FIT3015 Industrial experience project - Semester 1, 2010 (Information Technology)

Chief Examiner:

Ms Chris Gonsalvez
Associate Head of School
Phone: +61 3 990 32554
Fax: +61 3 990 31077

Contact hours: By appointment only - please email me with a brief description of your query and a contact phone no.

Lecturer(s) / Leader(s):

Caulfield

Ms Chris Gonsalvez
Associate Head of School
Phone: +61 3 990 32554
Fax: +61 3 990 31077

Contact hours: By appointment only - please email me with a brief description of your query and a contact phone no.

Mr David Grant
Sessional Academic Staff Member
Phone: +61 3 990 34326
Fax: +61 3 990 31077

Introduction

Welcome to FIT3015 Industrial experience project. This 12 point unit is designed to give students an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills that they have gained thus far to a real world project. Students are required to work in projects with a real client to analyse, design and develop a system for a client.

Unit synopsis

In their final year of study, students are given the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained, in the development of an information system for a real world client. Students work in groups and will: design, develop and deliver an information system for a client, manage the project through all its development stages, communicate effectively with all project stakeholders, primarily via studios and meetings, develop project documentation to a professional standard, present their project work to academics and other groups, attend unit seminars, contribute in a professional and committed manner to the work of the group

Learning outcomes

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

understand all stages of the process of developing an information system;
understand the roles and responsibilities of clients, system users and developers in a systems development project;
understand how information systems are developed;
apply, in a practical setting, the theoretical work covered in their course;
develop a significant computing application, from the analysis and design stages, through coding and implementation to evaluation;
work with clients and communicate effectively with them;
define a problem, and gather data, facts, opinions and information needed to analyse and solve it;
outline and evaluate alternative solutions to a system development problem;
perform a feasibility study that includes estimates of costs, time requirements, a schedule for the development, and the benefits expected from the system;
identify hardware and software requirements for a system;
document a system design using tools which include system flow charts and data flow diagrams;
implement a system, including testing and debugging;
evaluate a system, identifying any weakness or possible enhancements;
operate effectively as a member of a development team.

Contact hours

1 hr lecture/wk, 6 hrs laboratories/wk

Workload

Your workload commitment to this unit are:

1 hour meeting with your supervisor
At least 5 hours of meetings with your group
1 hour seminar
1 hour personal reflection which include: writing a blog about the weeks activities, keeping records of time spent on this unit and generally reflecting on what you have learned.
approximately 16 hours of additional work which may include the following: developing code, doing research about different aspects of systems development, development of documentation

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

FIT1001, FIT1002, FIT1003, FIT1004, FIT1005, FIT2001 and FIT2002 and any other three Faculty of Information Technology 2nd year units. This unit is only available for students in their final semester of study. The students should also have a credit average in the previous year of study and must have course director approval.

Prohibitions

CSE3301, GCO3819, GCO3700, GCO3800, GCO3900, GCO3800A, CPE3200, CPE3300, CSE3200, FIT3015, FIT3039, FIT3040, FIT3038, FIT3025, FIT3026, FIT3016, FIT3017, IMS3000, IMS3501, IMS3502, FIT3047, FIT3048

Teaching and learning method

Teaching approach

In this unit we try to simulate a real systems development experience. Groups of students work as a team with support from tutors and academic staff to develop a system for a real client. The seminars are developed to address specific issues during system development and we also include speakers from industry. The studio sessions are there for students to work on their project and to receive help from tutors and academic staff.

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.its.monash.edu.au/

Unit Schedule

Week	Date*	Topic	Key dates
1	01/03/10	Campus specific seminars will be held	Students will be advised of campus specific delivery dates and deliverables.
2	08/03/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
3	15/03/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
4	22/03/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
5	29/03/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
Mid semester break
6	12/04/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
7	19/04/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
8	26/04/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
9	03/05/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
10	10/05/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
11	17/05/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
12	24/05/10	Campus specific seminars will be held
13	31/05/10	Campus specific seminars will be held

*Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.

Improvements to this unit

Based on student and client feedback, various activities will be carried out early in the semester to ensure a better mix of skills in each group. Formal mechanisms have also been introduced to get regular client feedback.

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

There are no set texts, however students are expected to have developed their own collection of texts, urls and other reference materials during the course of their studies. Resources related to the seminar series will be distributed during the seminar or listed on the unit web site.

Recommended text(s) and readings

There are no recommended texts, however students are expected to have developed their own collection of texts, urls and other reference materials during the course of their studies, and will be required to carry out research related to their specific project.

Required software and/or hardware

The studio environment provides a large array of software and hardware for students to use within the studios, and some items are available for overnight loan. Please see the unit web site for up-to-date listing. Anything additional is to be negotiated between the student team and their clients. FIT will not normally provide additional hardware or software.

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook.

The Studio environment is well equipped with computers and peripherals. Studio computer peripherals (cameras, scanners, laptops, zip drives etc.) are available for student use. This equipment is accessible via the FIT loan system - ask the Caulfield FIT technical staff for more information, or log a request via their web site:

http://www1.infotech.monash.edu.au/webservices/servicedesk/requestform/index.cfm

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

This Unit Guide outlining the administrative information for the unit;
The Moodle unit web site on MUSO, where resources for the unit will be made available.

Assessment

Overview

Individual diaries/timesheets, project documents, group presentation/minutes, peer assessment, delivered product, examination

Faculty assessment policy

To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

40% or more in the unit's examination, and
40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.

As the unit does not have a formal examination component students must obtain:

at least 50% of the total marks for the unit AND
at least 40% of the marks available for each deliverable component

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in each of the unit deliverables, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.

The deliverables can vary depending on the specific requirement of the project but need to be negotiated and approved by the tutor and/or academic.

All the deliverables are produced as a result of the work conducted by the group. Individual marks can differ from the group mark based on peer assessment, weekly reflections and the performance review.

Assignment tasks

Assignment coversheets

Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.

Assignment task 1

Title:

Practical Assessment - Detailed information about assessment, deliverables and due dates will be provided at each campus.

Description:

A range of system development deliverables related to the project - details to be negotiated in the early stages of the development process.

Weighting:

100%

Due date:

Varied throughout the semester - dates to be negotiated with Project Director.

Due dates and extensions

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 not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 10% per day, 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.

Appendix

Please visit the following URL: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/appendix.html for further information about:

Continuous improvement
Unit evaluations
Communication, participation and feedback
Library access
Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)
Plagiarism, cheating and collusion
Register of counselling about plagiarism
Non-discriminatory language
Students with disability
End of semester special consideration / deferred exams

FIT3015 Industrial experience project - Semester 1, 2010