Information Systems Unit 3 Outcomes
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For this unit students are required to demonstrate achievement of three outcomes. As a set these outcomes encompass all areas of study for the unit.

Outcome 1

On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain the functions of, and the relationships between, the components of a networked information system used in an organisation.

Key knowledge

In achieving this outcome the student will draw on knowledge described in area of study 1.  To achieve this outcome the student should demonstrate knowledge of

·         types of information systems used by individuals and organisations, including transaction processing, decision support, expert system;
·        
purposes of using information systems in a range of settings such as business, medicine, manufacturing, education,
        banking for repetitive processing, performance monitoring, information transferral, data searching and manipulation;
·         roles and functions of the components of an information system, including people, equipment, procedures, data;
·        
computer architecture, including the functions of the main components and how the components are connected;
·        
types of networks including local area networks (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN), and an overview of types and
        capabilities of network topologies, including star, bus; and supporting technology and properties, including cabling and bandwidth;

·        
network operating systems, network architecture and components, such as network cards, switches, routers, servers,
         together with protocols, such as TCP/IP;

·        
tools to represent the components of a networked information system and their relationship, such as network diagrams.

Key skills

To achieve this outcome the student should demonstrate the ability to

·         identify the purpose of an information system and the type of network described in a given written scenario;
·        
represent visually the following components of a networked information system and their relationships: the equipment,
        key sources of data used in the system and the people involved with the system;

·        
annotate the components to indicate the roles of the people and the functions of the equipment in an information system;
·        
analyse the operations of an information system in order to explain why the identified topology was chosen and
        comment on its appropriateness.

Teachers' Notes

Practice task 1

Practice task 1 answers

Practice task 2

Practice task 2 answers

Network_diagram (Inspiration)

Outcome 2

On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse an information system and explain and justify a detailed design for a new or modified networked information system.

Key knowledge

In achieving this outcome the student will draw on knowledge described in areas of study 1 and 2.  To achieve this outcome the student should demonstrate knowledge of

·         the systems development life cycle, including analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation;
·        
economic, social and technical factors prompting change within organisations;
·        
role and functions of the components of an information system, including people, equipment, procedures, data;
·        
primary and secondary data sources and data acquisition methods to conduct the analysis, including direct observation,
        surveys, interviews, system and program documentation, logs;

·        
existing information system context, processes and data structures, including the input and output requirements of the
        system, details of each process, data stores and data structures;

·        
information system goals and objectives;
·        
logical design techniques for documenting the results of the analysis, including context diagrams, data flow diagrams
        and data dictionaries;

·        
input, processing and output specifications to meet information system goals and objectives;
·        
types of data and a range of equipment appropriate for inputting, processing, storing, accessing, and outputting data and information;
·        
functions and characteristics of hardware and software component options and procedures available to meet the  requirement specifications;
·        
technical, operational and economic criteria for evaluating the feasibility of alternative design options to achieve the
         information system goals and objectives;

·        
physical design specifications, including the output and input devices, format, size and use of files, software capabilities,
         control procedures, backup procedures, security procedures, virus protection;

·        
tools to represent the relationships between information system components, including data flow diagrams (level 1),
         hierarchy charts, and an overview of structure charts, system flow charts;

·        
criteria for evaluating the performance of proposed information systems, including efficiency, effectiveness, cost, maintainability.

Key skills

To achieve this outcome the student should demonstrate the ability to

·         analyse an existing information system to identify why it needs to change;
·        
propose a range of methods to collect data;
·        
formulate the goals and objectives for the new or modified information system;
·        
document the logical design of the new or modified information system;
·        
describe the hardware and software specifications of the new or modified information system;
·        
select a system objective and identify two hardware and/or software alternatives;
·        
evaluate the hardware and/or software alternatives on the basis of their technical, operational or economic feasibility;
·        
recommend the hardware and/or software components for the new or modified system and state criteria to evaluate the
        performance of the system.

Practice SAC

Practice SAC solution

SAC 2 Preparation

SAC

SAC solutions

Outcome 3

On completion of this unit the student should be able to produce a software module, in response to a system design, and verify its performance against the design specifications.

Key knowledge

In achieving this outcome the student will draw on knowledge described in areas of study 2 and 3. To achieve this outcome the student should demonstrate knowledge of

·         the systems development life cycle, including analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation;
·        
the stages of software development, including analysis, design, development, testing, documentation and evaluation;
·        
file management considerations, including security, archive, backup, disposal;
·        
naming conventions for files and objects;
·        
data types to meet particular needs within software designs;
·        
data representation methods and factors that determine the representation methods selected, such as units of storage and character codes;
·        
approaches to designing software;
·        
methods of expressing software design using algorithms, including an overview of flow charts, pseudocode,
        Nassi-Schneidermann diagrams, and a detailed understanding of one of these;

·        
purpose and characteristics of internal documentation;
·        
legal obligations of programmers, including adherence to amendments made to the Copyright Act with respect to digital
        content, (Copyright Amendment (Digital Agenda) Act 2000), and ethical considerations regarding the development of
        programming solutions;

·        
criteria for evaluating software, including effectiveness, efficiency, stability, reliability, useability, maintainability;
·        
a high-level programming language as a method for implementing software design;
·        
techniques for checking that coded programs meet design specifications, including construction of test data;
·        
principles of hardware operation essential to the development of software modules.

Key skills

To achieve this outcome the student should demonstrate the ability to

·         interpret the design specifications by representing processes in the form of algorithms and data structures in the form of a data table;
·        
use a programming language from the list published annually by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority;
·        
apply relevant constructs of the programming language to produce a working module;
·        
prepare internal documentation for the module;
·        
compare the intended with the actual module capabilities;
·        
explain how the program has taken into account an ethical consideration or a legal obligation.

Teacher notes

Practice SAC

Pseudocode for SAC

Practice SAC (partial) solutions

Assessment sheet

Test Table


ASSESSMENT

The award of satisfactory completion for a unit is based on a decision that the student has demonstrated achievement of the set of outcomes specified for the unit. This decision will be based on the teacher's assessment of the student's overall performance on assessment tasks designated for the unit.

The key knowledge and skills listed for each outcome should be used as a guide to course design and the development of learning activities. The key knowledge and skills do not constitute a checklist and such an approach is not necessary or desirable for determining the achievement of outcomes. The elements of key knowledge and skills should not be assessed separately.

Assessment of levels of achievement

The student's level of achievement in Unit 3 will be determined by school-assessed coursework and an end-of-year examination.

School-assessed coursework for Unit 3 will contribute 25 per cent to the final assessment.

The level of achievement for Units 3 and 4 is also1 assessed by an end-of-year examination, which will contribute 50 per cent to the study score.

School assessed coursework

Teachers will provide to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority a score representing an assessment of the student's level of achievement.

The score must be based on the teachers rating of performance of each student on the tasks set out in the following table and in accordance with an assessment guide published annually by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. The assessment guide will also include advice on the scope of the task and the criteria for assessment.

Assessment tasks must be a part of the regular teaching and learning program and must not unduly add to the workload associated with that program. They must be completed mainly in class and within a limited timeframe. Where optional assessment tasks are used, teachers must ensure that they are comparable in scope and demand.