SUBJECT OUTLINE

31266 Introduction to Information Systems

Course area Delivery Result type UTS: Engineering and Information Technology Spring 2011; City Grade and marks

Credit points 6cp

Subject coordinator
Bee Bee Chua Room CB10.4.342 (School of Systems, Management and Leadership) (left rear of building 10, level 4) Phone: 9514-4498 Email: bbchua@it.uts.edu.au Note: if attempting to contact staff, please state the UTS subject that your enquiry relates to, since most staff teach more than one subject. Also state your name, student number and contact phone number. Questions that may be of interest to the whole class should be placed on the UTSOnline discussion board.

Subject description
This subject introduces students to the type of information systems which form the foundation of conducting business in the 21st century. Key concepts include the nature of information systems, how information systems support an organisation's activities, the importance of stakeholders and users in information systems, systems development methodologies, collaborative work processes, teamwork, and usability evaluation. During the semester students undertake a detailed investigation of an information system and how it supports the people and tasks of an organisation, and design the user interface for a simple information system.

Subject objectives
On successful completion of this subject, students will: 1. be familiar with the basic concepts of information and systems 2. understand how information systems are used in organisations to support the work that people do 3. understand information systems as socio-technical systems 4. be able to analyze business processes and define information needs for simple activities 5. appreciate different systems development methodologies and the roles of various stakeholders in systems development 6. be able to create and explain high level designs for simple information systems 7. be able to work effectively in a team of peers 8. be willing to make decisions (both individually and as teams) under conditions of uncertainty

Contribution to course aims and graduate attributes

This is a subject which introduces students to information systems in the business context. The subject contributes to developing team skills and an understanding of how teams work. It introduces students to the software development life cycle and relates information systems concepts to the business environment. In addition, it provides students with an opportunity to develop analytical thinking and problem-solving, develop effective writing and presentation skills and demonstrate their capacity for continued learning.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject will be a combination of: Lectures: 1 1/2 hours per week Labs: 1 1/2 hours per week

Content
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Information and Systems Data, information and uncertainty Systems, human activity systems Socio-technical systems The Role of Information Systems in Organisations Operational information systems Management information systems Modelling business processes Systems to support collaboration and knowledge sharing Technologies used in information systems Social issues for information systems Systems Development Systems development life cycle, prototyping Stakeholders, users and their needs Analysing user needs and specifying requirements Introduction to systems design Designing user interfaces Working in a development team

Program
Week/Session 1 Dates 5 August Description Lecture: Information and Systems and Teamwork No labs

12 August

Lecture: Data, Information and Knowledge Management Commencing of tutorial labs this week: 1. Getting to know each other 2. Discussion of teams 3. Group formation for assignment 1

19 August

Lecture:Engagement and management, Prioritizing on stakeholder/user needs and interview techniques Labs:Interviewing techniques, Quick and dirty design

26 August

Lecture: : Interviews techniques and Design methodology Constructing a rich picture Labs: A rich picture and Presentation

2 September

Lecture: Information Needs of People in Business: Management Vs Operations, Labs: A swimlane diagram

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9 September

Lecture: Business Processes and Workflows Labs: : Swim Lane Diagram and assignment 1 review

16 September

Lecture: IS Development SDLC, Prototyping, Use Cases Labs: Use case diagram and Understanding rules apply on Use Cases Notes: Assignment 1 Due

23 September

Faculty non-teaching week Notes: no classes

-,-

30 September

Vice-Chancellor's week Notes: no classes

7 October

Lecture: Enterprise analysis, IS Business Strategies, Business value, socio-economic issues Labs: Review of Use Case diagrams

10

14 October

Lecture: Usability Part 1 Labs: Usability design Part 1 on industry web systems

11

21 October

Lecture: Usability Part 2 Labs: usability testing part 2 on industry web systems

12

28 October

Lecture: To be confirmed Labs: assignment 2 prototype demo to tutors

13

4 November

Lecture: To be confirmed Labs: Assignment 2 final demo to tutors Notes: Assignment 2 Due

14

11 November

Lecture: Emerging Systems Labs: Test

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Assessment
Assessment for this subject will be based on the following items. All assessment items should be attempted. To pass this subject, you must pass the test and obtain a mark of 50% or greater in the subject. Academic Integrity You are naturally expected to produce your own work, and the University takes submission of work that is not your own very seriously. For further details see http://wiki.it.uts.edu.au/start/Academic_Integrity and http://wiki.it.uts.edu.au/start/Student_Misconduct. Some extra information about group work is in the Minimum Requirements section of this document. The unacknowledged use of the words or ideas of others in your work is known as plagiarism and is totally unacceptable to the University. Rumours of the practice of plagiarism damage the reputation of your degree and cause resentment among students who see that some people are gaining marks unfairly. If you do not do your own work you will not learn what you need to know for your profession, and this will become apparent to your employers and damage your career. If you are detected practicing plagiarism you will be reported to the Dean and may be liable to sanctions such as failure in the subject (see above web site). The best way to avoid any temptation to plagiarise (and to do high standard work) is to develop a feeling of ownership for your work, to think "this is what I believe, and I will justify it". Illness or Other Problems If you miss any piece of assessment through documented sickness or misadventure, you should consult with the coordinating examiner. In the case of the final examination, your medical certificate and an application for an alternate examination must be submitted to the Student Centre within three days of the missed examination.

Assessment item 1: Information Systems in Business

Objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 Weighting: Due: 20% Assignment 1 due 16/9 A report submitted late will normally incur a penalty of 5% for each working day overdue. Task: Students will work in teams to investigate a business, including its information needs, its business processes, the roles of people in the organisation, and the information systems that they use. The findings will be submitted as a report to your tutor.

Assessment item 2: Designing the User Experience

Objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 Weighting: Due: 30% Final demonstration 28/10 and/ or 4/11 Report due 4/11 A report submitted late will normally incur a penalty of 5% for each working day overdue. Task: Students will work individually to design and prototype the user interaction for a simple information system. The prototype will be initially evaluated by fellow students and a final demonstration system will be evaluated by the tutor. A written report will also be required.

Assessment item 3: Test

Objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
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Objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Weighting: Due: Task: 40% week 14 (11/11) This test will require you to both show your understanding of topics discussed in lectures , reading notes and tutorials, and to reflect on your learning experiences, particularly during your participation working in teams.

Further Under the University's rules, no supplementary examination will be given in this subject, except in information: some circumstances for students in their final semester. For more details see http://www.gsu.uts.edu.au/rules/8-5.html

Assessment item 4: Class Participation

Objective(s): Weighting: Due: Task: 4, 6, 7 and 8 10% throughout semester Your tutor will allocate a mark based on your attendance and contribution to class activities.

Use of plagiarism detection software

You will be asked by subject coordinator to submit a soft copy of your assignment on Turniturn tool. It is your responsibility to keep all your soft copy of assignments.

Minimum requirements
Group Work Much of the assessment of this subject is based on team projects. Most of you will have had experiences (good and bad). In this subject your teams will be "self selected" but many of you are still likely to be working with strangers, so part of these assignments is learning to work together - you are responsible for contributing to the happiness of your group, as well as to the technical aspects of the group's product. To emphasise this responsibility, all students in a team will normally receive the same mark. If you have trouble with the operation of your team, ask your tutor for advice (preferably ask as a group as soon as problems arise) and a group meeting will be held to produce a solution. No complaints about team operation will be considered after the assignment has been submitted.

Indicative references
General references for the entire subject Satzinger, John W.; Jackson, Robert B.; Burd, Stephen D. (2009) Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World (5th edn) Course Technology (there are many similar references, although this one has a strong emphasis on analysis and design; we will use the diagramming conventions in this book) Kendall, Kenneth E. & Kendall, Julie E. (2005) Systems Analysis and Design (6th edn) Pearson / Prentice Hall Business Information Systems Jessup, Leonard & Valacich, Joseph (2006) Information Systems Today (2nd edn) Pearson / Prentice Hall (has good examples of business applications) Stair, Ralph & Reynolds, George W. (2006) Fundamentals of Information Systems (3rd edn) Thomson (particularly parts 3 and 4)

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Haag, Cummings, McCubbrey (2002), Mnaagement Information Systems for the Information Age Group Work Tyson, Trevor (1998) Working with Groups (2nd edn) Macmillan Systems Analysis and Design / Soft Systems Bell, Simon & Wood-Harper, Trevor (2003) How to Set Up Information Systems Earthscan Interaction Design Preece, Jenny, Rogers, Helen and Sharp, Yvonne (2002) What is Interaction Design? in Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction John Wiley http://useit.com - Jakob Nielsen's famous website on website design Garrett, Jesse James (2003) The Elements of User Experience American Institute of Graphic Arts / Pearson Process Modelling Sharp, Alec & McDermott, Patrick (2001) Workflow Modeling: Tools for Process Improvement and Application Development Artech, pp. 137-159. A more theoretical view if you are philosophically inclined, want to look at the subject in more depth or plan to be an IS academic, read this: Gammack, John; Hobbs, Valerie; Pigott, Diarmuid (2007) The Book of Informatics Thomson

Other resources
https://online.uts.edu.au Copies of study skills handouts, extra learning materials, assignments and announcements will be available on this website. You may also post questions about the subject and the assignments. To access materials, you must logon with your student ID and password (enquire at ITD support if you have problems). For further information regarding your candidature: my.feit.uts.edu.au/modules/myfeit/downloads/StudentGuide2010Spring_Online.pdf

Disclaimer
This outline serves as a supplement to the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Student Guide. On all matters not specifically covered in this outline, the requirements specified in the Student Guide apply.

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