FIT2003 IT professional practice - Semester 1, 2011

This unit provides a practical and theoretical introduction to what it means to be an IT professional today. Students will encounter a range of issues relevant to professional practice in the workplace, as well as an understanding of the wider responsibilities that professionals are called upon to uphold in society. Topics addressed include: organisational and professional communication; teamwork; the nature of the IT professions; the role of professional associations; problem solving and information use; cross-cultural awareness; personal and professional ethics and codes of practice.

Mode of Delivery

• Clayton (Day)
• Gippsland (Day)
• Gippsland (Off-campus)
• Sunway (Day)
• South Africa (Day)

Contact Hours

2hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs tutorials/wk, 1 hr meeting/wk

Workload

For on campus students, workload commitments are:

• two hrs of lectures
• one two-hour tutorial  (requiring advance preparation)
• one hour meeting (when working on group projects)
• approximately 7-8 hours of personal study in order to satisfy the reading and assignment expectations.

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.

Unit Relationships

Prohibitions

FIT2035

Prerequisites

Completion of 24 points of Information Technology units

Chief Examiner

Campus Lecturer

Tutors

Learning Objectives

On completion of this unit, students will understand and demonstrate what it means to be an IT professional. They will:

• be familiar with the variety of roles available to IT professionals;
• understand the role and function of professional associations;
• demonstrate an understanding of the ACS code of ethics and the rights and responsibilities of IT professionals;
• identify and discuss the organisational and social impacts arising from the use of IT, and the ethical dimensions associated with IT-related decisions;
• be able to explain and demonstrate the elements of effective communication and interpersonal communication skills;
• be sensitive to and demonstrate understanding of cultural differences to improve intercultural communication;
• be able to select and use strategies for effective and efficient productive (speaking and writing) and receptive (reading and listening) communications;
• describe the purpose, protocols, roles and procedures for meetings and interviews;

• demonstrate the ability to make effective use of technology in oral and written communication; and
• develop information gathering, critical evaluation (information and sources) and problem solving skills.

Graduate Attributes

Assessment Summary

Examination (2 hours): 25%; In-semester assessment: 75%

Teaching Approach

Feedback

Our feedback to You

• Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
• Graded assignments with comments
• Quiz results
• Other: Feedback during tutor HELP and lecturer consultation sessions

Your feedback to Us

Previous Student Evaluations of this unit

Recommended Resources

All teaching material will be provided on the unit Moodle site. Students will be expected to make their assignment work available online (via Google Documents, or other such sites). They will also use the PeerWise assessment tool.

Examination material or equipment

No materials or equipment will be permitted in an examination room other than standard writing implements.

Unit Schedule

*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.

Assessment Policy

Assessment Tasks

Participation

Students will be assessed on preparation and participation in tutorial activities (5%).

Preparation will be assessed in terms of thoroughness. Participation will be assessed in terms of contributions to group discussions and level of engagement in tutorial activities.

• Assessment task 1

  Title:

  Peerwise Assessment Tool

  Description:

  Students will use the Peerwise Assessment tool throughout semester. They will be required to contribute 2 questions on designated topics at specified times throughout the semester, which must also be submitted as Moodle Assignments for marking and feedback. Students must also answer questions contributed by other students and provide feedback on those questions.

  Weighting:

  10%

  Criteria for assessment:

  Criteria for assessing this assignment are:

  1. Relevance of submitted questions
  2. Quality of writing in submitted questions
  3. Correctness of answers given
  4. Amount and quality of feedback provided

  Due date:

  Throughout semester

• Assessment task 2

  Title:

  eFolio

  Description:

  Students must produce a range of written documents from tutorial activities. These will be collected in a Google Documents folder that will form an "eFolio".

  Weighting:

  10%

  Criteria for assessment:

  Criteria for assessing the folio are:

  1. Inclusion of all specified documents
  2. Appropriateness of contents
  3. Quality of writing
  4. Quality of presentation

  Due date:

  Friday 27 May 2011 (end of Week 12)

  Remarks:

  Students should complete this throughout the semester after the relevant tutorial activities. They may also seek feedback during the semester on drafts at the scheduled tutor HELP sessions.

• Assessment task 3

  Title:

  Assignment 1 - Individual Presentation

  Description:

  Students must analyse and verify an article in the media on an IT related topic, then give a 5 minute oral presentation to their tutorial class, supported by a visual presentation.

  Weighting:

  10%

  Criteria for assessment:

  Criteria for assessment are:

  1. Selection and organisation of content
  2. Voice (e.g., audibility, intonation, variation)
  3. Use of language (e.g., vocabulary, appropriate level, use of jargon)
  4. Timing
  5. Non-verbal communication (e.g., body language, eye contact)
  6. Quality of visual aids

  Due date:

  Week 8 (during tutorial class)

  Remarks:

  Students will also be expected to fill in feedback forms on other students' presentations.

• Assessment task 4

  Title:

  Assignment 1 - Individual Report

  Description:

  The students must produce a written report (500 words) on the IT article they have researched and presented for the first part of this assignment.

  Weighting:

  10%

  Criteria for assessment:

  Criteria for assessment are:

  1. Depth of analysis of the chosen article and its sources
  2. Extent of research done to verify articles content (i.e. own sources)
  3. Organisation of report
  4. Quality of writing (including spelling and grammar)
  5. Quality of presentation
  6. Appropriate citation of sources

  Due date:

  Thursday 21 April 2011 (Week 8)

  Remarks:

  Students must also submit to Damocles, the plagiarism detection software.

• Assessment task 5

  Title:

  Assignment 2 - Team presentation

  Description:

  Students will do a 15 minute team research project on a topic related to the Professional Issues aspects of this unit and then give a group presentation on that topic.

  Weighting:

  10%

  Criteria for assessment:

  All students in a team will get the same mark for the following assessment criteria:

  1. Selection and organisation of content 
  2. Co-ordination of multiple speakers

  Each student will receive an individual mark for the following assessment criteria:

  1. Voice (audibility, intonation, variation)
  2. Use of language (e.g., vocabulary, appropriate level, use of jargon)
  3. Timing
  4. Non-verbal communication (e.g., body language, eye contact)
  5. Quality of visual aids

  Due date:

  Week 12 (during tutorial class)

• Assessment task 6

  Title:

  Assignment 2 - Written Report

  Description:

  Students must produce a 2000 word written report on the resources they have contributed to the Resource kit team project.

  Weighting:

  15%

  Criteria for assessment:

  Each student in a team will write an individual report, so this component of the project does not involve any assessment of the team project as a whole.

  Criteria for assessment are:

  1. Appropriateness of resources selected
  2. Content of report (e.g. analysis of resources, reflections on team dynamics)
  3. Organisation of report
  4. Quality of writing
  5. Quality of presentation
  6. Accuracy of the bibliographical details

  Due date:

  Friday 27 May 2011 (end of Week 12)

  Remarks:

  Students must also submit to Damocles, the plagiarism detection software.

• Assessment task 7

  Title:

  Assignment 2 - Resource Kit Summary

  Description:

  Each team should produce an online summary (on the Moodle Wiki) of the resource kit they have compiled on the nominated topic related IT Profession practice, as well as an email  announcement. There is no specific word requirement for this assessment.

  Weighting:

  5%

  Criteria for assessment:

  Criteria for assessment are:

  1. Selection of resources (e.g. complementary, no duplication)
  2. Organisation and presentation of summary

  All team members will receive the same group mark for this component.

  Due date:

  Friday 27 May 2011 (end of Week 12)

• Assessment task 8

  Title:

  Tutorial preparation and participation

  Description:

  Students will be assessed on preparation and participation in tutorial activities (5%).

  Weighting:

  5%

  Criteria for assessment:

  Preparation will be assessed in terms of thoroughness. Participation will be assessed in terms of contributions to group discussions and level of engagement in tutorial activities.

  Due date:

  Throughout semester

Examinations

• Examination 1

  Weighting:

  25%

  Length:

  2 hours

  Type (open/closed book):

  Closed book

  Electronic devices allowed in the exam:

  None

Assignment submission

Extensions and penalties

Returning assignments

Resubmission of assignments

No resubmissions allowed.

Referencing requirements

In line with Faculty policy, students must followAmerican Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide: http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing/apa.html

Policies

Student services

READING LIST

Recommended texts:

• Eunson, B., C21 Communicating in the 21st Century (2nd Edition), Wiley, 2008
• Michael J. Quinn. Ethics for the Information Age, 4th ed. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2011

Other readings may also be set for weekly topics.