FIT3127 Industry-based learning - Semester 1, 2009

Unit leader

Lecturer(s) :

Teaching and learning will be via supervised placement at industry partner location.

This unit involves on the job learning, formal and informal training as determined in collaboration with industry partners.

The students develop goals for the placement prior to the start of the placement. After the mid-placement evaluation of performance, and as a result of the identification of areas for improvement by the industry supervisors, the students revise the goals for the balance of the placement.

Communication, participation and feedback

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.

The Monash academic coordinator will make 3 placement visits, which will provide an opportunity for feedback to the student.

 The industry supervisor does two evaluations, one mid-placement and one towards the end. This evaluation follows a student's self-evaluation.

Unit Schedule

Week	Topic	Key dates
Mid semester break

Prescribed text(s) and readings

Industry-based learning folder supplied by the Clayton School of Information 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 readings

Industry-based learning folder supplied by the Clayton School of Information Technology.

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students undertaking this unit are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the Faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. However the expectation is that the work for this unit will be done using the industry placement computing facilities. 

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

• Information about placements and how they are conducted.
• Specifications for the various assessment.
• This Unit Guide outlining the administrative information for the unit;
• The unit web site on MUSO, where resources outlined above will be made available.

Library access

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/

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. 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:

• Blackboard supported browser
• Supported Java runtime environment

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

Unit assessment policy

The unit is assessed by a combination of

•  evaluations by industry supervisors
• assessment of pieces of written work
• assessment of oral presentations.

To pass the unit you much achieve no less than 50% of possible marks.

Assignment tasks

• Assignment Task

  Title : Placement introduction

  Description :

  This preliminary report will describe: the organisation and where you fit in; the induction provided when you started your placement; the tasks or projects that you will work on during the placement; the technical knowledge that you are expected to have for the work allocated; new technical knowledge or skills that you will be expected to acquire, and how you will acquire them (“on-the-job”, training sessions, etc). A draft of this report will form the basis of the discussion at the initial placement visit.

  Weighting : 5

  Criteria for assessment :

  Due date : Approximately one week after the initial placement visit.

• Assignment Task

  Title : IBL Folder

  Description :

  This will assess the following elements of your IBL folder: Daily log, weekly reports, task list, goals, updated resume, evaluation of placement.

  Weighting : 10

  Criteria for assessment :

  Due date : End of placement (exact date TBA)

• Assignment Task

  Title : Technical Final Report

  Description :

  A final technical report on the work you have undertaken during the placement (20 plus pages). Written with industry supervisor as the intended audience.

  Weighting : 10

  Criteria for assessment :

  Due date : End of placement (exact date TBA)

• Assignment Task

  Title : "Handover" Report

  Description :

  A final "handover" report on the work you have undertaken during the placement (20 plus pages). Written with industry supervisor as the intended audience.

  Weighting : 10

  Criteria for assessment :

  Due date : End of placement (exact date TBA)

• Assignment Task

  Title : Technical presentation

  Description :

  To take place at placement site. 20 minutes plus questions.

  Weighting : 15

  Criteria for assessment :

  Due date : TBA

• Assignment Task

  Title : "Handover" presentation

  Description :

  To take place at placement site. 15-30 minutes plus questions. (Exact length to be agreed with industry supervisor  prior to presentation).

  Weighting : 10

  Criteria for assessment :

  Due date :

• Assignment Task

  Title : Mid-placement evaluation

  Description :

  Evaluation by supervisor across a range of criteria.

  Weighting : 15

  Criteria for assessment :

  Criteria for assessment of IBL students:

  1. Interest & Energy
  2. Dependability & Work Output
  3. Organisation & Planning
  4. Communication skills
  5. Initiative
  6. Teamwork
  7. Problem Solving
  8. Technical Skills
  9. Additional - stipulated by the supervisor.

  Due date : TBA (approx week 11)

• Assignment Task

  Title : Final placement evaluation

  Description :

  Evaluation by supervisor across a range of criteria.

  Weighting : 25

  Criteria for assessment :

  Criteria for assessment of IBL students:

  1. Interest & Energy
  2. Dependability & Work Output
  3. Organisation & Planning
  4. Communication skills
  5. Initiative
  6. Teamwork
  7. Problem Solving
  8. Technical Skills
  9. Additional - stipulated by the supervisor.

  Due date : TBA (Approx week 21)

Assignment submission

Some assignments will be submitted by paper submission to the Monash staff member undertaking the placement visits:

• Mid-placement evaluation
• Final placement evaluation 

Other assignments will be submitted by paper submission to the Clayton School of IT Enquiries Office:

• IBL Folder
• Placement overview final report
• "Handover"report

Other assignments may be submitted electronically via Blackboard (assignment):

• Placement introduction 

Do not email submissions. The due date is the date by which the submission must be received. Late submissions may be allowed electronically in special circumstances.

Due dates and extensions

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.

Requests for extensions must be made to the IBL academic coordinator.

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.

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty Assignments received later than one week after the due date will not normally be accepted.

Return dates

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/

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

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

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.

Register of counselling about plagiarism

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.

Non-discriminatory language

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

Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

• Faculty of Information Technology Student Service staff, and / or
• your Unit Coordinator, or
• Disabilities Liaison Unit

Deferred assessment and special consideration

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.