31266 Introduction to Information Systems

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Subject handbook information prior to 2018 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Information Technology: Systems, Management and Leadership
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Undergraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

Anti-requisite(s): 31060 Information Systems Principles AND 31414 Information Systems AND 31472 Introduction to Collaborative Systems AND 31484 Information Systems Foundations AND 32557 Enabling Enterprise Information Systems

Description

This subject describes today's business environment and how technology is integrated into business, government and community systems. It covers the trends towards greater mobility, greater complexity, globalisation and business networking, and ways that technology can deliver services to improve business competitiveness in an increasingly global and networked environment. It describes the role of information systems (IS) for better business management and the formation of business networks. Real-world case studies are presented to understand the role of IS in obtaining and maintaining competitive advantage. This introductory subject explains activities used to develop, implement and maintain IS. Techniques for building effective team collaboration skills and relationship skills are demonstrated in this subject. In addition, ethics, privacy and information security are highlighted. In this subject, students learn to apply theoretical knowledge to solve practical situations, learn to generate new ideas and learn how to work together to develop team skills.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

1.	Analyse the business, organizational and society environment, proposes effective types of IS for obtaining and maintaining competitive advantage.
2.	Describe data and knowledge management approaches.
3.	Describe different system development methodologies.
4.	Identify ethical issues in the IS context and propose recommendations.
5.	Analyze end user experience.

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):

• Identify, interpret and analyse stakeholder needs. (A.1)
• Establish priorities and goals (A.2)
• Identify constraints, uncertainties and risks of the system (social, cultural, legislative, environmental, business, etc.) (A.3)
• Apply systems thinking to understand complex system behaviour including interactions between components and with other systems (social, cultural, legislative, environmental, business, etc.) (A.5)
• Identify and apply relevant problem solving methodologies (B.1)
• Design components, systems and/or processes to meet required specifications (B.2)
• Synthesise alternative/innovative solutions, concepts and procedures (B.3)
• Apply decision-making methodologies to evaluate solutions for efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability (B.4)
• Communicate effectively in ways appropriate to the discipline, audience and purpose. (E.1)
• Work as an effective member or leader of diverse teams within a multi-level, multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural setting (E.2)
• Appreciate ethical implications of professional practice (F.2)

Teaching and learning strategies

Students will learn through 12 face-to-face lectures (1.5 hours) and 11 face-to-face tutorials (1.5 hours) over 12 weeks.

Lectures

Lecture notes for each week will be made available on UTSOnline. Students are expected to download the notes, engage with new content and make use of it in the lectures. The lecturer will explain each topic based on the UTSOnline materials and encourage students to clarify their interpretations through verbal interaction and feedback.

Tutorials

Tutorials are designed to engage students in learning activities, encourage them to collaborate with other students, learn from each other’s ideas through group discussion and peer review, and to provide opportunities for additional feedback on teaching materials that inform the assessment tasks. Tutorial classes will involve a range of planned activities such as testing students’ understanding using weekly in-class quizzes, problem-solving activities, and group discussions. Students are required to learn concepts covered in the week’s lecture topic before each tutorial.

Weekly tutorial questions (case study questions and discussion questions) and instructions for each class will be made available on UTSOnline to enable students to engage with the content, draft their answers, then actively and collaboratively complete the questions in the tutorials. Students will form collaborative groups to discuss their answers with their peers, and complete problem-solving activities, analyse case studies and answer discussion questions in teams.

Students are encouraged to come up with ideas and present them to the whole class, and are expected to evaluate each other’s responses; this regular peer feedback will help students learn. Constant feedback as part of the tutorial will be provided by extending the class collaborative discussion with reflective questions from the tutor.

Content (topics)

1. Introduction to Information Systems
2. Information systems within the organisation
3. Organisational Strategy, Competitive Advantage and Information Systems
4. Data and Knowledge Management
5. Ethics, privacy
6. Information security
7. Telecommunications and Networking
8. Acquiring information systems and application

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Information Systems in Business, organization and society

Intent:	The purpose of this assessment is to examine students' ability to analyse real world organizational, business and society case studies and problems and propose effective IS/IT related solutions. Students must apply relevant problem solving methodologies to propose solutions. The proposed solutions must be communicated effectively to the appropriate audience, such as tutors and the subject coordinator.
Objective(s):	This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes (CILOs): A.1, A.2, A.3, A.5, B.1, B.2, B.4 and E.1
Type:	Case study
Groupwork:	Individual
Weight:	25%
Criteria:	The assignment Answer Sheet should be saved as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx) and submitted through Turnitin software (UTSOnline, Assignment 1, Turnitin).
Criteria linkages:	Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs Correctness of solutions 25 1, 2, 5 A.1, A.2, A.3, A.5, B.1 Appropriate and clearly justified recommendation 25 1, 2, 5 A.1, A.3, B.1, B.4, E.1 Correct application of theoretical knowledge to context 25 1, 2, 5 A.5, B.2 Correctness of decision making 25 1, 2, 5 B.1, B.4, E.1 SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Topic Presentation

Intent:	The purpose of this assessment is to examine students' ability to identify and analyse privacy and information security issues in the IS context and propose solutions and recommendations. This assessment involves team work and requires students to collaborate with team members.
Objective(s):	This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes (CILOs): A.1, A.2, B.1, E.1 and E.2
Type:	Presentation
Groupwork:	Group, group and individually assessed
Weight:	15%
Criteria linkages:	Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs Active involvement in the actual presentation 20 4, 5 A.1, B.1, E.1, E.2 Active contribution in the development of the presentation 20 4, 5 A.1, B.1 Relevance of presentation material to the chosen topic 50 4, 5 A.2, E.1 Overall presentation skills 10 4 E.1 SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Weekly Tutorial Quiz

Intent:	To assess student's understanding of specified concepts covered in the previous week's lecture topic. The quiz will be closed book.
Objective(s):	This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes (CILOs): A.1, A.2, B.1 and B.3
Type:	Quiz/test
Groupwork:	Individual
Weight:	15%
Criteria linkages:	Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs Appropriate and clearly justified recommendations 25 1, 2, 4, 5 A.1, A.2, B.3 Valid selection and articulation of methodology 25 1, 2, 4, 5 A.1, A.2 Correct application of theoretical knowledge to context 25 1, 2, 4, 5 A.1 Correctness of reasoning, interpretations 25 1, 2, 4, 5 A.1, A.2, B.1 SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 4: Final Exam

Intent:	The purpose of this assessment is to examine students’ level of attainment of all the subject objectives. Students’ ability to analyse business, organisation and society environments and to propose IS/IT recommendations for obtaining and maintaining competitive advantage will be assessed, as well as their understanding of how to identify and address ethical issues in the IS context. The exam is open book.
Objective(s):	This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes (CILOs): A.1, A.2, A.3, A.5, B.1, B.2, B.3, B.4 and F.2
Type:	Examination
Groupwork:	Individual
Weight:	45%
Length:	2 hours plus 10 minutes reading time
Criteria linkages:	Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs Correctness of answers 25 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 A.1, A.2, A.3, A.5, B.1 Appropriateness of recommendations 25 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 A.1, A.5, B.1, B.2, B.3 Valid explanations and justifications 25 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 A.1, A.2, A.5, B.1, B.3 Correct application of theoretical knowledge to context 25 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 A.3, A.5, B.4, F.2 SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Recommended texts

Management Information Systems, 1st Australian Edition R. Kelly Rainer, Heather Gray, Tomayess Issa, Graeme Pye, Indrit Troshani, Brad Prince, Hugh J. Watson ISBN: 9781118646021

Introduction to Information Systems, 7th Edition, R. Kelly Rainer, Brad Prince, ISBN: 978-1-119-36296-8

Other resources

Online resources for this subject including lecture slides, tutorial exercises, assignment instructions, and announcements will be available via UTSOnline at https://online.uts.edu.au/

U:PASS

UTS Peer Assisted Study Success is a voluntary “study session” where you will be studying the subject with other students in a group. It is led by a student who has previously achieved a distinction or high distinction in the subject area, and who has a good WAM. Leaders will prepare activities for you to work on in groups based on the content you are learning in lectures and tutorials. It’s really relaxed, friendly, and informal. Because the leader is a student just like you, they understand what it’s like to study the subject and how to do well, and they can pass those tips along to you. Students also say it’s a great way to meet new people and a “guaranteed study hour”.

You can sign up for U:PASS sessions via U:PASS website http://tinyurl.com/upass2017 Note that sign up is not open until week 2, as it’s voluntary and only students who want to go should sign up.

If you have any questions or concerns about U:PASS, please contact Georgina at upass@uts.edu.au, or check out the website.