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.