MMS3901 Commercial Experience in Multimedia Systems B , Unit Information Guide (Semester 1, 2006)

• managing pressures of commercial service delivery including managing client expectations and balancing workload
• the roles and responsibilities of clients, strategists, designers and developers in a commercial multimedia project
• applying commercially-accepted standard design, development, test and component re-use methodologies
• applying quality management, resource and business management practices in a professional environment
• the roles of commercially-standard methodologies, tools and techniques
• the roles of external service providers (e.g. ISPs, CD ROM duplication services, print services, image libraries)
• the processes and components of quality and business management systems

• adopting a professional service approach to the production of multimedia systems
• adopting a business-value oriented and customer-driven approach to creative design
• appreciation of social and ethical behaviour

• planning and managing the full range of activities in a multimedia systems project
• problem-solving and working to commercial standards
• managing sub-contracted services (e.g. CD ROM duplication services, printing services)
• developing and delivering to strict, client-driven timelines, a multimedia system that meets the specified requirements and quality standards

• Ability to work within a team and discuss issues objectively
• Development of leadership and management skills

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:

Sponsoring company may recommend relevant software, depending upon the project and client business domain.

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

Sponsoring company may recommend relevant articles and texts, depending upon the project and client business domain.

Study resources for MMS3901 are:

This Unit Information outlining the administrative information for the unit

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

Assessment for the unit is as follows:

• A midpoint assessment, in consultation with the employer (20%). The lecturer / chief examiner will consult with a student's employer to arrange a suitable time.
  
• An Industry Supervisor Report, which is completed by the employer at the end of the student's work placement period (50%)
• A work placement diary that is completed on a weekly basis (at least) (10%). Each diary entry should contain a detailed analysis of the activties performed during each week / visit, including:
• The tasks performed by a student
• The skills (business and practical) learnt during this week / visit
• A personal refelction of the experience this week / visit
• A work placement folio containing samples of the work produced (where permissible) throughout the work placement period (10%)
• An oral presentation to the lecturer and other BSIT staff describing the product(s) produced and the development of the student's technical, personal and professional skills (10%)
  

To pass this unit you must:

Achieve a score of at least 50% (based upon the formula used to calculate a student's overall score)

Your score for the unit will be calculated by:

Final Score = MPV + ISR + WPF + WPD + OP

Where:

• MPV = Mid-point visit (20%)
• ISR = Industry Supervisor report (50%)
• WPF = Work Placement Folio (10%)
• WPD = Work Placement Diary (10%)
• OP = Oral Presentation (10%)
  

Assessment Requirements

Assignment specifications will be made available . Information about assignments will be published on the Unit's Notices Newsgroup.

To submitted by electronic/paper submission to the lecturer / chief examiner at the end of the student's work placement period.

Late submission of assignments

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of a ten percent reduction in the awarded mark for each day a submission is late. For example, if an assignment is received three days late, the mark awarded to a student will be reduced by thirty percent.

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 via email or written form to the 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.

Preferred method of communication is via phone or email dwith the lecturer.

Notices will be emailed to students during the semester. These will be sent to your Monash student email address. If you do not wish to use the My.Monash system for email, ensure your e-mail is forwarded to another address that is read on a regular basis.

Failure to read the notices is not regarded as grounds for special consideration.

Consultation Times

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:

Mr Mark Szota
Assistant Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 47097
Fax +61 3 8622 8999

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.