Course specification for CIS5209

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CIS5209 Systems Analysis for IT Professionals

Semester 1, 2020 On-campus Toowoomba
Short Description: Sys Analy for IT Professionals
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts
School or Department : School of Management and Enterprise
Student contribution band : Band 2
ASCED code : 020399 - Information Systems not elsewh
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Enrolment is not permitted in CIS5209 if CIS5200 or CIS5302 has been previously completed.

Rationale

To meet the demands of the Information and communication technologies (ICT) profession, Information Systems professionals need a wide range of skills, including written and oral communication capabilities, identification of business problems and opportunities, and formulation of ICT solutions. Develop management strategies for the delivery of IT projects. This work is encompassed by the role of the business analyst (BA), who liaises between the business side of the enterprise and its service providers, including IT services. The client focussed role of the BA has merged with that of the more technically focussed Systems Analyst. Thus, a BA is a professional who is focused on requirements and conceptual design, but has a sufficient understanding of the bigger picture to project manage, and fully cost systems proposals. In addition a BA is able to manage high level aspects of ICT projects including elements such as security and privacy associated with contemporary offshore and cloud-based environments. This course allows students to apply contemporary systems analysis and design methods and techniques to real world problems. The course follows the entire design process through planning analysis design and implementation to testing and maintenance with an emphasis on ethics and professional expectations throughout.

Synopsis

This course focuses on developing key Business Analysis skills using contemporary methodologies. Requirements analysis, design specification methods and system acquisition are examined. The importance of written and oral communication skills is given due prominence. The course will enable students to experience the systems development lifecycle, agile methods and other contemporary approaches to systems design, as well as a range of tools and techniques. Students will learn about the importance of standards and will apply these in their assessments. Major trends and issues impacting business analysis and design in the business sector are also studied, in particular issues of privacy and security.

Objectives

On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

  1. Address applied business problems and produce viable solutions using the techniques, methodologies and theories introduced in the course, and industry standards;
  2. Communicate effectively a high level appropriate in both academic and industry environments;
  3. Critique the phases in the design, development, testing and maintenance of a business system and describe the purpose of each phase;
  4. Argue the factors a business should consider in a make (bespoke) or buy (packaged) software acquisition decision;
  5. Justify the importance of usability, user centred design and human computer interaction in design of interfaces;
  6. Apply project management skills, including the economic feasibility of the project, to develop a system proposal including components which comply with industry standards;
  7. Appraise ethics and ethical standards in relation to Systems and Business Analysis.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Applied business analysis
  1. Communication and business problem solving skills
  2. Requirements analysis and modelling
  3. SAD tools and techniques including Agile methods
25.00
2. Methodologies, techniques and issues
  1. The systems development life cycle, including project feasibility, with a focus on the design phase
  2. Contemporary system development methodologies
  3. Project management
  4. Package assessment and acquisition.
  5. Ethics, and Professional Responsibilities
  6. Implementation, Systems Support and Security
75.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=CIS5209)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

Tilley, SR & Rosenblatt, HJ 2016, Systems analysis and design, 11th edn, Course Technology Cengage Learning, Boston, Massachusetts.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
International Institute of Business Analysis (publisher) 2015, Babok: a guide to the business analysis body of knowledge, 3rd edn, International Institute of Business Analysis, Toronto, Canada.
Satzinger, JW, Jackson, RB & Burd, SD 2016, Systems analysis and design in a changing world, 7th edn, Course Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Other online materials linked from ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Directed ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 65.00
Private ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 100.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
Assignment 1 100 20 20 Mar 2020
Assignment 2 100 20 01 May 2020
Workshop Activities 15 15 17 May 2020 (see note 1)
ONLINE EXAM 100 45 End S1 (see note 2)

Notes
  1. Details of the workshop activities will be advised on the ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk.
  2. This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item.

    Requirements after S1 2020;
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

    Requirements after S1 2020;
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

  6. Examination information:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: An Open Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a calculator during the examination.

    Requirements after S1 2020;
    This is a restricted examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the examination for this course are:

    i. writing materials. These must be non-electronic and free from material which could give the student an unfair advantage in the examination.

    ii. an unmarked non-electronic translation dictionary (but not technical dictionary). A student whose first language is not English may take a translation dictionary into the examination room. A translation dictionary with any handwritten notes will not be permitted. Translation dictionaries will be subject to perusal and may be removed from the candidate's possession until appropriate disciplinary action is completed if found to contain material that could give the candidate an unfair advantage.

    iii. a calculator which cannot hold textual information (students must indicate on their examination paper the make and model of any calculator(s) they use during the examination).

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: The details regarding deferred/supplementary examinations will be communicated at a later date.

    Requirements after S1 2020;
    Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

  1. Referencing in assignments: Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (AGPS) style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide at .

Date printed 19 June 2020