in the Applications Development & Networks, and Business Systems majors of the Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems degree.

FIT3025 in the immediately preceeding academic semester.

You may not study this unit and GCO2819, GCO3819, GCO3700, GCO3800, GCO3900, GCO3800A, CPE3200, CPE3300, CSE3200, IMS3000 in your degree.

Continuous improvement

Monash is committed to ‘Excellence in education' 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. Two of the formal ways that you are invited to provide feedback are through Unit Evaluations and through Monquest Teaching Evaluations.

One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through Unit Evaluation Surveys. It is Monash policy for every unit offered to be 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.

Student Evaluations

The Faculty of IT administers the Unit Evaluation surveys online through the my.monash portal, although for some smaller classes there may be alternative evaluations conducted in class.

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

Over the past few years the Faculty of Information Technology has made a number of improvements to its courses as a result of unit evaluation feedback. Some of these include systematic analysis and planning of unit improvements, and consistent assignment return guidelines.

Monquest Teaching Evaluation surveys may be used by some of your academic staff this semester. They are administered by the Centre for Higher Education Quality (CHEQ) and may be completed in class with a facilitator or on-line through the my.monash portal. The data provided to lecturers is completely anonymous. Monquest surveys provide academic staff with evidence of the effectiveness of their teaching and identify areas for improvement. Individual Monquest reports are confidential, however, you can see the summary results of Monquest evaluations for 2006 at http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/cheq/evaluations/monquest/profiles/index.html

Improvements to this unit

In order to provide students with better understanding on what is required for each assessment, assessment templates and assessment criteria are published at the start of the semester.  These documents describe what markers expected from the students for various performance levels (i.e. Excellent, Good, ..., Poor).

Unit staff - contact details

Unit leader

Dr Shyh Teng
Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 26851

Lecturer(s) :

Dr Shyh Teng
Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 26851

Teaching and learning method

Throughout the project, students in each team will apply knowledge and skills they have acquired from previous units in their course to develop the IS required in the project.  Their supervisor will advise them on various issues encountered in the project.

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 Key dates
1 Weekly activities are determined by the group's project plan  
2 As per plan  
3 As per plan  
4 As per plan Report 3 due
5 As per plan  
6 As per plan  
7 As per plan  
8 As per plan  
9 As per plan  
10 As per plan  
Mid semester break
11 As per plan  
12 As per plan  
13 As per plan Report 4, Final System, and Presentation due

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

There is no prescribed text for this unit.

However, all prescribed texts and reccommended readings from other units in your major can be used as references.Monash Bookshop and Library.

Recommended text(s) and readings

All prescribed texts and reccommended readings from other units in your major can be used as references.

Required software and/or hardware

There is no software requirement.

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. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. 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 12 hours per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

A printed Unit Book containing information on the structure of this unit. It also contains the unit information outlining the administrative information for the unit.

The FIT3026 Website is on http://www.muso.monash.edu.au, where lecture slides, sample structure of assignments/reports and sample materials will be posted.

Newsgroups/discussion groups that can be linked to from the Unit Homepage.

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.  Be sure to obtain a copy of the Library Guide, and if necessary, the instructions for remote access from the library website.

Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

All unit and lecture materials are available through the MUSO (Monash University Studies Online) site. You can access this site by going to:

  1. a) https://muso.monash.edu.au or
  2. b) via the portal (http://my.monash.edu.au).

Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then the MUSO hyperlink.

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

For example :

  • MUSO 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 two assignments, one presentation and the end product developed for the project. To pass the unit you must:

  • make significant contribution to both assignments, the presentation and the development of the end product
  • achieve no less than 50% of possible marks

Assignment tasks

  • Assignment Task
    Title :
    Report 3
    Description :
    The design of the proposed system is documented in this report.
    Weighting :
    8%
    Criteria for assessment :
    Criteria for the assessment is available on the unit MUSO site.
    Due date :
    11/8/07
  • Assignment Task
    Title :
    Report 4
    Description :
    Information on the implementation of the proposed system and the test strategy of the system is documented in this report.
    Weighting :
    12%
    Criteria for assessment :
    Criteria for the assessment is available on the unit MUSO site.
    Due date :
    16/10/07
  • Assignment Task
    Title :
    Presentation
    Description :

    This presentation will carried out at the end of the project to the clients, supervisors and other project students.  It provides each team the opportunity to:

    • indicate which requirements of the project are completed 
    • explain the design of the system 
    • demonstrate the system
    • articulate the lesson learnt from the project
    Weighting :
    3%
    Criteria for assessment :
    Criteria for the assessment is available on the unit MUSO site.
    Due date :
    16/10/07
  • Assignment Task
    Title :
    End Product
    Description :
    The system developed for the project.
    Weighting :
    45%
    Criteria for assessment :
    Criteria for the assessment is available on the unit MUSO site.
    Due date :
    16/10/07

Examinations

Assignment submission

The method to submit the assignments/reports is to be negotiated with the supervisor allocated to your project team.

Assignment coversheets

The availability of the assignment coversheets is indicated in the unit MUSO site.

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 your project SUPERVISOR 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% for every day after the due date.

Assignments received later than one week after the due date will not normally be accepted.

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.

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 Student Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/about/committees-groups/facboard/policies/studrights.html) and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

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. Special consideration in the awarding of grades is also possible in some circumstances. 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.