ITEC100 - Information Technology Professional Skills and Practices

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

BUSN111 Working with Technology

Unit rationale, description and aim

Information Technology (IT) is a rapidly changing industry. Employers not only require graduates to possess good and contemporary technical skills, they also expect them to have well developed professional skills and understanding of current and emerging issues generated by ever-changing technologies. This unit will teach students a range of such skills including computer literacy, written, oral and interpersonal communication skills, teamwork skills, critical thinking, professionalism, self-management and lifelong learning competencies, impacts of emerging technologies on organisational processes and society, and awareness of ethical and professional issues.

 This unit will prepare students for future IT professionals and improve their employability in the IT industry. Students will understand the ways in which IT practitioners use their professional skills and practices when working in the IT industry. They will be introduced to emerging technologies that are shaping our workplaces and way of life. They will also develop a sense of professional responsibility for the common good.

The aim of this unit is to equip students with the knowledge and skills of IT professionals that are practical and ethical with a concern for the common good relevant to their future profession.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Describe standards, codes of conduct, ethics, and socio-technical, privacy and legal issues within the IT industry (GA3, GA5)

LO2 - Apply knowledge and skills of communication in the context of the IT profession and future readiness (GA5, GA9)

LO3 - Use practical skills in MS Office tools to solve business problems (GA5, GA10)

LO4 - Explain how emerging technologies may impact organisational processes, society and the common good (GA2, GA5)

LO5 - Apply relevant practices, skills and knowledge in the IT profession to solve IT problems in an ethical manner (GA5, GA6).

Graduate attributes

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively

Content

Topics will include:

• The role of an IT professional
• The impact of IT on society
• Industry standards and policies
• Written, oral and interpersonal communication skills
• Teamwork and project management skills
• Codes of conduct and ethical behaviour
• Socio-technical, privacy and legal issues in IT
• Human factors in IT
• Emerging technologies
•  MS Office tools
• Future readiness skills

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in not only the practical use of technology but also how to analyse and synthesise the knowledge, skills and practices of an IT professional. Students will be introduced to the knowledge base they will need as an underpinning for working as an ethical IT practitioner through online learning materials and a series of workshops and PC labs.

The workshops are designed to support students to actively participate in the construction and synthesis of the required knowledge both individually and in groups – mimicking the way students will work in the IT industry itself. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the relevant industry standards and policies and the critical aspects of ethical and legal issues in IT, and how technology is making an impact on organisations and society.

The PC labs provide expert instructions for students to develop practical skills in MS Office Tools to solve business problems and obtain the Microsoft Excel Associate Certificate that is embedded in the unit.

This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the communication, teamwork and technical skills required to effectively use technology in the workplace by tapping into the knowledge of other participants, sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach is designed to interest students by scaffolding their learning within a social environment and building in expert support for skills development. 

This unit is offered in different modes. These are: “Attendance” mode, “Blended” mode and “Online” mode. This unit is offered in three modes to cater for the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.

Attendance Mode

In attendance mode, students are required to attend weekly workshops held face-to-face in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. Students typically need to spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.

Blended Mode

In a blended mode, students will participate through face-to-face attendance in blocks of time determined by the School. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.

Online Mode

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the acquisition of the essential knowledge, development of conceptual understanding and skills associated with working with technology. Students can explore the essential knowledge in IT as a profession in a series of online interactive lessons and modules. Students are given the opportunity to attend facilitated synchronous online seminar classes with other students and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge, understanding and skills of working with technology. Students are required to participate in a series of online interactive workshops which include activities, knowledge checks, discussion and interactive sessions. This approach allows flexibility for students and facilitates learning and participation for students with a preference for virtual learning.

Regardless of mode, students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit, including class attendance, readings, online forum participation and assessment preparation.

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements.

 The first assessment item encourages students to co-create values by actively and continuously participate in a range of activities. It allows students to demonstrate knowledge of professional standards and issues as well as their communication skills that make them ready as future IT professionals.

The second assessment item allows students to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skills in using MS Office tools, fundamental software used in businesses. The Microsoft Excel Associate Certification is embedded in this assessment to ensure students achieve industry standards in their technical skills and be ready for their future in the IT profession.

The final assessment is a group problem solving task where a group of students will apply the practices, skills, and knowledge they have acquired to design an IT solution to a hypothetical problem in an ethical manner with a concern for the common good. .It allows students to demonstrate their ability to solve problems by applying the practices, skills and knowledge they have learnt.

The assessments for this unit are designed to demonstrate the achievement of each learning outcome. To pass this unit, students are required to:

• obtain at least 50% of assessment task 3
• obtain an overall mark of at least 50%
• attempt all three assessment items

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

George Reynolds, 2019. Ethics in Information Technology, 6th Edition, Cengage Learning.

Stair, R.M., Reynolds, G.W. Bryant, J., Frydenberg, M, Greenberg, H., Schell, G., 2021, Principles of Information Systems, 4th edn, Cengage Learning, Boston, ISBN 978-0-367-11241-0

 Bidgoli, H., 2021, MIS, 10th edn, Cengage Learning, Boston, ISBN 978-0-357-41869-7

Kate Williams, Mary Woolliams, Jane Spiro, 2020. Reflective Writing, 2nd Edition, Palgrave Macmillan.