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FIT2001 Systems analysis and design - Semester 1 , 2008Unit leader :Peter O'DonnellLecturer(s) :Berwick
Caulfield
Clayton
Gippsland
South Africa
Malaysia
IntroductionWelcome to FIT2001 Systems Analysis and Design. It is a fun unit to study but it is also very important to your development as a professional in the field of Information Technology. Every graduate of our Faculty need to understand the basics of systems analysis and systems design, it is a very important aspect of the work of an information technology professional. As a result this introductory unit on analysis and design is part of the common core that is studied by all undergraduates of the Faculty. The teaching staff of FIT2001 think it is the most important undergraduate unit offered by the Faculty. Many students will go on to have careers as systems analysts and systems designers. Even those who don't will work with and for analysts and designers and will need to know what and how they do what they do. One good analogy that is can be used to explain the difference between the work of a programmer from an analyst, is to compare the roles to that of a builder and architect. A builder - like a programmer - does the actual construction work. The architect does the design work - in consulation with a client - and develops a plan that will be implemented by the builder. The architect's need to know what builders can and can't do, as well as the various properties and uses of different building materials and techniques. An analyst needs to know what a programmer can and can't do and what the available technology is capable of. The builder needs to be able to read and understand the plans that they are provided with so they can create the structure the client wanted. Similiarly, a programmer needs to be able to understand the "plans" called requirements specifications and design specifications that the analysts and designers create. Often, especially earlier in your career you are very likely to find your self performing both roles as junior analyst/programmer (a very common graduate job title). Students who hope to work in more specialised areas like networking, multimedia and games development still need to master the basics of analysis and design. The core of analysis and design is to understand some information problem in some "real" world domain and create a model of that. The model is created in tools that are formal enough to become the basis of the design of some information technology system. However, at the same time they are often graphical so they can be developed with and shared with end-users, who may not be IT-design literate, to ensure that the system developed will meet their needs and provide the intended benefits. This semester the unit will run on all the campuses that the IT Faculty has a presence and off-campus students from all over the world are also enrolled. All students will find that the unit has experienced, talented and dedicated staff who will do all they can to make sure that the unit runs smoothly, is fun to study and achieves its educational objectives. Unit synopsisThis 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 a 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:
Learning outcomesAt the completion of this unit students will have knowledge and understanding of:
and students will have developed attitudes that enable them to:
as well as the skills to:
and to:
WorkloadFor on campus students, workload commitments are:
Off-campus students generally do not attend lecture and tutorial sessions, however, you should plan to spend equivalent time working through the relevant resources and participating in discussion groups each week. You will need to allocate around 12 hours per week during the semester for this unit.Unit relationshipsPrerequisitesIt is assumed that students taking this unit are in the second year of an undergraduate course on information technology. The common core unit FIT1004 Database is a required corequisite unit. It is expected that all students studying FIT2001 will have at least obtained a passing grade in FIT1004 or be studying it at the same time. In FIT1004 students will have gained and understanding of and an ability to perform logical database design. FIT2001 will further develop these areas.RelationshipsFIT2001 is a common core unit for all Faculty of IT undergraduate degrees. It is a prerequisite for many units in the second and third years of these degrees. You may not study this unit and BUS2021, BUS2071, CSE1204, CSE1205, GCO1813, GCO2601, GCO2852, GCO2826, IMS1001, IMS1002, IMS1805, or IMS2701 in your degree. Continuous improvementMonash 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 EvaluationsThe 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 unitThis unit has been offered 7 times in its current form so students should be confident that they are being taught a unit that is in very good shape. All lecturers on all the campuses have taught the unit at least once before (and similar units many times). The content of the unit is stable and has not needed much change from previous offerings. Naturally, each lecturer's delivery of the material improves each time the unit is offered (maybe even their jokes will improve). Based on student feedback some minor changes have been implemented. For example there have been some changes to several of the workshop exercises. There have also been some changes to the assignment work in the unit. The general "shape" of the assignments remains the same as in the past - with two major tasks, a requirements specification and a design specification, based on a single case study. However, to provide feedback earlier in the unit the requirements specification has been divided into 2 parts. Also, to avoid a heavy workload at the end of the semester the wording of the design specification assignment has been "tightened" to help students avoid scope creep. An important teaching and learning method used in this unit in the past has been the use of reflective blogs. These have been a hurdle requirement in the past. Student feedback on this has been interesting to say the least! In surveys on the unit, the most frequently mentioned "best" aspect of the unit has been the use of reflective blogs. However, at the same time it has also been the item most commonly mentioned item in the section on what in the unit is most in need of improvement. In order to encourage and reward the students who engage fully with this task it has been made an assessable task - with bonus marks applying. However, for students who don't want to engage with the task (usually students who don't like to write), as the item is optional there is no penalty. The unit podcast will continue to improve with more interviews planned on a wider variety of topics this semester. The interviews will include discussions with game and multimedia developers. A new feature of the unit this year will be the use of a Facebook-based discussion forum as a supplement to the forum available on the Moodle-based unit web site. Lecture slides will also be available for download via the Facebook application Slideshare. Unit staff - contact detailsUnit leaderLecturer(s) :Teaching and learning methodThe teaching and learning in the unit is structured in the traditional manner around lectures and laboratory-based workshops. Most of the lecture and tutorial material is strongly supported by the prescribed text for the unit, it is very important that you get a copy of the text. Each week there is reading set from the text, you will find the unit isn't too difficult if you study consistently through the semester, and keep up with the reading and exercises. Your learning is also supported by some additional resources on the Moodle-based web site. You will find a forum - which will be actively monitored by staff - that you can used to ask questions or follow up on any issues you have. You will also find a set of lecture recordings (synchronised with the lecture slides) and some interviews with practising systems analysts in a podcast stream along with resources to make it easy for you to download and listen in. Tutorial allocationOn-campus students should register for workshops/studios using Allocate+. Please note that workshops/studios being in week 1. Communication, participation and feedbackMonash 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
Unit ResourcesPrescribed text(s) and readingsThere is one prescribed text. Note that students are expected to purchase this text. Satzinger, J. W., Jackson, R.B., Burd, S.D. and R. Johnson (2006) Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 4th Edition, Thomson Course Technology. 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. Recommended text(s) and readingsBooch, G., Rumbaugh, J. and I. Jacobson (1999) The Unified Modeling Language User Guide Addison Wesley Professional. (New edition planned for 2006). Dennis, A., Wixom, B.H. and D. Tegarden (2005) Systems Analysis and Design with UML Version 2.0: An Object-Oriented Approach, 2nd Edition, Wiley. Hoffer, J.A., George, J.F. and J.S. Valacich (2001) Modern Systems Analysis and Design 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall. George, J.F., Batra, D., Valacich J.S. and J.A. Hoffer, (2004) Object-Oriented System Analysis and Design Prentice-Hall. Lee, R. and W. Tepfenhart (2002) Practical Object-Oriented Development with UML and Java, Prentice Hall. Maciaszek, L. (2004) Requirements Analysis and System Design, 2nd Edition, Addison-Wesley. Page-Jones, M. (1988) The Practical Guide to Structured Systems Design 2nd Edition, Prentice-Hall. Page-Jones, M. (2000) Fundamentals of Object-Oriented Design in UML Addison-Wesley. Reed, P.R. (2002) Developing Applications with Java and UML, Addison Wesley. Quatrani, T. (2002) Visual Modeling with Rational Rose 2002 and UML, 3rd Edition, Addison Wesley Professional. Required software and/or hardwareStudents will require access to an "industrial strength" CASE (computer aided software engineering) tool. In 2008, the tool choosen is Visual Paradigm for UML. This product can be downloaded from the Visual Paradigm web site but to run requires a license key. This is available for download from the FIT2001 Moodle-based unit web site or from your tutor. Students will also require access to traditional personal productivity tools (word processing , graphics and presentation). Software may be:
Equipment and consumables required or providedStudents 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 resourcesStudy resources we will provide for your study are: The major study resources for FIT2001 are:
 Unit website. An online unit website providing supplementary resources, assignment specifications and other general information. This page is accessed via the Moodle website located at http://moodle.med.monash.edu.au.Library accessThe 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 MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources. Some units will be piloted in Moodle. Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.
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 If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle at http://moodle.med.monash.edu.au. AssessmentUnit assessment policyThe unit is assessed with two assignments (the first one is in two parts) and a three hour closed book examination. If you maintain a reflective blog a further bonus mark can be added to your assignment mark. To pass the unit you must:
Assignment tasks
Examinations
Assignment submissionAll assignments will be submitted electronically via the Moodle-based unit web site. Assignment coversheetsElectronic coversheets are to be submitted with your assignment. These can be obtained from the Assignments page of the unit web site (on Moodle).University and Faculty policy on assessmentDue dates and extensionsThe 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. 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 the unit lecturer 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 assignmentIf 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. Assignments received after the due date will normally be subject to a penalty of 5% per day, including weekends. Assignments received later than one week (seven days) after the due date will not normally be accepted. In some cases, this period may be shorter if there is a need to release sample solutions. 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. Return datesStudents 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. All assignment feedback will be provided on-line using the Moodle-based unit web site. Plagiarism, cheating and collusionPlagiarism 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 plagiarismThe 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 languageThe 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 disabilitiesStudents 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 considerationDeferred 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. |
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