Information Systems and Digital Technologies Course Code: ITS315113

2013 Assessment Report

Tasmanian  Qualifications  Authority   Page  1  of  7  

This  year  has  seen  Information  Systems  and  Digital  Technologies  make  a  ground  breaking  change  to  the  way  that  a  pretertiary  course  is  assessed.    In  line  with  the  new  syllabus,  the  exam  was  designed  and  carefully  marked  with  the  knowledge  that  candidates  were  allowed  to  access  the  resources  of  their  computers  and  the  internet,  almost  without  restriction.    This  innovative  approach  that  reflects  the  connected  digital  world  we  live  in,  has  been  very  successful  in  the  markers’  view.  A  key  benefit  is  an  exam  that  truly  expected  demonstration  of  understanding.  The  word  processed  responses  aided  the  quality  of  the  communication  from  candidates.    It  also  assisted  the  marking  to  be  of  a  high  order  with  excellent  internal  quality  assurance.        Clearly  popular  with  the  candidates,  the  responses  showed  a  greater  depth  of  understanding  than  in  previous  years.  The  ability  to  access  the  internet  noticeably  benefitted  the  candidates  and  enabled  them  to  concentrate  on  providing  more  sophisticated  and  complete  answers.    In  the  markers’  view,  it  was  felt  that  candidates  who  had  a  quality  major  project  experience  would  be  in  a  better  position  to  give  responses  that  address  the  understanding  in  the  paper.      Better  reading  and  in  depth  scrutiny  of  the  case  study  and  the  entire  paper  would  have  improved  many  candidates’  responses  to  the  questions.    Candidates  who  clearly  linked  their  responses  to  the  case  study  gained  higher  results.        The  newly  introduced  Criterion  8  was  marked  in  all  questions.    Candidates  who  more  fully  addressed  this  criterion  achieved  better  results  both  in  this  and  their  other  criteria  as  they  were  able  to  more  clearly  communicate  their  understanding.        Candidates  will  need  in  the  future  to  address  the  requirements  for  better  referencing  of  information  sources.  There  was  a  wide  variety  of  student  recording  of  URLs.    Unclear  referencing  by  some  candidates  hampered  them  achieving  better  results,  in  particular  for  Criterion  8.    Candidates  should  note  that  the  clear  expectation  of  the  exam  is  to  mark  candidates  own  work.  Most  candidates  did  provide  their  own  evaluated  and  synthesised  responses  when  utilising  outsourced  information.        

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SECTION  A    Question  1    (a) Candidates  needed  to  ensure  that  they  evaluated  the  existing  system  using  the  four  information  

system  components,  not  just  repeated  the  scenario.  Some  candidates  added  further  system  assumptions  that  were  not  described  or  included  incorrect  information  about  the  nature  of  the  VisPromote  existing  system  by  not  clearly  reading  the  case  study.    

Sample  Answers    

Information  Systems  

Component  

Evaluation  

 Data    

• Client  information:  contact,  advertising  location  and  sales.    Not  ideally  stored  using  the  current  tool  (Word  Processor)  as  there  would  be  data  management,  validation  and  storage  issues.    Sophisticated  queries  are  not  able  to  be  achieved  on  this  data.    

 Equipment    

Hardware  • 4  Year  old  computer:  most  likely  using  an  out-­‐dated  processor,  graphics,  and  

network  card.    More  likely  the  machine  could  break  down  due  to  do  age  • Stand  Alone:  Not  networked  can  lead  to  issues  with  printing,  internet  access  

and  backups.        

Software  • Operating  system:  As  computer  is  now  four  years  old  most  likely  it  is  running  

an  older  operating  system  which  would  need  continual  updates.  • Word  Processing  Program:  Once  again  an  out-­‐dated  product,  may  have  

compatibility  issues.    

 People    

• Part  Time  Systems  Operator:  Not  ideal  to  have  a  part  time  employee  as  may  not  have  the  skills  or  may  not  be  available  to  fix  a  problem  when  required.  

• VisPromote’s  Owner:  As  a  small  business  operator  he  may  lack  the  resources/capital  to  employ  full  time  ICT  staff.    

 Procedures    

• Backups:  Using  a  USB  data  stick.    Very  dangerous  form  of  backup  as  data  could  easily  get  corrupted.    Stick  could  be  misplaced.    Limited  size.  

• No  redundancy  plan  seems  to  be  in  place  for  failure  of  equipment.    

 (b) Some  candidates  did  not  respond  to  this  question  in  table  form  as  requested.    They  therefore  

didn’t  have  the  structure  to  readily  evaluate  the  effectiveness  of  two  different  tools  with  sufficient  detail.    

(c) Better  responses  included  detail  to  address  some  of  the  issues  raised  in  the  part  (a)  evaluation.    

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Current  Tool  (Word  Processor)   New  Tool  (Database)  Pros   Cons   Pros   Cons  

• Easy  to  use  for  the  average  user  

• Templates  may  be  able  to  make  the  data  appear  to  be  well-­‐ordered  

               

 

• Cannot  perform  sophisticated  queries  on  the  data.  

• Cannot  control  data  validation  

• Need  to  have  a  separate  document  for  each  client  

• Cannot  run  reports  on  the  information  

• Cannot  easily  export  data  (such  as  finances)  into  another  tool  such  as  a  spreadsheet  

 

• Can  perform  sophisticated  queries  data  

• Can  control  data  validation  

• Can  store  all  data  in  tables.    Easy  to  store  and  locate  file  

• Can  easily  run  reports  on  the  data  

• Can  easily  export  data  (such  as  finances)  into  another  tool  such  as  a  spreadsheet  

• Steep  learning  curve  for  the  average  user  

• Setup  time  /  costs  may  be  an  issue  

• Ongoing  maintenance  and  data  recovery  may  be  an  issue  

   

Question  2    (a) Candidates  generally  answered  well  the  ‘describe’  part  of  the  question  but  many  neglected  to  

address  the  ‘how’  of  the  development  of  a  new  system  specifically  for  VisPromote.      It  would  also  have  been  desirable  for  more  candidates  to  use  the  four  sections  of  the  System  Development  Lifecycle  that  are  stated  in  the  IS&DT  syllabus  rather  than  the  full  range  of  SDLC  models  (often  with  many  more  sections)  that  are  too  readily  available  from  the  internet.    

 Some  candidates  used  downloaded  images  or  diagrams  of  various  SDLC  models.  It  is  noted  that  use  of  such  appropriate  diagrams  does  have  the  potential  to  clarify  the  written  part  of  student’s  answers  provided  they  linked  the  diagram  to  the  case  study.  

 It  was  expected  the  ‘how’  part  of  the  question  required  candidates  to  apply  the  facts  of  the  case  study  directly  to  each  of  the  parts  of  the  SDLC.  The  question  expected  that  candidates  would  have  realised  that  the  new  system  was  required  to  address  the  increase  in  the  number  of  tour  companies,  as  the  current  word  processing  solution  storing  details  and  monthly  sales  calculations,  would  be  inefficient.  

 Some  candidates  incorrectly  thought  the  question  was  to  address  how  to  increase  the  number  of  tour  operator  clients  rather  than  demonstrating  how  to  go  about  designing  an  efficient  system.  

 (b) Only  some  candidates  answered  this  question  well.  Many  others  clearly  understood  where  the  

operator  was  going  wrong  by  jumping  into  writing  macros  (without  going  through  a  process);  this  could  or  would  cause  difficulties.  They,  however,  failed  to  address  the  question  of  what  happens  in  each  part  of  the  Project  Lifecycle  (which  were  specified  in  the  question)  and  a  common  error  was  to  consider  this  to  be  a  SDLC  question.    

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It  is  vital  that  Candidates  know  the  difference  (and  the  relationship)  between  SDLC  and  Project  Lifecycle  (PLC)  before  addressing  such  a  question.        Question  3    Candidates  generally  answered  this  question  rather  too  briefly  and  whilst  some  identified  more  than  two  ethical  and  legal  issues,  most  stated  the  most  obvious.    Better  answers  linked  the  issues  to  appropriate  laws  eg  Copyright  or  National  Privacy  Principles.    Sample  Answers    

Ethical  Issues   Legal  Implications    Business  Practice  /  Data  Handling    

 No  validation  of  the  data  that  is  being  used.    There  has  been  no  scoping  done  for  this  extra  work  so  the  systems  operator  may  be  creating  something  which  breaches  the  business  ethics/protocols  that  VisPromote  operates  by.    

 Intellectual  Property      

 Copyright:  The  copyright  of  the  current  system  belongs  to  VisPromote  and  the  systems  operator  has  not  been  given  the  authority  to  change  it.        Code  that  is  “found  on  the  web”  may  be  copyrighted  and  not  able  to  be  used  for  the  systems  operator  purpose.    Trademarks  and  patients  may  become  an  issue.    

 Security    

 Code  Errors/Bugs:  There  is  no  guarantee  that  the  code  that  is  found  on  the  web  is  bug  free  and  it  may  introduce  security  issues  into  the  current  system.    

 Privacy    

 The  systems  operator  may  be  using  client  data  in  a  way  that  is  not  intended  and  breaks  some  of  the  National  Privacy  Principles.    

 Employment  Contracts    

 Employee  working  on  tasks  that  are  outside  his  employment  contract  can  lead  to  industrial  disputes  and  potential  injuries.    Working  outside  of  hours  may  make  the  systems  operators  actual  work  less  productive  (because  he  is  tired)  when  he  returns  to  the  VisPromote  offices  the  next  day.    

   

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SECTION  B    Question  4    Candidates  were  given  30  minutes  of  researching  and  20  minutes  to  write  the  answer  however  the  answer  given  from  many  candidates  did  not  reflect  this.  The  question  stated,  “By  Discussing  at  least  two  of  the  four  parts”  and  many  candidates  saw  this  as  an  opportunity  to  discuss  only  two  of  the  four  parts.      Many  students  did  not  understand  the  concept  of  comparing  two  systems,  and  instead  just  gave  very  general  descriptions  such  as  “it  looks  good  and  is  appealing  to  the  eye”,  rather  than  describing  the  actual  system  behind  it.    Candidates  often  compared  two  completely  different  systems  (often  not  relevant  to  the  case  study)  and  found  it  hard  to  make  comparisons.  Some  candidates  only  gave  general  descriptions  about  an  information  kiosk  (often  from  Wikipedia)  rather  than  researching  an  actual  one  in  use.    Better  responses  compared  two  similar  systems  that  would  be  appropriate  for  the  problem  situation  of  VisPromote  and  made  direct  comparisons  (sometimes  using  a  set  of  criteria)  between  the  two  systems  and  evaluated  which  would  be  better  suited.      Question  5    Question  5  had  two  parts  and  focused  on  stakeholders  and  the  interrelationship  between  the  four  parts  of  the  information  system.  Most  candidates  could  clearly  show  how  two  different  stakeholders  (people)  were  dependent  on  timely  and  accurate  data,  however,  better  candidates  clearly  identified  the  need  to  spend  more  time  on  the  second  part  of  the  question  (interrelationship).  Most  candidates  could  describe  the  four  parts  of  the  new  information  system  chosen,  however  they  missed  describing  the  interrelationship  between  them.  When  it  was  described  it  was  generally  done  well  and  better  answers  showed  how  procedures  combined  the  other  three  parts  to  process  information  and  produce  the  preferred  output.        

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Question  6    Candidates  who  gave  better  responses  to  this  question  ensured  that  they  addressed  each  of  the  three  aspects  -­‐  privacy,  intellectual  property  and  ethical  behaviour  -­‐  with  realistic,  well  explained  responses.      Several  candidates  missed  addressing  the  intellectual  property  part  of  the  question.    Explanation  of  relevant  laws  assisted  better  explanations.    

Sample  Answers  

                     

Social/Ethical  Issue   Demands  on  client  from  VisPromote    Privacy    

 VisPromote  must  ensure  that  all  the  National  Privacy  Principles  are  upheld  appropriately.    If  the  kiosk  is  using  any  type  of  financial  transaction,  VisPromote  needs  to  ensure  all  guidelines  are  kept  as  per  the  financial  supplier’s  guidelines.    There  could  be  a  check-­‐in  process  whereby  VisPromote  looks  at  the  new  client  updates  before  it  is  published.    

 Intellectual  Property    

 VisPromote  needs  to  ensure  that  the  tour  operators  do  not  break  any  regulations  in  relation  to  copyright,  trademarks  or  patents.    These  can  be  stipulated  to  the  tour  operators  before  they  update  their  information.        Relevant  laws  would  include  the  Copyright  Act  (1968)  and  The  Copyright  Amendment  Act  (2006).    

 Ethical  Behaviour    

 It  would  be  wise  for  VisPromote  to  outline  how  the  clients  should  ethically  act  when  they  load  their  information  onto  the  kiosk.    ACMA  has  produced  guides  which  help  business  act  ethically  online.    Types  of  issues  may  include  online  marketing  guidelines;  useability  for  visual/hearing  impaired;  B2B  eCommerce  and  reporting  processes  for  abuse  of  systems.    Relevant  laws  would  include  the  Spam  Act  (2003)    

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  identifies  and  describes  in  writing  the  correct  sequence  the  four  phases  of  Project  Life  Cycle  (PLC)  and  justifies  the  inclusion  of  the  processes  in  each  phase  

identifies  and  describes  in  writing  and  in  the  correct  sequence  the  four  phases  of  Project  Life  Cycle  (PLC)  

identifies  and  describes  in  writing  the  four  phases  of  the  Project  Life  Cycle  (PLC)  

all  four  phases  of  the  Project  Life  Cycle  PLC  not  identified  and/or  very  poor  description  of  each  phase  

identifies  and  describes  in  writing  the  correct  sequence  of  the  four  stages  of  the  Systems  Development  Life  Cycle  (SDLC)  and  justifies  the  unique  processes  in  each  phase  

identifies  and  describes  in  writing  the  correct  sequence  of  the  four  stages  of  the  Systems  Development  Life  Cycle  (SDLC)    

identifies  and  describes  in  writing  the  four  stages  of  the  Systems  Development  Life  Cycle  (SDLC)  

all  four  phases  of  the  SLC  not  identified  and/or  very  poor  description  of  each  phase  

correctly  uses  specialised  terminology  when  discussing  and  writing  about  project  management  issues  

correctly  uses  terminology  when  discussing  and  writing  about  project  management  issues  

correctly  uses  basic  terminology  when  discussing  and  writing  about  a  project  management  issue  

Little  or  no  use  of  basic  terminology  when  writing  about  a  project  management  issue  

   

TASMANIAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

ASSESSMENT PANEL REPORT

ITS315113 Information Systems & Digital Technologies

3% (2) 17% (13) 38% (30) 42% (33) 78

1% (1) 16% (13) 39% (31) 44% (35) 80

11 % 19 % 39 % 31 %

8 % 14 % 42 % 36 %

11 % 19 % 39 % 30 %

96% (75) 4% (3) 28% (22) 72% (56)

86% (69) 14% (11) 36% (29) 64% (51)

84% 16% 35% 65%

This year

Last year

Previous 5 years

EA HA CA SA Total

Previous 5 years (all examined subjects)

Last year (all examined subjects)

Award Distribution

Student Distribution (SA or better)

This year

Last year

Previous 5 years

Male Female Year 11 Year 12