COIT20249 Assessment Details
Assessment item 4—Portfolio
Due date: / 11:55pm AEST, Friday, Week 12 / ASSESSMENTWeighting: / 30% / 4
Length: / Not applicable
Objectives
This assignment is designed to develop a portfolio of resources that you can use during your degree. The compilation of your Portfolio is progressive throughout the term. Please refer to the Unit Profile to see how this assessment item relates to the Unit Learning Outcomes.
These objectives will be measured by the ‘closeness of fit’ to meeting the assessment requirements and the marking criteria.
General Assessment Criteria
Assessments provide the opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to achieve the required standard. To do this, assessment responses need to be both clear and easy to understand. If not, the University cannot determine that students have demonstrated their knowledge and skills. Assessments will, therefore, be marked accordingly including the potential for 0 (zero) marks where relevant.
All assessment items must focus on the topics given in the specifications for each item. Any assessment items outside the required topic may be awarded 0 (zero) marks.
All portfolio items require students to write about your views, reflections and/or experiences from a personal viewpoint. Therefore, all items should be written in first person unless other requirements are stated in a portfolio item. However, various written communication conventions have been discussed in the Unit content and you should follow the writing styles appropriate for each assessment item. Do NOT simply write in ‘conversational’ style.
The length of each submission must be within the recommended range. If the submission exceeds the maximum word count or the page length the marker will stop marking.
If you use Track Changes when writing your submissions you must ensure that the submitted document is the final and correct version of the document. That is, if your submitted document contains Track Changes or Comments or any other editing marks it may be awarded 0 (zero) marks. It is your responsibility to submit the final and correct version of your Portfolio items.
Files that are auto-submitted will not be reverted to draft status except in extenuating circumstances. It is your responsibility not to leave draft assessments in Moodle at the due date and time if the files are not ready to be submitted for marking.
Academic Integrity
ALL assignments will be checked for plagiarism (material copied from other students and/or material copied from other sources) using TurnItIn. If you are found to have plagiarised material or if you have used someone else’s words without appropriate referencing, you will be penalised for plagiarism which could result in zero (0) marks for the whole assessment item NOT just the individual submission. In some circumstances a more severe penalty may be imposed.
The University’s Academic Misconduct Procedure is available in the policy portal https://www.cqu.edu.au/policy.
Useful information about academic integrity (avoiding plagiarism) can be found at:
CQUniversity referencing guides
https://www.cqu.edu.au/student-life/services-and-facilities/referencing/cquniversity-referencing-guides
Note: You need to ensure that your portfolio submissions are free of any spelling, grammatical and typographical errors before submission.
Formatting and Structure:
Each portfolio item should demonstrate a logical flow of discussion, and be free from typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. They should be prepared in MS-Word (or equivalent) using 12 point font, 1.5 line spacing and margins of 2.54 cm. Check each assessment page for any other specific requirements.
Submission
Submit each file individually into Moodle using the appropriate Portfolio links in the Assessment block for Assessment item 4 on the Moodle Unit website. Please note there should be five (5) files submitted; one file for each portfolio item. Be sure to check that the correct file is submitted for each portfolio item.
The due date for this assignment is the Friday of Week 12. It is STRONGLY recommended that students complete the work during the term using the timeframe suggested in the Requirements section below.
All uploaded documents must be fully submitted for marking. At the due date of the assessment Moodle will auto-submit files that have been uploaded and left as a draft. However, any files uploaded after the due date must be manually submitted. This means that if you have been granted an extension or are uploading a late assessment (after the due date) you must complete the Moodle submission process. Further details on completing the submission process are available via the ‘Moodle Help for Students’ link in the Support block of your Moodle website.
If your report is left as a draft in Moodle after the due date it will accrue a late penalty. Late submissions will attract penalties at 5% per day of the total available mark for the individual assessment item. See details in the Assessment of Coursework procedure at http://policy.cqu.edu.au/Policy/policy_file.do?policyid=1242
Requirements
Week 3 – Portfolio: Critical Thinking (5 marks)
Task
This portfolio item requires you to write two paragraphs about Critical Thinking.
Your entire submission should be approximately 350 words in length. It should be written objectively in third person.
Your first paragraph should include a paraphrased definition of critical thinking supported by evidence. The reference must be a peer-reviewed, academic source from the last 5 years. It must be selected using the Triple R framework (see textbook). The structure of the paragraph should include a topic sentence, evidence and a concluding sentence summarising your definition.
Write the second paragraph to highlight the need for ICT professionals to be good critical thinkers. This paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. You should then provide two unique examples to explain how ICT professionals would need apply their critical thinking skills. Conclude your paragraph with a sentence that summarises the importance of critical thinking for ICT professionals.
Marking Criteria
· Definition of critical thinking, paraphrasing a peer-reviewed, academic source. You must acknowledge the reference using APA referencing style (2 marks).
· Two (2) unique examples about the importance of ICT professionals being critical thinkers (2 marks).
· The paragraphs are structured as required – with a topic sentence, evidence/examples and a concluding sentence (1 mark).
Notes:
· If you have current or previous ICT work experience, you may use examples from that. Otherwise, research the duties of various ICT jobs to find relevant examples. If you use other sources, you must to correctly acknowledge them using the APA referencing style.
· APA referencing style is discussed in week 5 of the Term.
Note:
There will be a penalty of -1 mark if the submission contains grammatical and/or typographical errors or is NOT well structured and easy to understand or it is too long or too short (less than 300 or greater than 400 words).
Week 5 – Portfolio: SWOT Analysis (5 marks)
Task
Conduct a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis of your academic writing skills. An example can be found on page 16 of the prescribed textbook. The SWOT analysis should be presented in a square with four (4) quadrants or in a list as it is presented in the textbook. Each quadrant/section should have at least two (2) unique points. In addition to the SWOT analysis, you should outline some strategies to address one of the weaknesses that you identified in your academic writing skills. That is, if you identified ‘lack of good grammar skills’ as a weakness then describe at least two strategies that you could use to overcome that weakness.
Marking Criteria
SWOT analysis:
Each section/quadrant of the SWOT analysis must have at least two (2) unique points that are an accurate appraisal of your academic writing skills. You need to provide enough detail so that the marker can understand your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities or Threats (4 marks).
Strategies:
Identify a weakness that is listed in the SWOT analysis section. Must describe at least two strategies that are reasonable ways to overcome the weakness you identified (1 mark).
It is difficult to prescribe a recommended word count for this portfolio item as it will vary depending on how it is presented. It is expected that the length of the submission would be about one (1) A4 page.
Please note that if you have a Title page for your assessment submission, it is NOT counted as a part of the length.
Note:
1. If the submission contains grammatical and/or typographical errors or is NOT well structured and easy to understand there will be a penalty of –1 mark.
2. If you present the SWOT analysis as a quadrant it MUST NOT be an image. The marker has to be able to add comments or edit your submission to provide feedback - penalty of -1 mark.
3. If you use bullet points then make sure the intent is clear, e.g. if grammar is a weakness write about ‘Lack of grammar skills’ if it is a strength write about ‘Possess good grammar skills’.
Week 7 – Portfolio: Reflective Writing (5 marks)
Task
By now you should have received feedback and marks for your Participation Activity 1 (email to the lecturer). Discuss that experience in two paragraphs of reflective writing. Describe the experience including your contribution for the outcome in one paragraph. In the second paragraph, demonstrate what you have learnt from the experience, describe how you would handle it or another assignment differently in the future, and evaluate the positives and negatives of the experience (e.g. reading and reflecting on assessment feedback).
If you received full marks for your PA1 and the feedback indicates that you do not require further improvement, then select another assessment from this Unit or another Unit you studied at CQU or at another university where you received feedback on improvement. In this case, you should clearly identify the alternative assessment item when describing your experience. Discuss with your local lecturer if necessary.
Your submission should cover the three key points on reflective writing (see below). This should be approximately 450 words.
The key points to consider when writing reflectively are:
1. You need to demonstrate what you have learned from a particular experience not just describe what happened.
2. There is no right or wrong answer—reflective writing is about what you learned from the experience.
3. Ask yourself the following questions and give your responses in your writing: Why did X happen? What did I do in X situation? What were the positive and negative outcomes in the situation? How might I do things differently next time? What have I learnt and how does this knowledge contribute to my development?
(McCulloch & Reid, 2015, p. 131)
Note 1: You should re-read pages 130-132 of the textbook to ensure you know what is meant by reflective writing.
Note 2: This reflective writing is about evaluating yourself; it is NOT about evaluating the marker of your assessment.
Marking Criteria
Your submission will be marked as follows. Write points 1 and 2 in your first paragraph, and write points 3, 4 and 5 in your second paragraph.
1. Include a brief description of the experience (1 mark).
2. Reflect on how you contributed to the experience (include positive and/or negative contributions as applicable) (1 mark).
3. Demonstrate what you have learned from the experience (1 mark).
4. Describe how you would handle the experience differently in the future or why you may not have to do anything different (1 mark)
5. Evaluated the positives and negatives of the situation (1 mark).
Use the three key points listed above to check that you have written reflectively about your experience. Ensure that you have addressed all 5 points.
Note if the submission contains grammatical and/or typographical errors or is NOT well structured and easy to understand or it is too long or too short (less than 400 or greater than 500 words) there will be a penalty of –1 mark.
Week 11 – Portfolio: Responding to an ethical scenario (5 marks)
Task
In week 9 you learnt about making decisions in various ethical situations. Understanding who you are and how you relate to others in both your personal and work life can make you aware of the values that are important to you as well as the values that you may need to work on to improve your professional standing. This portfolio item is designed to make you think about how to respond to an ethical scenario as a good ICT professional. As you are training to be an ICT professional you should refer to the ACS Code of Ethics and/or ACS Code of Professional Conduct in your response. It should be approximately 400 words.
Responding to an ethical situation
Scenario:
You are currently working in an ICT role (you may select a relevant position related to the ICT industry in your response) where you have access to client information including their personal and health information. During the course of your job you find that your best friend’s husband has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and has only six months to live. Your friend has never mentioned to you that her husband is so unwell. Your friend and her husband are just about to take out a huge home loan to buy a property in Sydney. You are concerned that her husband may die soon and leave your friend with a huge debt that she will be unable to pay on one salary.
Write about 400 words (in 2 – 3 paragraphs) outlining how you will respond to this ethical dilemma. What will you do in this situation? Will you tell your friend about her husband’s diagnosis so she can rethink taking out the home loan, or will you inform your management about your dilemma and ask for advice? Or will you not say anything to your manager but simply contact your friend to inform her of the situation? Is there anything else you will do? Explain what you will do and the reasons for your actions referring to the ACS Code of Ethics and/or the ACS Code of Professional Conduct. You must correctly reference the document/s in APA style.
Marking Criteria
Your response should include:
1. What would you do in this situation and why? (2 marks)
2. What elements from the ACS document/s would you consider as reasons for your actions? Indicate the particular element/s in the document/s you are referencing? (2 marks)
3. Why do you think it is important for an ICT professional to be an ethical person? (1 mark)