Objectives

This assignment is designed to develop a portfolio of resources that you can use during your degree. The compilation of your Portfolio is progressive throughout the term. Please refer to the unit profile to see how this assessment item relates to the unit learning outcomes.

These objectives will be measured by the ‘closeness of fit’ to meeting the requirements and the marking criteria below.

General Assessment Criteria

Assessments provide the opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to achieve the required standard. To do this, assessment responses need to be both clear and easy to understand. If not, the University cannot determine that students have demonstrated their knowledge and skills. Assessments will, therefore, be marked accordingly including the potential for 0 (zero) marks where relevant. All assessment items must focus on the topics given in the specifications for each item. Any assessment items outside the required topic may be awarded 0 (zero) marks.

All portfolio items require students to write about your views, reflections and/or experiences from a personal viewpoint. Therefore, all items should be written in first person unless other requirements are stated in a portfolio item. However, various written communication conventions have been discussed in the unit content and you should follow the writing styles appropriate for each assessment item. Do NOT simply write in ‘conversational’ style.

The length of each submission must be within the recommended range. If the submission exceeds the maximum word count the marker will stop marking.

If you use Track Changes when writing your submissions you must ensure that the submitted document is the final and correct version of the document. That is, if your submitted document contains Track Changes or Comments or any other editing marks it may be awarded 0 (zero) marks. It is your responsibility to submit the final and correct version of your report.

Files that are auto-submitted will not be reverted to draft status except in extenuating circumstances. It is your responsibility not to leave draft assessments in Moodle at the time of the original deadline if the files are not ready to be submitted for marking.

Academic Integrity

ALL assignments will be checked for plagiarism (material copied from other students and/or material copied from other sources) using TurnItIn. If you are found to have plagiarised material or if you have used someone else’s words without appropriate referencing, you will be penalised for plagiarism which could result in zero marks for the whole assessment item NOT just the individual submission. In some circumstances a more severe penalty may be imposed.

Requirements
Week 3 – Portfolio: Critical Thinking (5 marks)
Task

This portfolio item requires you to write two paragraphs about Critical Thinking.

Your entire submission should be approximately 350 words in length.

Your first paragraph should include a paraphrased definition of critical thinking supported by evidence. The
reference must be an academic source from the last 5 years. It must be selected using the Triple R framework*.
The structure of the paragraph should include a topic sentence, evidence and a concluding sentence summarising
your definition.

Write the second paragraph to highlight the need for ICT professionals to be good critical thinkers. This paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. You should then provide two unique examples to explain how ICT professionals would need apply their critical thinking skills. Conclude your paragraph with a sentence that summarises the importance of critical thinking for ICT professionals.

Marking Criteria

• Definition of critical thinking, paraphrasing an academic source. You must acknowledge the reference using APA referencing style (2 marks).
• Two (2) unique examples about the importance of ICT professionals being critical thinkers (2 marks).
• The paragraphs are structured as required – with a topic sentence, evidence/examples and a concluding sentence (1 mark).

  Notes:

• If you have current or previous ICT work experience, you may use examples from that. Otherwise, research the duties of various ICT jobs to find relevant examples. If you use other sources, you must to correctly acknowledge them using the APA referencing style.
• * APA referencing style is discussed in week 5 of the Term. Therefore, finalise the referencing after that session.

Note:
There will be a penalty of -1 mark if the submission contains grammatical and/or typographical errors or is NOT well structured and easy to understand or it is too long or too short (less than 300 or greater than 400 words).

Week 5 – Portfolio: SWOT Analysis (5 marks)
Task
Conduct a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis of your academic writing skills. An example can be found on page 16 of the prescribed textbook. The SWOT analysis should be presented in a square with four (4) quadrants or in a list as it is presented in the textbook. Each quadrant/section should have at least two (2) unique points. In addition to the SWOT analysis, you should outline some strategies to address one of the weaknesses that you identified in your presentation skills. That is, if you identified ‘lack of good grammar skills’ as a weakness then describe at least two strategies that you could use to overcome that weakness.

Marking Criteria
SWOT analysis:
Each section/quadrant of the SWOT analysis must have at least two (2) unique points that are an accurate appraisal of your presentation skills. If you use dot points you need to provide enough detail so that the marker can understand your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities or Threats (4 marks).

Strategies:
Identify a weakness that is listed in the SWOT analysis section. Must describe at least two strategies that are reasonable ways to overcome the weakness you identified (1 mark).

It is difficult to prescribe a recommended word count for this portfolio item as it will vary depending on how it is presented. It is expected that the length of the submission would be about one (1) A4 page.

Please note that if you have a Title page for your assessment submission that is NOT counted as part of the length.

Note:
1. If the submission contains grammatical and/or typographical errors or is NOT well structured and easy to understand there will be a penalty of –1 mark.
2. If you present the SWOT analysis as a quadrant it MUST NOT be an image. The marker has to be able to add comments or edit your submission to provide feedback – penalty of -1 mark.
3. If you use dot points then make sure the intent is clear, e.g. if grammar is a weakness write about ‘Lack of grammar skills’ if it is a strength write about ‘Good grammar skills’.

Week 7 – Portfolio: Reflective Writing (5 marks)
Task
By now you have received feedback and marks for your Participation Activity 1 (email to the lecturer). Discuss
that experience in two paragraphs of reflective writing. Describe the experience including your contribution for
the outcome in one paragraph. In the second paragraph, demonstrate what you have learnt from the experience,
describe how you would handle it or another assignment differently in the future, and evaluate the positives and
negatives of the experience (e.g. reading and reflecting on assessment feedback).

If you received full marks for your PA 1 and feedback that does not require further improvement, then select
another assessment from this Unit or another Unit you studied at CQU or at another university where you
received feedback on improvement. In this case, you should clearly identify the alternative assessment item
when describing your experience. Discuss with your lecturer if necessary.

Your submission should cover the three key points on reflective writing (see below). This should be
approximately 450 words.

The key points to consider when writing reflectively are:

1. You need to demonstrate what you have learned from a particular experience not just describe what happened.
2. There is no right or wrong answer—reflective writing is about what you learned from the experience.
3. Ask yourself the following questions and give your responses in your writing: Why did X happen? What did I
do in X situation? What were the positive and negative outcomes in the situation? How might I do things
differently next time? What have I learnt and how does this knowledge contribute to my development?
(McCulloch & Reid, 2015, p. 131)

Note 1: You should re-read pages 130-132 of the textbook to ensure you know what is meant by reflective writing.
Note 2: This reflective writing is about evaluating yourself; it is NOT about evaluating social media.

Marking Criteria

Your submission will be marked as follows. Write points 1 and 2 in your first paragraph, and write points 3, 4
and 5 in your second paragraph.

1. Include a brief description of the experience (1 mark).
2. Reflect on how you contributed to the experience (include positive and/or negative contributions as applicable) (1 mark).
3. Demonstrate what you have learned from the experience (1 mark).
4. Describe how you would handle the experience differently in the future or why you may not have to do anything different (1 mark)
5. Evaluated the positives and negatives of the situation (1 mark).

Use the three key points listed above to check that you have written reflectively about your experience. Ensure that you have addressed all 5 points.

Note if the submission contains grammatical and/or typographical errors or is NOT well structured and easy to understand or it is too long or too short (less than 400 or greater than 500 words) there will be a penalty of –1 mark.

Week 11 – Portfolio: Responding to an ethical scenario (5 marks)
Task
In week 9 you learnt about making decisions in various ethical situations. Understanding who you are and how
you relate to others in both your personal and work life can make you aware of the values that are important to
you as well as the values that you may need to work on to improve your professional standing. This portfolio
item is designed to make you think about how to respond to an ethical scenario as a good ICT professional. As
you are training to be an ICT professional you should refer to the ACS Code of Ethics and/or ACS Code of Professional Conduct in your response. It should be approximately 400 words.

Part A: Responding to an ethical situation
Scenario:
You are currently working in an ICT role (you may select a relevant position related to the ICT industry in your
response) where you have access to client information including their personal and financial information. You
have been assigned to analyse the customer database to identify records that have been inactive for the last three
years. The organisation wants to deactivate accounts that have not been used in the last three years so that those
inactive customers will no longer be able to use the rewards programs, thus saving a large amount of money for
the organisation. While analysing the records, you have realised that several of the organisation’s customers
include some of your best friends and their accounts are also going to be deactivated. This will mean that your
friends will no longer be able to enjoy the free benefits.

Write about 400 words (in 2 – 3 paragraphs) outlining how you will respond to this ethical dilemma. What will
you do in this situation? Will you identify the records as instructed by your management and follow the guidelines given to you, or will you inform your management about your dilemma and ask for permission to contact your friends so they can start using their accounts again to keep using the benefits? Or will you not say anything to your manager but simply contact your friends to inform the situation? Explain the reasons for your actions referring to the ACS Code of Ethics and/or the ACS Code of Professional Conduct. You must correctly reference the document/s in APA style.

Marking Criteria
Your response should include:

1. What would you do in this situation and why? (2 marks)
2. What elements from the ACS document/s would you consider as reasons for your actions? Indicate the particular element/s in the document/s you are referencing? (2 marks)
3. Why do you think it is important for an ICT professional to be an ethical person? (1 mark)

Note if the submission contains grammatical and/or typographical errors or is NOT well structured and easy to understand or it is too long or too short (less than 350 or greater than 450 words) there will be a penalty of –1 mark.

Week 12 – Portfolio: Successful Completion (10 marks)
Task
This portfolio item requires you to justify that you have successfully achieved the unit learning outcomes and to provide feedback about your experiences with the Unit. The response should have two parts and should not be longer than 2 A4 pages.

Part A – Justification
The Unit Profile provides a list of Learning Outcomes you are expected to have achieved after completing this unit.

From the Unit Profile:
On successful completion of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Describe the basic principles and importance of effective interpersonal communication, active listening and
   reading for meaning.
2. Demonstrate teamwork skills.
3. Communicate ideas effectively both verbally and in written form using appropriate language.
4. Create and deliver effective oral presentations.
5. Argue the importance of ethics, codes of behaviour, and societal, privacy and legal issues within the ICT
   industry.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of common work practices and values operating in the Australian workplace.
7. Assess how ICT can be used to improve organisational processes.
8. Evaluate the application of emerging technologies to communication and collaboration.

Write a reflective analysis that demonstrates you have satisfied all eight (8) learning outcomes that are listed in the unit profile for COIT20249 Professional Skills in ICT (they are listed above). Justify how the work you have completed this term has satisfied all eight (8) unit learning outcomes. Please note it is important that you JUSTIFY how you have satisfied the unit objectives with examples. Do NOT just summarise the unit content and/or assessment items OR define the unit learning outcomes.

In short paragraphs, respond under the following themes (use relevant headings) and refer to relevant Learning
Outcome/s from the above list. Use examples from the assessments you have completed in this unit and/or the
competencies you have achieved after completing the unit. You might refer to some Learning Outcomes more
than once in your response. This part could be around 1 A4 page or more (approximate guideline).

1. Describe an example where you used interpersonal skills along with listening and verbal communication
   skills effectively. (1 mark)
2. How did you use reading skills to effectively develop an academic document? (1 mark)
3. Provide an example of using your teamwork skills to resolve a conflict or assign tasks for a team project.
   What other skills from the above list did you use in this situation? (1 mark)
4. Provide examples of two assessments where you discussed the importance of ethical behaviours, and social,
   privacy and legal aspects within the ICT domain. (1 mark)
5. Discuss how you learnt the skills to work with staff and/or students from different cultures and demonstrate
   the knowledge of cultural diversity. (1 mark)
6. Describe how you learned to evaluate ICT technologies to improve organisational processes. (1 mark)
7. Describe two examples of communication and collaboration technologies you have learnt after completing
   this unit. Explain a situation where each of these technologies could be used and their potential benefits. (2
   marks)

Part B – Feedback
Write two things you liked about this unit and provide the reason or reasons you liked them. Also describe two
suggested improvements to the unit and justify why they would improve the unit. This could be around half an
A4 page in length (guideline only).

Upload the Successful Completion document into Moodle.

Marking Criteria
Justification:
Justify with examples from COIT20249 that you have successfully achieved all eight (8) unit learning outcomes
(1 mark per each of the first 6 points and 2 marks for the last one). Please note that a summary of the unit
content and/or assessment items or defining the unit learning outcomes will receive ONE mark only for
the entire section.

Feedback:

1. Two things you liked about this unit plus reasons (1 mark).
2. Two suggested improvements to the unit plus justification (1 mark).

Note if the submission contains grammatical and/or typographical errors or is NOT well structured and easy to understand there will be a penalty of –1 mark.

If the submission is longer than two A4 pages, you mark will be reduced by –1 mark. Please note that if you have a Title page for your assessment submission that is NOT counted as part of the length.