Overview
Information systems play an important role in today's fast-moving digital world. In order to survive, succeed, and remain competitive, organisations are relying on innovation in data and information processing as well as understanding and applying new technologies. This unit outlines how information systems can be used in different domains to resolve challenging problems. This unit will help you understand how information systems can be effectively used in your future careers, with a key focus on the relationship between computer technology and business organisations. On completion of this unit, you should have a sound knowledge of the key concepts and terminology of computer hardware, software, data storage, and communication. You will also learn report writing skills and idea formulation through this unit.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from In-class student feedback
Answering weekly review questions (Assessment 2 - Part A) lacks interactivity.
To enhance interactivity, students can be required to review and reflect on their peers' answers by contributing their own content and insights on a weekly basis.
- Explain basic information systems concepts in the context of business organisations
- Demonstrate the impact of information systems on inter-organisational processes
- Discuss human factors associated with the use of computerised information systems, including managerial, ethical and social considerations
- Identify how information systems affect organisations and enable social innovation
- Illustrate the acquisition and development of information systems
- Develop report writing and communication skills in expressing and exchanging ideas, views and arguments using charts, graphs and presentation software.
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) recognises the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). SFIA is in use in over 100 countries and provides a widely used and consistent definition of ICT skills. SFIA is increasingly being used when developing job descriptions and role profiles.
ACS members can use the tool MySFIA to build a skills profile at https://www.acs.org.au/professionalrecognition/mysfia-b2c.html
This unit contributes to the following workplace skills as defined by SFIA. The SFIA code is included:
- Analytics (INAN)
- Business Analysis (BUAN)
- Data Analysis (DTAN)
- Problem Management (PBMG)
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | |||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||||||||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 50% | |||||||||||
Textbooks
Information Systems Today: Managing in the Digital World Global Edition
- Edition: 9th (2022)
- Authors: Valacich, J & Schneider C & Hashim M
- Pearson Higher Ed
- New York New York , NY , USA
- ISBN: 9781292438115
Both paper and eBook copies can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
Both paper and eBook copies can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Office software (e.g. Microsoft Office, Open Office etc)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
m.li@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 08 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Managing in the Digital World
Chapter
Chapter 1 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 15 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Information Systems
Chapter
Chapter 2 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 22 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Managing the Information Systems Infrastructure and Services
Chapter
Chapter 3 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 29 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Foundations of Information Systems Infrastructure
Chapter
Technology Briefing (TB)
(Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 05 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Enabling Business-to-Consumer Electronic Commerce
Chapter
Chapter 4 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 12 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 19 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Enhancing Organizational Communication and Collaboration Using Social Media
Chapter
Chapter 5 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 26 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Enhancing Business Intelligence Using Big Data and Analytics
Chapter
Chapter 6 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 02 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Enhancing Business Processes Using Enterprise Information Systems
Chapter
Chapter 7 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 09 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Strengthening Business-to-Business Relationships via Supply Chain and Customer Relationship Management
Chapter
Chapter 8 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Assignment 2b due Friday 11.45pm
Week 10
Begin Date: 16 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Developing and Acquiring Information Systems
Chapter
Chapter 9 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 23 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Securing Information Systems
Chapter
Chapter 10 (Prescribed Textbook)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission: Assignment 2a due Monday 9.00am
Week 12
Begin Date: 30 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Unit Review
Chapter
No New Topics
Events and Submissions/Topic
.
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 07 Oct 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 14 Oct 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Unit coordinator: Dr. Michael Li
North Rockhampton, CQU
Phone: 07 49306337
Email: m.li@cqu.edu.au
1 Written Assessment
In this assignment, you will carry out an analysis of a given case study. This will be done using MS-Excel and through these exercises, you will learn the following skills:
- How to use a spreadsheet with multiple sheets
- How to link data in multiple sheets
- How to use various in-built formulae/functions
- How to organise data in a sheet
- How to generate graphs from MS-Excel data sets
You will also learn to use MS-Word as a tool for organising and presenting your ideas in a coherent manner.
This assignment will be submitted online through Moodle unit website.
The full specification for this assessment and the marking criteria are available on the Moodle unit website.
Week 5 Friday (9 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 7 Friday (30 Aug 2024)
The assessment criteria include aspects such as the report document format, report document content, report document presentation, spreadsheet presentation, charts, functions, formula, calculations, and results.
A detailed marking template will be available along with the assignment details on the unit website.
Please note:re-attempts this assessment are not allowed.
- Illustrate the acquisition and development of information systems
- Develop report writing and communication skills in expressing and exchanging ideas, views and arguments using charts, graphs and presentation software.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
2 Written Assessment
Assessment task two comprises two parts, part A (10%) and part B (20%).
Assessment 2 - Part A - Discussion and Contribution
On-campus students: You must attend the lectures and tutorials and participate by contributing to the in-class discussion. Marks will be based on your attendance and participation. The topics to be discussed each week are outlined in the weekly tutorial questions file available in the Moodle unit site.
Distance (Online) students: You must participate and contribute to the discussion on the ‘Assignment 2 – Part A Discussion Forum’ located in the ‘Unit Discussion Forums’ accessible via the Moodle unit website OR attend and participate in the weekly online tutorial session. The topics to be discussed each week are outlined in the discussion forum as individual threads submitted by the unit coordinator.
Assessment 2 - Part B - Short Expository and/or Argumentative Essay Questions (3000 words, +/-10%)
In this assessment, you will survey several selected topics in Information Systems many of which are emerging trends in the field. This survey will entail studying the selected topics from the prescribed textbook, carrying out further research on these topics and then presenting the results of your survey.
Documentation of your survey findings will be done in MS-Word. In this exercise you will learn to:
- Use MS-Word as a tool for structuring and presenting your ideas in a coherent manner
- Use MS-Word styles and templates to structure your essay
- Carry out research on a topic, interpreting and presenting your findings
- Reference the sources of information you have researched (CQU Harvard author-date style)
This assignment will be submitted online through Moodle unit website.
The full specification for this assessment and the marking criteria are available on the Moodle unit website.
Part A final weekly submission is due Monday week 11 (23/09/2024) at 9.00am. Part B is due Friday week 9 (13/09/2024) at 11.59pm.
The assessment criteria include aspects such as the quality of your answers to the questions, report document format, report document content, and referencing mechanics.
A detailed marking template will be available along with the assignment details on the unit website.
Please note:re-attempts this assessment are not allowed.
- Explain basic information systems concepts in the context of business organisations
- Demonstrate the impact of information systems on inter-organisational processes
- Discuss human factors associated with the use of computerised information systems, including managerial, ethical and social considerations
- Identify how information systems affect organisations and enable social innovation
- Develop report writing and communication skills in expressing and exchanging ideas, views and arguments using charts, graphs and presentation software.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
- Social Innovation
3 Take Home Exam
- For this take-home exam, you will be given a 24-hour timeframe, between which you will need to download the exam from the unit’s Moodle website, complete it and upload it back.
- The take-home exam will feature a series of questions for you to work through, like the exam instrument, with critical thinking and problem-solving focus. The questions will relate to the topics covered in the lectures from Week 1 to Week 11.
- The assessment will have the same weighting as the examination it replaces. You will need to score 40% (20 out of 50) of the available marks on the take-home exam and overall, 50% to pass this unit. This is the same passing criteria as the exam instrument it replaces.
The full specification for this 'Take-Home' examination is available on the Moodle unit website.
Take-home exam will be scheduled during the usual exam period and prior notice provided during the term.
Take-home exam will be scheduled during the usual exam period and prior notice provided during the term.
The assessment criteria includes aspects such as the quality of your answers to the case study and short expository and/or argumentative essay questions, document format, and document content. This take-home examination comprises two parts, Parts A and B.
Part A: Case Study (20 Marks)
Part A is worth 20 marks. It contains questions related to a case study provided in the take-home exam. You are required to answer all questions.
Part B: Short Expository and/or Argumentative Essay Questions (30 Marks)
Part B is worth 30 marks. It contains short expository and/or argumentative essay questions. You are required to answer all questions.
- Explain basic information systems concepts in the context of business organisations
- Demonstrate the impact of information systems on inter-organisational processes
- Discuss human factors associated with the use of computerised information systems, including managerial, ethical and social considerations
- Identify how information systems affect organisations and enable social innovation
- Illustrate the acquisition and development of information systems
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
