FIT2001 Systems Analysis and Design , Unit Information Guide (Semester 1, 2006)

This unit will provide students with an introduction to systems analysis and design and give a broad overview of the main techniques commonly used for carrying out the analysis and specification of the design for an computer system. The unit will introduce students to the nature of systems analysis and design as a problem-solving activity, describe the key elements of analysis and design, and explain the place of the analysis and design phases within the system development life cycle. The unit will introduce students to the nature of modelling as an analytical and a communicative process. They will learn to create models that describe system specifications using the unified modelling language (UML). Further, students will learn to interpret and understand models created with traditional structured modelling techniques.

Major topics include:

Knowledge and Understanding

At the completion of this unit students will have knowledge and understanding of:

Attitudes, Values and Beliefs

At the completion of this unit students will have developed attitudes that enable them to:

Practical Skills

At the completion of this unit students will have the skills to:

Relationships, Communication and Team Work

At the completion of this unit students will be able to:

Required text(s)

Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Software requirements:

The CASE tool "PowerDesigner" from Sybase will be made available on the Monash network for use in FIT2001. You will also be able to borrow a CD with the software and documentation for installation on your personal machine. For information about how this will be made available consult your lecturer as different arrangement will be made on each campus.

Hardware requirements:

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 6 hours per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

Study resources for FIT2001 are:

• A Unit Book (printed or electronic) divided into Unit Information and 13 Study Guides (prepared in two parts, Part 1 contains Guides 1 to 8, Part 2 contains 9 to 13). This will be available fro download by on-campus students from the unit web site.
• A reader (printed or electronic) containing some relevant reference material
• A CD containing software and a user manual – for use in practical exercises.
• An online unit page for providing supplementary resources, assignment specifications and other general information. This page is accessed via the Monash Studies On-Line web site located at http://muso.monash.edu.au

It is important for all students to have the prescribed textbook.

The timetable for on-campus classes for this unit can be viewed in Allocate+

Assessment for the unit consists of 2 related assignments with a weighting of 40% and an examination with a weighting of 60%. Read this section VERY carefully.

The assignment problems will be published progressively in the online unit page well ahead of the deadlines.
It is emphasised that even if you obtain high grades for your assignments, you must still sit the examination and perform satisfactorily in order to pass the unit. See below for details.

To pass this unit you must:

A mark of 50 is required to pass the subject. However, since it is not possible to fully test your ability in a three-hour exam alone and since assignment work is not completed in a controlled environment, your final mark cannot be more than 10 marks higher than either of these two components expressed in percentage, i.e., expressed as a mark out of 100. This means that to gain a mark of 50 you must get at least a mark of 40% in both the assignment and exam components of the assessment.

Your score for the unit will be calculated by:

Final mark = min(A+10, E+10, A×(1-R) + E×R) where A = overall assignment percentage, E = exam percentage, and R = exam weighting (60% = 0.6).

A table showing how your final result might respond under the above formula is given in the unit study guide.

It is very important that you understand the following properties of using the above marking formula:

• Your final mark will never be zero unless you fail to successfully attempt both the components, i.e., the assignments and the final exam.
• You must achieve at least 40% in each of the components to get a “pass” final mark.
• No matter how high you achieve in one component, your final mark will never be 10% (overall) higher than the other component.

Therefore, you must work reasonably hard in attempting both the components.

Assessment Requirements

Assignment specifications will be made available on the FIT2001 unit web site assignment page. Information about assignments will be published on the Unit's Notices Newsgroup.

Assignments will be submitted by electronic submission to the subject web site hosted on the MUSO system. To make your submission you will be required to submit a single ".zip" archive containing all the relevant files. Further information submitting an assignment via MUSO can be found at on the unit web site.

Late submission of assignments

If you believe that your assignment will be delayed because of circumstances beyond your control such as illness you should apply for an extension before the due date. Medical certificates or certification supporting your application may be required. Assignments submitted after the due date may incur a penalty for lateness. An assignment submitted more than seven days after the due date may be given a score of zero. If you anticipate being late then discuss the situation with your unit lecturer as early as possible; your unit lecturer will decide how many marks you will be penalised for each day your assignment is late, and whether or not any extension is warranted.

This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment. 

Extensions

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. 

Requests for extensions must be made by email to the your lecturer 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.

Grading of assessment

Assignments, and the unit, will be marked and allocated a grade according to the following scale:

We will aim to have assignment results made available to you within two weeks after assignment receipt.

You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This feedback may be provided through your participation in tutorials and class discussions, as well as through your assignment submissions. It may come in the form of individual advice, marks and comments, or it may be provided as comment or reflection targeted at the group. It may be provided through personal interactions, such as interviews and on-line forums, or through other mechanisms such as on-line self-tests and publication of grade distributions.

You will be asked to provide feedback to the Faculty through a Unit Evaluation survey at the end of the semester. You may also be asked to complete surveys to help teaching staff improve the unit and unit delivery. Your input to such surveys is very important to the faculty and the teaching staff in maintaining relevant and high quality learning experiences for our students.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem with your study. The semester is 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.

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 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.

Notices related to the unit during the semester will be placed on the Notices Newsgroup in the Unit Website. Check this regularly. Failure to read the Notices newsgroup is not regarded as grounds for special consideration.

Consultation Times

Your lecturers and tutors will be available outside class hours for consulation at a regular time. Consult your lecturer for information about the times and places that they will be available for consultantion.

If direct communication with your unit adviser/lecturer or tutor outside of consultation periods is needed you may contact the lecturer and/or tutors at:

Ms Grace Rumantir
Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 47268
Fax +61 3 8622 8999

Dr Jana Polgar
Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 44135
Fax +61 3 990 44124

All email communication to you from your lecturer will occur through your Monash student email address. Please ensure that you read it regularly, or forward your email to your main address. Also check that your contact information registered with the University is up to date in My.Monash.