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.
Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:
(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:
(b.) Additional requirements (all students):
See also Unit timetable information
FIT1011, FIT2053
Yohann Pitrey-Helpiquet
Judyanne Gilbert
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
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
| 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.
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 |
Faculty Policy - Unit Assessment Hurdles (http://intranet.monash.edu.au/infotech/resources/staff/edgov/policies/assessment-examinations/assessment-hurdles.html)
Academic Integrity - Please see resources and tutorials at http://www.monash.edu/library/skills/resources/tutorials/academic-integrity/
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.
The submission will be assessed by examining if the required functionality has been implemented.
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.
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).
The unit content has been drawn in part from:
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
Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:
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.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html
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.
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.
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.
Kramer, J.. (2010). Joomla! Start to Finish: How to Plan, Execute, and Maintain Your Web Site. () Wrox.
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
Important student resources including Faculty policies are located at http://intranet.monash.edu.au/infotech/resources/students/
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 http://www.monash.edu.au/students. For Malaysia 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, resources and programs that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. At Malaysia, visit the Library and Learning Commons at http://www.lib.monash.edu.my/. At South Africa visit http://www.lib.monash.ac.za/.