DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION SCIENCE. COMP111 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) COURSE OUTLINE

Transcription

1 DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION SCIENCE COMP111 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) COURSE OUTLINE Semester Summer School 2014

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Course Objectives... 1 Teaching Times and Locations... 1 Course Delivery... 1 Conceptual Component... 1 Practical Component... 2 Course Assessment... 2 Mark Allocation... 2 Final Examination... 2 Practical Tests... 2 Assessment Results... 2 Assessment Feedback... 3 Dishonest Practice... 3 Course Learning Resources... 3 Course Calendar... 3 Textbook... 3 Course Website... 4 Additional Materials... 4 Student Webmail... 4 Computer Laboratories... 5 Staff... 5 Lecturers... 5 Workload Expectations... 5 Feedback... 6 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)... 6 What should I do if I need to change my streaming times?... 6 What if I am unable to attend or complete an assessment?... 6 What can I do if I am struggling?... 6 Course Calendar... 7

3 Introduction COMP111 aims to enhance the capacity of students to benefit from information and communication technologies now, and in the future. Course Objectives By the end of COMP111 you should: Be able to identify and describe the key aspects of modern information and communication technologies (ICT). Be able to identify and discuss the broader societal issues and emerging trends relating to ICT. Be able to apply a number of popular software applications to solve real-world problems. Be able to describe how ICT integrates with and supports business-related activities. Exhibit a superior capacity to adapt to, and benefit from, the continued rapid development of ICT. Teaching Times and Locations Streams (locations, days, and times) for lectures and labs will be available from the University s Personal Information Management System (PIMS) and Blackboard prior to classes starting. Only Blackboard will display up-to-date streaming information once classes have begun. If you can t attend your practical session at your streamed time please refer to COMP111 Blackboard to find out what to do. Class Day Time Room Lecture Tue & Thur 10:00 10:50 pm Rabel Lab Leith Street Labs Tue & Thur 13:00 14:50 COG04 (Rabel Lab) Lectures and labs begin the first week of semester. Course Delivery There are two components of the course: a Conceptual Component comprising lectures and text book readings, and a Practical Component centred on computer laboratory sessions. Conceptual Component Lectures There are two 50-minute lectures each week. Lectures mainly focus on contemporary themes in ICT. Invited speakers have been sourced from within the University and industry based on their expertise. Important information regarding assessments, updates, requests, answers to questions, and so on, will also be communicated in lectures. Textbook readings Readings are selected to compliment the material presented in lectures and encountered in the computer laboratories. They form an integral part of the course and are included in the final examination. COMP111 P a g e Summer School

4 Practical Component Computer Laboratory Sessions There are two 110-minute lab each week. Labs are designed to help you develop ICT skills through self-directed learning and exposure to popular software applications. A business case study provides context and introduces a new real-world activity each week. One or more tutors will be present to support your learning. Help sessions Optional 110-minute help sessions are scheduled as appropriate for students needing additional assistance to complete practical work. (See Blackboard announcements.) The help sessions are not streamed and are first-come-first-served1. Course Assessment Mark Allocation The final grade for COMP111 is the total of all assessments (Table 1). In order to pass the course, you must achieve a total of at least 50%. Table 1: Final grade calculation Assessment # Weighting Total Practical Tests 2 20% 40% Essay 1 10% 10% Final Examination 1 50% 50% Total 100% All important assessment information such as times, content, guidelines and so on will be discussed at lectures and where appropriate, detailed on Blackboard in the week prior to each assessment. You are responsible for ensuring that you are aware of this information. Essay (10%) One Essay will be a formal assessment of writing ability. A question will be posed and you will be expected to use your writing skills to critically discuss in the context of your choice (Business, Health, Humanities etc.). Minimum 1500 words. Full referencing needed. Practical Tests (40%) Two practical tests examine individual skills obtained from computer laboratory sessions. The sessions covered by each test will be discussed at lectures and described on Blackboard. Refer to the Calendar on page 7 for the scheduled times. These will be posted on Blackboard. Final Examination (50%) A two hour final examination administered by the University Examinations Office will be held after lectures have ceased. The final examination covers lectures and assigned textbook readings (unless otherwise stated). Nearer the time, you will be advised of the date, time and venue of the examination by the Examinations Office. 1 We will revisit the number of help session streams available based on demand. COMP111 P a g e Summer School

5 Assessment Results Results for all internal assessments will be ed to you after marking. if you believe an error exists or an omission has been made. Key dates Prac Test One 23 rd Jan Essay 31 st Jan Prac Test Two 13 th Feb Assessment Feedback In addition to assessment results provided through Blackboard, you will be provided with assessment feedback (where appropriate) to help identify areas that require further effort. This feedback will be detailed in an sent to your University of Otago student address. Dishonest Practice To find out what constitutes dishonest practice and the University s policy regarding it, read the University Examinations and Assessment Regulations (under Examination Regulations) on page 215 of the University of Otago Calendar 2012 and also refer to the University Website policies database 2. Failing to comply with these regulations can have very serious consequences. These are described in the following University statement: Students should make sure that all submitted work is their own. Plagiarism is a form of dishonest practice. Plagiarism is defined as copying or paraphrasing another s work and presenting it as one s own (University of Otago Calendar 2012 page 215). In practice this means plagiarism includes any attempt in any piece of submitted work (e.g. an assignment or test) to present as one s own work the work of another (whether of another student or a published authority). Any student found responsible for plagiarism in any piece of work submitted for assessment shall be subject to the University s dishonest practice regulations which may result in various penalties, including forfeiture of marks for the piece of work submitted, a zero grade for the paper, or in extreme cases exclusion from the University. Course Learning Resources Course Calendar The course calendar (page 7) gives semester dates, lecture themes, required readings, labs, deadlines, and assessment-related information. This calendar may change as the course proceeds. Any changes will be announced in lectures or on Blackboard. Textbook Beekman and Beekman, Digital Planet: Tomorrow s Technology and You 10e, Prentice-Hall, COMP111 P a g e Summer School

6 Assigned readings for lectures and labs are in the Course Calendar (page 9), and on Blackboard. These readings are best completed in time for the applicable lecture or laboratory session. Use the resources provided on the publisher s website ( to make your study more effective. Likewise, read the various boxes and questions provided with each chapter. The textbook is supplemented with material from other sources where needed. Use of the textbook is essential and its purchase is recommended. With a 10% student discount, the University Bookshop price is expected to be $ for the Complete version and $ for the Introductory version. Either version is sufficient for all COMP111 required readings. Two copies of the textbook are held on reserve in the Science Library. Ask at the Reserve Desk to access a copy within the library. Older editions can be used, but they increasingly differ from the current edition with age. Check against the library copy of the latest edition to identify updated material. Course Website COMP111 has a Blackboard website to support the delivery of the course. You should check this site regularly throughout the semester, especially for course related announcements. The URL is: The COMP111 Blackboard site is structured as follows: Displays all course announcements (this is the default menu) Contains links to electronic versions of lecture slides, assigned weekly readings, online-test resources as well as any additional files Displays information about staff (including contact information and office hours) and contact information for class representatives Provides access to all assessment details, results (as they are released), and an online form to request special consideration Provides access to additional Blackboard tools such as a personal calendar, address book and more General course information such as PDF versions of the course outline, HTML versions of the course calendar, and textbook information Contains links to electronic versions of lab documents, files, information and other resources Provides individual streaming and class timetable information for lectures and labs and an online form to request changes Provides forums for class queries relating to administration, conceptual and practical components of the course Provides a list of useful links to other Websites and other supplementary material Additional Materials PowerPoint slides and other material may be available from Blackboard after a lecture has been presented. PDF files of laboratory documents and other information, along with data files supporting the sessions, will be available through Blackboard. Student Webmail Students can access from their student account (automatically created on enrolment) through COMP111 P a g e Summer School

7 the University of Otago Webpage. You should check your student regularly as any s from teaching staff will be sent there. The URL is: Computer Laboratories Figure 1 Building locations The Macgregor (COG05) and Rabel (COG04) teaching laboratories (Figure 1) are the scheduled teaching rooms for labs. However, you can also use School of Business computer laboratories (located on the third floor of the Commerce Building) and CAL laboratories (located around campus) to complete practical work. Staff Alec Holt Course Coordinator and Lecturer Department of Information Science Room (School of Business) alec.holt@otago.ac.nz Office Hours: Tues-Friday 12-1pm. Gary Burrows Laboratory Coordinator Department of Information Science Room (School of Business) gary.burrows@otago.ac.nz Office Hours: See timetable on office door Lecturers We aim to deliver you topical lectures from Alec Holt, Gary Burrows, Hank Wolfe, Neil Pickering and Nigel Stanger. Workload Expectations COMP111 is worth 18 points, the university recommends spending an average of 12 hours per week on the course(double this for summer school). This time includes lectures, labs and other requirements totalling about 3 hours per week. The remaining 9 hours should be used for reading (assigned textbook readings and personal research), lab preparation and completion and course revision. Catch up on any missed lectures or labs as soon as possible afterwards. Don t let yourself get behind! The teaching team is committed to creating the best possible environment to facilitate your learning. However, effective learning depends on your active participation. You are therefore expected to attend all facets of the course. This means lectures, labs and assessments. You COMP111 P a g e Summer School

8 should also revise material after lectures, complete assigned readings, and be prepared to spend extra time researching difficult concepts. Feedback We encourage constructive feedback from students regarding any issues relating to the course. Feel free to speak directly with teaching staff or them, to participate in course surveys (if available), and to communicate with class representatives 3. Every semester the teaching team makes some changes as a result of this feedback. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What should I do if I need to change my streaming times? If you have a good reason to change streams, such as a timetable clash, you can do so by filling out the form provided on Blackboard. For new enrolees who do not yet have access to Blackboard and need to be streamed, comp111@infoscience.otago.ac.nz or go to Gary Burrows, Room CO Your must contain the paper code (i.e., COMP111), your student ID, name, reason for the request, and all stream(s) available to you. Notification will be sent by to your student address and the updated details shown on Blackboard. Note that changes requested cannot be guaranteed due to resource constraints. What if I am unable to attend or complete an assessment? If you are unable to attend or complete an assessment due to medical or serious personal reasons you can make a request for special consideration. Requests should be made as early as possible before an assessment so that alternate arrangements can be made. Otherwise, you should download and fill out a Health Declaration for Special Consideration Application form (a link is provided on Blackboard under the Assessment menu) and have it completed by your medical practitioner. Present the form to a COMP111 teaching staff member. Requests for special consideration on the final examination must be made through the Examinations Office. What can I do if I am struggling? Feel free to contact any COMP111 staff member. They will be pleased to discuss strategies and approaches to help you get the most out of the course. See above for contact details and office hours. 3 Class representatives are students who have volunteered to collect and assemble feedback from the rest o f the class and pass it on to the Head of Department for review. Volunteers will be called for during the first few weeks of the course. See BlackBoard for details of Class Reps. COMP111 P a g e Summer School

9 Course Calendar COMP 111 Course Outline Page Summer School