ASCED Discipline Group classification: 091301 Librarianship and Information Management
Topics addressed, within the context of the web environment, include: analysing business requirements and user information needs; user information seeking behaviours; information retrieval principles; issues and challenges in organising information for effective retrieval; knowledge management schemes and structures (e.g., taxonomies, thesauri and metadata schemas) and how these are represented in labelling, navigation and search systems; information design and usability principles; and the thinking that lies behind planning and implementing a web content project or program.
Knowledge and understanding of:
1. the principles and practice of web content management and information architecture;
2. the relative roles and responsibilities of information professionals in web and intranet development project, and how to manage these;
3. user information needs and information seeking behaviours within the web environment, based on research findings;
4. information retrieval principles (e.g., precision, recall, relevance, specificity) and their application in the web environment;
5. issues and challenges for an organisation and a management team, in organising information for effective information retrieval;
6. various systems, schemes and structures for content management;
7. the application of information design and usability principles to labelling, navigation and search functions;
8. phases and processes in planning and implementing an information architecture project or product;
9. common tools and techniques, and software commonly in use.
Skills to:
1. conduct a business requirements analysis, and a user needs analysis, in connection with developing a content management system for a website or intranet;
2. develop an effective information architecture for a web site or intranet, taking into consideration unique business and user information requirements, and information retrieval, information design and usability principles and guidelines; constructing a taxonomy;
3. designing a metadata schema; planning, designing, documenting, testing and evaluating labelling, navigation and search systems for a website or intranet;
4. utilising a range of tools and techniques (eg blueprints, wireframes, card sorting, affinity diagrams, content maps, personas), and software in the process of developing a content management system;
5. undertaking usability/'findability' testing of users using prototypes and a range of evaluation techniques and interpreting findings;
6. evaluating systems and software products, based on information provided by industry experts and industry reports;
7. help to manage a web content management project;
8. apply governance principles that are up-to-date and relevant to an organisational culture.
An appreciation of:
1. varying perspectives on various content management systems used by different organizations, disciplines and professional groups, and managing projects for them;
2. the range of specialist expertise amongst information professionals involved in projects, and the importance of effective communication and collaboration amongst these groups;
3. the centrality of the user in defining a useful and effective system and the difficulties which users experience in finding relevant information on the web;
4. business imperatives and user requirements which are the key drivers of content management systems;
5. 'findability' as a critical factor in determining web usability;
6. effective organisation systems which tend to be largely invisible to users, but which are vital for successful content management;
7. their own growing confidence in their project planning and information retrieval skills.
Objectives in this domain cover skills for building relationships and working collaboratively. They include communication skills, teamwork skills and leadership and management skills. This domain is closely linked to the affective domain, but involves objectives that develop skills related to group work.
For on campus students, workload commitments are:
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.
FIT2055 is a core unit in the Information Management major of the Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems.
Monash is committed to ‘Excellence in education’ (Monash Directions 2025 - 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.
As can be seen from the student evaluations, which are held annually, students find this unit of great practical benefit. It is adapted to satisfy the needs of industry and technological change.
Email to
Associate Professor Graeme Johanson, Ph.D.
Director, Centre for Community Networking Research
(www.ccnr.net).
Caulfield School of Information Technology,
Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University.
P.O.Box 197, Caulfield East, Victoria 3145, Australia.
Room H6.42, level 6, in building H, the tallest building on campus.
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.
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 will take the form of feedback in class, individual feedback, feedback on formal written assessment, including assignments, lab exercises and exams.
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 lectureror a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.
If you fail any element of assessment you will be encouraged to attend an interview with the unit co-ordinator to discuss your progress.| Week | Topic | Key dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unit outline. Basic key terms. Differentiate from other | |
| 2 | Content and management. Projects and products | |
| 3 | Reasons for emergence of Web Content Management. | |
| 4 | Basic parts of Content Management. Determining when | |
| 5 | Effects of WCM on organizations. Planning for WCM. | |
| 6 | Project and product management. Implementation. | |
| Mid semester break | ||
| 7 | Specific WCM systems. Information-seeking needs and | First assignment due |
| 8 | Techniques e.g., blueprints, categories, wireframes, | |
| 9 | Information retrieval principles. Search methods. Semantic | |
| 10 | Metadata. Thesauri. Taxonomies. Controlled vocabularies. | |
| 11 | Authoring. Labels. Impact of social networking. Content | |
| 12 | Evaluating WCM systems. Few standards. | |
| 13 | Review and revision | Second assignment due |
None.
See the full reading list available at the Monash Libraries website.
Asprey, Len, and Middleton, Mike (2003), Integrative document and content management [electronic resource]: strategies for exploiting enterprise knowledge. Hershey Pa.: Idea Group Pub. [electronic resource].
ISBN: 1591400686 (ebook).
Linked resources: Full text available from IGI Global.
Boiko, Bob (2005). Content Management Bible [electronic resource]. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
1172 p. ISBN: 9780764583643 (electronic bk.: Adobe Reader).
Content Management in the Information Age.
Byrne, T. The CMS Report. CMS Watch, www.cmswatch.com.
CMS Watch evaluates content-oriented technologies, publishing comparative reviews of leading solutions. It publishes technology reports that provide independent analysis and practical advice regarding web content management, enterprise content management, enterprise portals, web analytics, and enterprise search solutions.
Mercer, David (2006). Drupal: creating blogs, forums, portals, and community websites: how to set up, configure, and customize this powerful PHP/MySQL-based open source CMS. Birmingham, UK: Packt Publishing
Rockley, A. et al. (2002). Managing enterprise content: a unified content strategy. Indianapolis, New Riders.
Rosenfeldt, L and Morville, P. (2007). Information architecture and the worldwide web. Sebastapol, CA, O’Reilly and Associates.
VanDyk, John K. and Matt Westgate (2007). Pro Drupal development. Berkeley, Calif., Apress.
White, Martin (2005). The content management handbook. London: Facet Publishing.
Personal connection to the Internet.
Drupal in the Monash laboratories.
Study resources we will provide for your study are:
Study resources we will provide for your study are:
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/
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.
Andrew Dixon, FIT Liaison Librarian, will present to the class about online Library resources for assignments.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:
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
Title : Assignment one: Usability
Description :
Weighting : 25%
Criteria for assessment :
Due date : 20 April 2009
Remarks ( optional - leave blank for none ) :
Title : Assignment two: Proficiency in the use of Drupal and Jumla
Description :
To be advised.
Weighting : 25%
Criteria for assessment :
Due date : 1 June 2009
Weighting : 50%
Length : 3 hours
Type ( open/closed book ) : Closed book
Assignments.
1 Standards for presentation.
All printed assignment work must be word-processed and meet the standards set out in the assignment. Refer also to the guidelines for writing assignments and for citation style, and for additional information on presentation, at: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/assignments/sims-style-guides.html.
2.Cover sheet.
All assignments must include an appropriate signed assignment cover page available via the "Student assignment coversheets" ( http://infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/assignments/ ) page on the faculty website.
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.
If you believe that your assignment will be delayed because of circumstances beyond your control such as illness, you should apply for an extension prior to the due date. All applications for extensions must be made in writing (or e-mail) to your lecturer, and a response to your request will be communicated back to you in the same manner. No extensions are automatic. Every one will be dealt with individually. Tom Denison will refer requests to Graeme Johanson, the unit co-ordinator. Medical certificates or other supporting documentation will be required.
To apply for an extension, use the form on the MUSO website
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/
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.
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.
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 that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:
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.