CaulfieldSchool of IT

IMS1805 Systems Analysis

Tute 8: Analysing a System (“soft” systems perspective)

Use the description of the system for finalizing results used for the last two weeks (copy attached at back of this sheet) as the basis for the following tasks.

1. A stakeholder is someone who is involved in something or is affected by its operations or outcome.

(a) List the stakeholders in the information processing carried out in this system.

(b) For each stakeholder, identify the processes in which they have an interest, and briefly describe what that interest is.

(c) Prepare a diagram showing the involvement of stakeholders in the system.

2. You have been employed by the university to develop an integrated computerized system for carrying out these functions. You have developed process models and data models over the last two weeks to identify the information aspects of the system. During the process of gathering data about the system, you have found out the following things about the attitudes of some of the people who are involved in the system. For each of these attitudes/opinions, consider the following:

(a)How relevant do you think the following things are to your understanding of the system; should you take them into account in your analysis of the system?

(b)How might they affect the design decisions you make? Which parts of the system’s data or processing needs would be affected?

  1. Students applying for special consideration may be going through personal situations which they find embarrassing and humiliating to have to describe (for example, the breakdown of relationships, medical conditions, emotional/psychological problems, family problems, financial difficulties). This means that students who are entitle to special consideration may be reluctant to apply, or to provide all the details needed to support their application.
  1. Many students fear that lecturers who make decisions about final results and special consideration will be affected (either favourably or unfavourably) by their personal likes or dislikes of individual students.
  1. Most tutors are employed on casual sessional contracts which end at the end of the semester. Therefore they often leave Monash as soon as they have submitted their assignment results, and are either unable or unwilling to give further (unpaid) time to helping with results. This makes it difficult for lecturers to get input from tutors on special consideration applications and borderline cases.
  1. Lecturers may have only a short period of time in which to complete the marking and submit their results for up-loading into the Student Records system in time to meet the date for results publication. Some lecturers who are unwilling or unable to meet the deadline, enter all their results as Withheld.
  1. Administrative staff responsible for up-loading results into the Student records system like all results to be finalized. If results are withheld then the admin officers have to follow-up every WH result individually with the lecturer.
  1. The faculty’s approach to distributing results is under review. For faculty administrative staff, the easiest method for issuing results is to put them on the web. For some students who are traveling or are from remote areas where web access is difficult, SMS messaging is a better option, but this will take more administrative staff resources. The web enables access to results from anywhere, but some students who are applying for jobs need the official printed academic record which is mailed out.

System description

The unit leader for each unit must decide the final mark and grade for each student enrolled in the unit and submit it to the Student Records system. The final result is calculated from three assessable components – two assignments, worth 25% of the final mark, and an exam worth 50% of the final mark. The assignments are marked by the tutors, who send the results for each student in their tutorial to the unit leader. The unit leader marks the exam papers.

At exam time the unit leader is sent a class list from the Student Records System showing all enrolled students. Tutors send the unit leader the assignment results for each student in their tutorial, with each assignment mark recorded as a mark out of 100. The faculty office sends the unit leader copies of any applications for special consideration made by students in the unit. The unit leader must use their judgement to decide what adjustment (if any) should be made on account of these applications – they can disallow the application, adjust the student’s mark or give the student extra assessment (for example, a supplementary exam). The unit leader must record their decision on the special consideration application and return it to the Faculty office.

If a student gets less than 40% for the exam or less than 40% for their combined assignment marks, they must be given a fail for the unit, even if their overall mark is a pass. If a student’s overall mark is more than 44%, but they have failed to get the 40% needed for exam or assignment work, then their final mark is given as 44%. If a student gets from 45-49% and the unit is not a core unit in their course they may be given a mark of NP, meaning Near Pass. If a student is given extra assessment their result is recorded as WH (Withheld). When the unit leader has completed their assessments, they return the class list with each student’s mark and grade to the Student Records Section for up-loading into the Student Records database. On a given date, the Student Records section publishes these results via the web and by letter to the students.

The Faculty office monitors all WH results recorded in the Student Records database. It is the responsibility of the unit leader to ensure any extra assessment is done, and a result finalized, but the Faculty office has to make sure they do this task. At set time intervals after the initial publication of results, the Faculty office check the Student Records database for students who still have WH results, and notify the unit leaders of any WH marks still outstanding in their unit. When a result is finalized the unit leader completes a Change of Result form and sends it to Student Records section.