ISP Handbook, March 2010 Cohort
ISP Handbook, March 2010 Cohort
ISP Handbook, March 2010 Cohort
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Module Contents
Module Overview Aims and Learning Outcomes Schedule of Topics for this Module How students will work through these module materials Assessment Required and Additional Reading A Guide to the Icons used in this Module Contacts & Key Dates
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Module Overview
This is a set of guidelines for the Information Systems Project module (double-length) for the BSc in Business Computing and Information Systems (BCIS) course. This is an individually organised module, in which each student is expected to realise the production of a software artefact. This will enable students to demonstrate the necessary creativity, integrate their knowledge and skills, and produce usable outcomes both in terms of the product and the associated learning. It is unlikely that each student will possess the necessary skills and knowledge at the start of the work; it will therefore be necessary that these be developed and integrated during the course of the module. It will be important that these learning activities are suitably documented both while they are taking place in the module, and also after the formal realisation of the product. This will support an important reflective activity which will be described as part of the final project report. Associated skills of a more general but extremely important nature will be used and developed further. These will include documentation and organisational skills, those relating to project and time management, the needs of research using different methods, and approaches to problemsolving both in short-term and longer-term contexts, among others. New software tools and systems will be encountered, which may (or may not) be found in other course modules. An outline of the stages which will be encountered will be given in more detail later on. They will, however, include the research of a suitable problem topic, the specification of requirements to address the problem and the analysis and design of an associated information system at an appropriate level of detail to enable the implementation of the artefact in a suitable fashion. User-interface considerations will be included where appropriate. Testing will include the verification that the design meets the specification targets, and testing of the artefact to show that it corresponds to its design and works reliably and consistently. Finally, conclusions will be drawn, both of practical and theoretical natures, and enable the student to reflect on what has been learned.
planning and organising project work; further developing their skills in terms of problem-solving, design, programming, testing and evaluating software.
On completion of this module successful students will have gained experience of:
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1. modelling requirements; critical evaluation and testing; application of methods and tools; communication and reflection; and professional considerations; 2. specification, design and construction of computer-based systems; evaluation of systems; deploying tools effectively; and operating computing equipment effectively; 3. effective use of IT facilities; and managing own learning and development.
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Introductory lecture Consideration of possible project areas and titles Submission of initial development outline Development of schemes of work Selection of development methodologies Selection of software requirements Submission of project proposal
The organisation of the remaining weeks of the course will be communicated to you before the end of the taught sessions, but will be roughly as follows: Development work carried out Submission of interim work for evaluation and feedback Continuation of development work Finalisation of software development and testing Finalisation of project report Project report submitted for assessment
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15 Semester 2 19 10 12
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Students will also be required to submit a deliverable demonstration of their project to accompany their final report.
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The following table sets out the likely activities which you will need to do each week:
What you need to do Watch and make notes, jot down questions, if possible answer any quiz questions I may ask
Read the relevant chapters and make notes, jot down questions or problems Scroll through and see if they answer your questions, and/or clarify the topic for you Find the Discussion Forum tasks and prepare for them. Post your answers in the Discussion Forum (remember to read other posts from me as the Module Leader and other students)
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Module Assessment
The module is assessed 100% by coursework. This is made up from 3 components: the project proposal (10%); the interim report (10%); and the final project submission (80%). This may differ slightly from the guidelines in the lectures; this document is the correct version we are in the process of updating the lectures for the next cycle. Further details of the methods of assessment will be provided during the formally taught part of the course.
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Required Textbook (current edition) Weaver P. (2004) Success in your Project: A Guide to Student System Development Projects. Harlow, Essex: Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-27367809 4. Additional Textbooks (current editions) The following texts may be of use for some of the project areas. However, they will not apply to all projects, and students should communicate any texts which they find to be of particular use to the Module leader for comment, and possible more general dissemination. Bocij P., Greasley A. & Hickie, S. (2008) Business Information Systems: Technology, Development And Management. Pearson Education. ISBN: 0-273-68814-6 Bowman, K. (2004) Systems Analysis: A Beginner's Guide. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 0-333-98630-X Bray I.K. (2002) An Introduction To Requirements Engineering. Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0-201-767929. Curtis G. (1998) Business Information Systems: Analysis, Design and Practice. Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0-201-33136-5. Dennis A & Wixon B.H. (2000) Systems Analysis And Design. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 0-471-24100-8. Hughes B & Cotterell M. (2002) Software Project Management. McGraw-Hill ISBN: 0-07-709834. Kendall & Kendall. (2002) System Analysis And Design. Prentice-Hall. ISBN: 0-13-042365-3. Lejk M & Deeks D. (2002) An Introduction To Systems Analysis Techniques. Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0-201-79713-5. McLaughlin B., Pollice G. & West, D. (2006). Head First ObjectOriented Analysis and Design: A Brain Friendly Guide to OOA&D. O'Reilly Media, Inc. ISBN: 0-596-00867-8 Orna, E. (1995). Managing information for research. Open University Press. ISBN: 0-335-19398-7.
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Buckingham:
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Teeni D, Carey J & Zhang P. (2006) Human Computer Interaction: Developing Effective Organisational Information Systems. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 0-471-67765-5. Van Dijck P. (2003) Information Architecture for Designers. RotoVision.Com. ISBN: 2-88046-731-4. Yeates, D. & Wakefield, T. (2003) Systems Analysis and Design. Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-273-65536-1 Supplementary Resources There are many different sources available to you. These will depend on the project chosen, and the approaches taken to provide a solution. Websites An initial use of a search engine on the world-wide web will find many resources, typically from Universities, about how to manage a successful project. These will also provide reference material of a more specialised kind in some areas.
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This is one of the main activities that have been designed to maximise your learning.
Reflection This icon indicates those areas where you will be asked to think about what you have just done.
Web-based Activity This represents an activity that is purely web based where you will need to be on-line.
Where the self test icon occurs in the topic material you are asked to do a self-assessment exercise. These informal exercises are designed as a guide for you to check your progress. The scores will not be sent to the Module Leader.
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Visit Discussion Forum This indicates that the Discussion Forum will discuss this topic area where you will be provided the opportunity to share ideas and thoughts with fellow learners.
Assessment Activity
This icon indicates that this activity forms part of the module assessment.
Time Management
This icon indicates the amount of time which should be spent on each activity.
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Please Note: all submissions must be uploaded via the Campus virtual learning environment, and must be received by 12 noon UK time on the given date.
Lastly
I hope you find the module both informative & enjoyable.
Handbook Information
Updated March 2010 by Vic Page Originally created by David Leigh and Steve Page. This version 1.2 (2010)
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