Monash University

Faculty of Information Technology

School of Information Management and Systems

Semester 1, 2005

Unit Outline

IMS5401 Web-based Systems Development

Handbook entry:

The University Handbook is at: http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/. The Handbook entry for IMS5401 can be found at: http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/IMS5401.html

Unit web page:

The unit web page is at http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/subjects/ims5401/index.html.

There are links to this page from the SIMS home page.

Lecturer:

Martin Atchison

School of Information Management and Systems

Room 4.11 (Level 4, Building S - Caulfield Campus)

Phone: 9903 1912

Email:

The lecturer will advise you during class of the times when he is available for student consultation. Outside these times he is available only by appointment.

Tutors:

The unit has a one-hour tutorial each week of semester. Students should enrol via Allocate+. Final allocation of tutors will depend on student numbers, but at this stage the tutors will be:

·  Martin Atchison

·  Manoj Kathpalia

·  Rabeena Prasad

·  Kate Roberts

·  Robin Wilson

Final allocation of tutors to tute classes will be notified on the unit web site.

Contacting staff:

Outside the scheduled class contact hours, you can contact teaching staff by email, phone, during their consultation hours (available on unit webpage or at SIMS frontdesk) or by making an appointment. If you need a staff member urgently and are unable to contact them, please contact the SIMS Frontdesk on Level 7 of Building S or phone 9903 2208.

Aim:

The unit aims to provide students with a general introduction to web-based information systems, examining the technologies associated with web systems, the development process involved in creating web-based systems, and issues in organisational management and usage of web-based systems.

Objectives:

At the completion of this unit the students will:

know:

·  the basic technological capabilities associated with the internet and the world-wide web

·  current trends in the use of internet and web technologies to support organisational information system needs

·  key issues in web systems development

understand:

·  how internet and multimedia technologies can be applied to support business processes;

·  the systems development strategies and skills appropriate to support the development of web-based systems

·  the role of the information professional in the development of web-based systems.

be able to:

·  recognise the strengths and weaknesses of current practices in the development and application of web-based systems;

·  identify the range of technical and systems expertise needed to assist in the development of a range of types of web-based information system;

·  recognise opportunities for the application of internet and multimedia technologies to support business systems.

have developed attitudes which enable them to:

·  critically evaluate the use of web-based systems to meet organisational information needs

Prerequisite knowledge:

IMS9049, IMS9001 and IMS9003 or equivalent.

Workload:

This is a six point unit which, according to University guidelines, means the average student will need to spend an average of about 12 hours of study on it each week, comprising 3 hours of contact time plus 9 hours of other work (this includes time for work on assignments, revision and exam preparation).

Assessment:

Assessment for the unit will comprise:

·  one 2-hour exam worth 50% of the unit marks to be held during the formal examination period at the end of semester

·  two assignments, worth a total of 50% of the unit marks. Details of the assignments and their submission dates will be posted on the unit web site.

The 40% rule will be applied for students who fail either the exam or assignment component of the unit (see following Note 1 about Pass Requirements).

Late submissions will be penalised at the rate of 5% per day. If you believe that your assignment will be delayed because of circumstances beyond your control such as illness you should apply for an extension before the due date. Medical certificates or certification supporting your application will be required. Hardware failures, whether of personal or University equipment, are not normally recognised as valid excuses. Failure to back-up assignment files is professional negligence.

Unit structure and organisation:

The following table shows the planned sequence of material for this unit. Note that it is subject to change without notice if circumstances require.

Teaching week / Lecture
Topics / Tutorial
Topics
1 / Introduction to web-based systems / Introductions
2 / Web technology: The internet and the web / Using web-based systems
3 / Web technology: Mark-up languages and browsers / Mark-up languages and browsers
4 / Web technology: Digital representation/transmission / Bandwidth issues for the web
5 / Web technology: Interactivity; Web tools and technologies / Search engines, XML and metadata
6 / Web system development: The role of information professionals / Web development skills
7 / Web system development: Web system content and usability / Web development processes
8 / Web system development: Web page design / Creating web content
9 / Web system development: Web site architecture and navigation / Web page design and usability
10 / Web management and usage: Content management and web services / Web site site architecture and navigation
11 / Web management and usage: The semantic web / Web content management
12 / Web management and usage: Usage and abusage / Web services and the semantic web
13 / Web management and usage: Organisational web use
Review / Review

Texts and software:

There are no required texts for the unit. However, students will be recommended to make themselves familiar with a number of textbooks and read from a wide range of references which are available on the web or in campus libraries. Details of references to these materials will be provided on the unit web site during the semester. No one text book gives adequate coverage to all the topics included in the unit, but the following texts are recommended for students who wish to buy a reference text:

·  Goldfarb C (2004) XML Handbook (5th ed), Pearson Prentice Hall

·  McCracken D & Wolfe R (2004) User-centered web site development, Pearson Prentice Hall

·  Nielsen J (2000) Designing Web Usability, New Riders

·  Rosenfeld L & Morville P (2002) Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, O'Reilly

·  Siegel, D (1997) Secrets of Successful Web Sites: Project Management on the World Wide Web, Hayden Books

Study materials:

A variety of study materials will be made available on the unit web site. It is the student's responsibility to check the web site regularly for these materials. They will include:

·  lecture overheads

·  assignment specifications

·  tutorial exercises

·  reference material

·  other resources


Notes

1. Pass requirements:

The 40% rule applies to units and is used to determine the final result for a student where their performance in either the examination or assignment component of the unit is unsatisfactory. In order to pass a unit, a student must gain all of the following:

·  at least 40% of the examination component: i.e. the final examination and any tests performed under exam conditions, taken as a whole

·  at least 40% of the assignment component: i.e. the assignments and any other other assessment tasks (such as presentations) taken as a whole

·  at least 50% of the total marks for the unit

Where a student gains less than 40% for either the examination or assignment component, the final result for the unit will be no greater than ‘44 N’.

2. Grades:

The grades awarded by the Faculty of Information Technology are as follows:

Grade / Code / Marks
High Distinction / HD / 80-100
Distinction / D / 70-79
Credit / C / 60-69
Pass / P / 50-59
Fail / N / 0-49
Near Pass / NP / 45-49 (may be awarded by Board of Examiners only)
Deferred / DEF / -
Withheld / WH / -

3.  Acknowledgment of sources:

Plagiarism and Collusion are methods of cheating as set out in Monash Statute 4.1 – Discipline.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of work which has been copied in whole or in part from another person’s work, or from any other source such as the Internet, published books or periodicals without due acknowledgment given in the text. Plagiarism includes the submission of work you have previously submitted for another assignment.

Collusion
Collusion is the presentation of work which is the result in whole or in part of unauthorized collaboration with another person or persons.

School of Information Management and Systems plagiarism policy

In cases of “proven” plagiarism involving ‘first time offenders’:

·  The assignment will be given ‘0 N’ mark/grade

·  The student is warned that if another offence occurs, disciplinary action will be taken and student will be given a ‘0 N’ mark/result for the unit

In cases of “proven” plagiarism involving “repeat offenders”:

·  Unit will be marked ‘0 N’

·  Disciplinary action will be taken

While it is perfectly acceptable to seek help and advice when completing assignments, this must not be taken to a point where what is submitted is in part someone else's work.

Please note that, since the assignments are used in assessing your final grade in this unit, the following Faculty policy applies.

Students should note that cheating at the university is regarded as a very serious offence. Statute 4.1 defines cheating as `seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or in other written or practical work required to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment'.
Students should also note that essays, assignments and other work are submitted on the basis that they are the student's own work. Where any such work is identical with, or similar to, another student's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. Where students wish to undertake work in conjunction with other students, students must receive written permission from their lecturer that they have been permitted to do so for the piece of assessment.

Source: 2005 Monash Student Resource Guide

4. Standards for presentation

All printed assignment work must be word processed and meet the standards set out in the assignment. Refer also to the School of Information Management and Systems Style Guide for additional information on presentation standards at:

http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/resources/style.html

5. Submission and return of assignments:

Please refer to the School policy and download assignment cover sheets from the following web site:

http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/resources/assessment.html

Unless otherwise instructed, all assignments are to be submitted to your tutor during a specified tutorial. Assignments will either be returned in specified tutorials during semester or using the SIMS frontdesk collection system outside semester.

IMS5401 Semester 1, 2005 – Unit Outline Page 3 of 6