ISYS114: Introduction to Systems Design and Data Management
Semester 2, 2011
Faculty: Science; Department: Computing
General Information
Credit points: 3
Convenor: A/Prof Manolya Kavakli
Prerequisites: none
Students should read this unit guide carefully at the start of semester. It contains important information about the unit. If anything in it is unclear, please consult one of the teaching staff in the unit.
About This Unit
Description
This unit introduces students to requirements engineering/systems analysis and design, as well as databases. The principles and concepts of data storage, management and modelling are considered, including the role of data in business. The systems analysis and design component uses the traditional Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM), and acts as a design precursor to the database section of the unit. Different methodologies for database design and implementation are covered. These include the flatfile, hierarchical, network and relational approaches. Fundamental data modelling tools, techniques and query languages are introduced. The importance of an ethical approach to the collection, use and storage of data and the construction of systems is emphasised. The unit concentrates upon building a firm foundation in information representation, organisation and storage with particular emphasis upon the application of database systems. It thus acts a precursor to both ISYS224 (Database Systems) and ISYS254 (Applications Modelling and Development).
What is new?
This unit is revised in line with the new degrees to provide a foundation for analysis and design, databases and basic programming. The textbook is new.
Teaching Staff
| Role | Name | Room | Office hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convener, Lecturer | A/Prof Manolya Kavakli | manolya.kavakli@mq.edu.au | E6A367 | Tues 15-17 |
| Lecturer | Matthew Mansour | matthew.mansour@mq.edu.au | E3B118 | Mon 11.30 -12.30 pm |
| Tutor | Pierre Diab | pierre.diab@mq.edu.au | HELP101 | Mon 6pm |
| Tutor | Yifan Gao | yifan.gao@mq.edu.au | TBA | TBA |
| Tutor | Hien Trang Nguyen | hien.nguyen@mq.edu.au | TBA | TBA |
| Tutor | Ukachukwu Ndukwu | ukachukwu.ndukwu@mq.edu.au | TBA | TBA |
All emails related to ISYS114 should be sent to manolya.kavakli@mq.edu.au and must include your full name and your student id number. If the question has anything to do with practicals or tutorials, please include your tutorial day and time and tutor's name.
Teaching and Learning
Classes
Lectures
There are 2 hours of lectures per week.- Day Lectures : Monday 3-5 pm in C5CT1.
Each week you should attend two hours of lectures, and a 1 hour mixed class (including a tutorial and a practical). For details of days, times and rooms consult the timetables webpage.
Note that tutorials and practicals commence in week 2.
Please note that you are required to submit tutorial work each week, required to submit at least two assignments and expected to attend most of the tutorials and practicals. Failure
to do so may result in you failing the unit (see the precise requirements)
or being excluded from the exam (see the rule).
Resources to assist your learning
iLecture
Digital recordings of lectures are available here. Read instructions here.
Textbook
The textbook for ISYS114 used this semester is:
-
Systems Analysis and Design, 8/E by Shelly and Rosenblatt, Shelly Cashman Series, Australia
Please note that 9th edition is also available and students may choose to use it.
9th edition of � Systems Analysis and Design by Shelly and Rosenblatt, Shelly Cashman Series, Australia
Technology
MS Word, PowerDesigner, Oracle
Websites
The web page for this unit can be found at http://www.comp.mq.edu.au/units/isys114.
Discussion Boards
The unit makes use of discussion boards hosted within Moodle. Please post questions of general interest there (for example, about assessment tasks), they are monitored by the staff on the unit.Staff-Student Liaison Committee
The Department has established a Staff-Student Liaison Committee at each level (100, 200, 300) to provide all students studying a Computing unit the opportunity to discuss related issues or problems with both students and staff.
100-Level Liaison Meeting
The committee meets three times during the semester. For each meeting, an agenda is issued and minutes
are taken. These are posted on the web at http://www.comp.mq.edu.au/units/100-liaison
If you have exhausted all other avenues, then you should consult the Director of Teaching (Dr. Christophe Doche) or the Head of Department (Prof. Bernard Mans). You are entitled to have your concerns raised, discussed and resolved.
Student Support Services
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can accessed at http://www.student.mq.edu.au.
Assumed knowledge
There is no assumed knowledge
Topic List
| Week | Topic | Reading/Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Kavakli) | Introduction - Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design, Analysing the Business case | 1 - 2 |
| 2 (Kavakli) | Managing System Projects, Requirements Modelling, Introduction to Assignment 1 | 3, 4 |
| 3 (Kavakli) | Data and Process Modelling | 5 |
| 4 (Kavakli) | Object Modelling and Unified Modelling Language | 6 |
| 5 (Kavakli) | User Interface Design, Assignment1 due, Introduction to Assignment 2 | 8 |
| 6 (Mansour) | Entity-relationship modelling, Table creation, Key Constraints. Row insertion, deletion. | 9 |
| 7 (Mansour) | Database Design and Concepts, Basic Select Functions - Single Table Queries, Examples of joins, Assignment2 due, Introduction to Assignment 3 | 9 |
| 8 (Public Holiday - Labour Day) | Feedback on Assignment 1 and 2 | |
| 9 (Mansour) | DB concepts, Select � joins. Views . | TBA |
| 10 (Mansour) | Advanced DB concepts, Joins, Views, Updating Data, Database Administration | 9 |
| 11 (Mansour) | Managing System Support and Security, Assignment3 due | 12 |
| 12 (Mansour) | System Architecture and Managing Systems Implementation, GreenIT, Systems Analysis in practice | 10,11 |
| 13 (Kavakli) | Revision, Feedback on Assignment 3 |
Teaching and Learning Strategy
ISYS114 is taught via lectures, tutorials and practicals. The feedback that you receive plays also a crucial role in your learning.
Lectures are used to introduce new material, provide motivation
and context for your study, guide you in what is important to learn and
explain more difficult concepts.
Tutorials and practicals are small group classes which give you the opportunity to interact with your peers and with a tutor who has a sound knowledge of the subject. This also gives you a chance to practice your technology skills.
You have many opportunities to seek for and to receive feedback. During lectures, you are encouraged to ask the lecturer questions to clarify anything you might not be sure of. Each week, you will be given activities and problems to solve in the tutorials and practicals. This will at times involved contributing to a group of students and presenting solutions to the class. The comments and the solutions provided will help you to understand the material in the unit, prepare you for the work in assignments as well as for the final exam. It is important that you keep up with these problems every week. Assignments have been especially designed to deliver continuous feedback on your work.
Each week you should:
- Attend lectures, take notes, ask questions
- Attend your tutorial/practical and seek feedback from your tutor on your work
- Read assigned reading material (ideally before the lecture), add to your notes and prepare questions for your lecturer or tutor
- Start working on any assignments immediately after they have been released.
Lecture notes are made available each week but these notes are intended as an outline of the lecture only and are not a substitute for your own notes or reading of the textbook or other additional material.
Learning outcomes
It is expected that on completion of this unit/topic, students will have:- An understanding of the core principles of system analysis, the design process and their role in software development
- An understanding of the requirements gathering process.
- An ability to write a software requirements specification.
- An ability to use object-oriented and structured system analysis and design techniques and tools for introductory level problem solving and software design and specification.
- Understanding the translation process of implementing system models into databases.
- An appreciation of the fundamental role of database technology in business information systems.
- an ability to design and create simple databases.
- an ability to program interactive queries.
- An appreciation of the role and nature of ethics and sustainability in the IT environment.
Learning Outcome #3
- Knowledge development and presentation for criteria in L.O. #1
- Knowledge and application for L.O. #2
- Knowledge for L.O. #3
See also the different standards corresponding to these criteria.
Graduate Capabilities
All academic programs at Macquarie University seek to develop a range of graduate capabilities. One of the aims of this unit is that students develop their skills in the following:
- Discipline Specific Knowledge and skills
- Knowledge of current modelling techniques
- System Analysis and Design terminology and experience
- Basic Programming Concepts
- Database experience
- Effective Communication
- Problem Solving and Research Capability
- Creativity and Innovation
- Socially and Environmentally active and responsbile
Assessment
The new assessment policy of Macquarie University implies the use of standards based assessment. In this context, the learning outcomes are aligned with the assessment tasks and the performance of each student is evaluated against a set of predefined criteria and standards.
Assessment tasks
The following tables summarizes the different aspects of the assessment in this unit. In particular, it links each task to the learning outcomes of the unit.
| Task | Due Date | Weekly Workload | Feedback | Learning outcomes assessed | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | End of Week 5 | 5 hours | Return of Marked Assignment, Online comments | Use cases - L01 | 16% |
| Assignment 2 | End of Week 7 | 2 hours | Marked Assignment online | HCI - L01 | 4% |
| Assignment 3 | End of Week 11 | 4 hours | Marked Assignment online | Database Design - L02 | 20% |
| Tutorial Submission and Attendance | Each week | 1.5 hour per week | Online marks | All | 10% (1 mark per tutorial for submission and attendance) |
| Final Exam | All | 50% |
Note that a certain number of requirements must be fulfilled
in order to pass this unit.
If you cannot complete a piece of work please see the convenor before the due date. Check also
the special consideration policy.
A more detailed description of each task is given below.
Tutorial Submissions
Each week, a set of exercises will be made available online. All the questions will be discussed during your tutorial class. You are expected to submit answers to the online tutorial question(s) on Moodle before 12 noon on the Monday of the following week. Your submission will be marked by your tutor (out of 1 mark). There will be 10 exercises worth 1 mark each. It is possible to achieve 10 marks.
Assignments
There are 3 assignments.
- The first assignment requires you to analyse a problem statement, perform some requirements gathering and follow the IEEE standard to create a Software/Systems Requirements Specification (SRS). The document must be prepared using a standard word processor such as Word and a CASE tool such as Power Designer.
- The second assignment requires you to apply and develop your understanding of system analysis and design concepts and submit a professionally presented document demonstrating the use of systems analysis techniques and tools and modelling skills.
- The third assignment assesses your ability to design a database and provide interactive queries.
- set your personal deadline earlier than the actual one;
- keep backups of all your important files;
- make sure that no-one else picks up your printouts.
These will be submitted and marked online.
You are encouraged to:
Late work will be accepted with a penalty of 20% of the marks for the assignment per day submitted late. Hence, an assignment submitted five days late will get no marks. If you cannot submit on time because of illness or other circumstances, please contact the lecturer before the due date.
Final Examination
For
this unit, a final examination will test your learning
and knowledge of learning outcomes #1, #2 and #3.
The final examination accounts for 50% of the final mark.
Regarding the examination process, note that
- you must attend all required classes and submit all required assessment, otherwise the Executive Dean of the Faculty or delegated authority has the power to refuse permission to attend the final examination
- the University Examination period in for Second Half Year 2011 is mid November to mid December 2011
- you are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable
- the timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the examinations and in Final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of examinations
- no early examinations for individuals or groups of students will be set. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester, that is the final day of the official examination period
- the only exception to not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances you may wish to consider applying for Special Consideration.
Standards
Four standards, namely Developing, Functional, Proficient, and Advanced, summarize as many different levels of achievement. Each standard is precisely defined to help students know what kind of performance is expected to deserve a certain grade. Typically, Developing corresponds PC, Functional is for P, Proficient for Cr, and Advanced covers D and HD. The standards corresponding to the learning outcomes and criteria of this unit are given below:
| Criteria for L.O. #1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Development | ||||
| Criteria for L.O. #2 | ||||
| Data Base | ||||
| Criteria for L.O. #3 | ||||
| Ethics | ||||
Grading
For each task, those standards translate into a mark and the different component marks are added up. You will then be given a grade that reflects your achievement in the unit. The following description of the different grades is still in draft form and therefore not official as yet
- Fail (F): does not provide evidence of attainment of all learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; and incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the discipline.
- Pass (P): provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; and communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the specified outcomes.
- Credit (Cr): provides evidence of learning that goes beyond replication of content knowledge or skills relevant to the learning outcomes. There is demonstration of substantial understanding of fundamental concepts in the field of study and the ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; plus communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the discipline.
- Distinction (D): provides evidence of integration and evaluation of critical ideas, principles and theories, distinctive insight and ability in applying relevant skills and concepts in relation to learning outcomes. There is demonstration of frequent originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience.
- High Distinction (HD): provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critical evaluation of problems, their solutions and their implications; creativity in application.
In particular, in order to pass the unit, you must
- submit a satisfactory (>= 50% of possible marks) attempt at 2 of the 3 assignments
- perform at a functional level or above in final exam
Administration
Macquarie is developing a number of policies in the area of learning and teaching. Approved policies and associated guidelines can be found at Policy Central. Refer to the Science Centre regarding the implementation of these policies (e.g. precise procedures, forms, deadlines, etc).
Special Consideration
Special Consideration is intended for a student who is prevented by serious and unavoidable disruption
from completing any unit requirements in accordance with their ability.
This application form needs to be filled and submitted to
the Science centre along with some evidence to support your case.
Depending on the circumstances presented, the convenor may choose to give you an alternate assessment,
additional time for an assessment, make-up exam, etc.
If a Supplementary Examination is granted as a result of the
Special Consideration process the examination will be scheduled
after the conclusion of the official examination period.
For
details of the Special Consideration policy specific to the
Department of Computing, see the Department's policy
page.
Grade Appeal
In case of problems arising with your final grade, the first step is to organise a review. The Department recommends that you request an appointment with the convenor of the unit in order to review your grade. If the review does not solve the problem, a formal Grade Appeal can be lodged. See the grade appeal policy.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Plagiarism involves using the work of another person and presenting it as one's own. The Department, in line with University policy, treats all cases seriously. In particular, the Department, keeps a record of all plagiarism cases. This record is referred to so that an appropriate penalty can be applied to each case.