CMPF112 – Computing Skills for Engineers Assignment 1 Briefing

Assignment One Briefing This assignment contributes 10% of the overall This assignment contributes 10% of the overall coursework mark, it is compulsory for the student to submit this assignment on time. The submission date of this assignment is 26th July 2010, 3pm.

Assignment One Briefing Compare and contrast the different types of guided and un-guided data transmission media. You are required to summarized and present your findings in a table Compare and contrast the different types of guided and un-guided data transmission media. You are required to summarized and present your findings in a table

Assignment One Briefing Report requirements: Report requirements: – Font size 12 – Font type – Time news roman/Arial – Spacing – 1.5 line – Tables and figures are allowed – Proper header, footer and page numbering. – Proper citation and references are required – Proper documentation is required – Attach the marking guide on the report.

Marking Scheme

CMPF112 – Computing Skills for Engineers Academic Writing

KNOWLEDGE CRITICAL ANALYSIS COMMUNICATION SKILLS Characteristics of a Graduate

The Nature Of Higher Education Learning Skills Learning Skills Not just taking notes and remembering Not just taking notes and remembering – Requires independent learning and research – Learning to learn, learning to think, learning to evaluate, apply and find new ways of doing things Communication Skills Communication Skills – Able to present, able to justify choices and demonstrate knowledge, able to write Working with others Working with others – Group works, project management, time management

Plagiarism and Referencing What is plagiarism? What is plagiarism? – the use of the ideas and/or words of others without due acknowledgement. – copying material from the Internet, library books and the work of others without the use of quotation marks and/or acknowledgement of the source. – summarising or paraphrasing another person's work by simply changing a few words without acknowledgement – an assessment offence, and carries major penalties Plagiarism is defined in the University Regulations as: Plagiarism is defined in the University Regulations as: 'a candidate submitting the work of others as his/her own for the purposes of satisfying formal assessment requirements for coursework...‘ Staffordshire University, UK– Academic Award Regulatio ns

Avoiding Plagiarism : Differences between References & Citations Citations According to Thomas and Watzman (2005), teenagers seem the most vulnerable to potential negative effects as they use the Internet for more hours than do adults. Reference Thomas, T.S & Watzman, A (2005) Computers and kids: Pulling the plug can protect the planet, Phi Delta Volume 84 Number 8. Retrieved May 10, 2003 from

Avoiding Plagiarism – some samples of citations Technology, though useful is never problem free. According to Teicher (1999), “no technology is fail-safe”. In addition, Emmans (2000) has pointed out that students must be made aware of the cyber responsibilities as the solutions designed to address the problems can only do so much as “no software and no policy can be foolproof”. Reference List at the end of the document Emmans, C. (2000). Internet Ethics. Technos: Quarterly for Education and Technology. Volume 9, Number 1. Retrieved May 10, 2003 from Emmans, C. (2000). Internet Ethics. Technos: Quarterly for Education and Technology. Volume 9, Number 1. Retrieved May 10, 2003 from Teicher, J (1999) An Action Plan For Smart Internet Use. Educational Leadership. Volume 56 Number 5. Retrieved May 7, 2003 from Buddy Teicher, J (1999) An Action Plan For Smart Internet Use. Educational Leadership. Volume 56 Number 5. Retrieved May 7, 2003 from Buddy This is your statement The underlined texts are your citations – to support your statement

Paraphrasing Paraphrasing – Change text into your own words – Must also include citation e.g. …as stated by Kotler, 2000 According to Hoyer and MacInnis (2001), satisfied customers form the foundation of any successful business. They said that customer satisfaction is critical and it leads to repeat purchase, brand loyalty, and positive word of mouth. Reference List at the end of the document Hoyer, W. D. & MacInnis, D. J., 2001, Consumer Behaviour. 2nd ed., Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company. Avoiding Plagiarism - paraphrasing

Avoiding Plagiarism – copying word for word Copying word for word from a source Copying word for word from a source – Only copy a small amount “Today’s companies are finding it increasingly unrewarding to practice mass marketing or product-variety marketing. Mass markets are becoming ‘demassified’. They are dissolving into hundreds of micromarkets characterised by different buyers pursuing different products in different distribution channels and attending to different communication channels ” (Kotler, 2000) Reference List at the end of the document Kotler, P., 2000, Marketing Management. 10th ed., New Jersey, Prentice- Hall.

Avoiding Plagiarism - Demonstrating Critical Thinking The majority of literatures viewed for this research agree that the Internet in particular is reputed to be one of the reasons for social and ethical problems among school’s students. (Affonso, 1999; Davies, 2001; Piercey, 2000). On the other hand, Rahman (2002), brings up a valid point by stating that the blame for teenagers social and ethical misconducts should not be put on the technology alone, other factors like the family background and the children's upbringing should also be considered.

Avoiding Plagiarism & Demonstrating Critical Thinking Reference List at the end of the document Affonso, B (1999). Is the Internet Affecting the Social Skills of Our Children? Retrieved May 7, 2003 from Davis, R. (1999). Is internet addiction real? Victoria Point Multimedia. Retrieved May 7, 2003 from Piercey, D. (2000) Students' psychological well-being and the Internet.WWWise Retrieved May 7, Rahman, A. S. (2002) Blaming the Internet Unjustly.Computimes Malaysia, Jan 28, Retrieved May 7, 2003 from bin/buddy/erc

Mock Test

Answer all questions 1.Explain the concept of computer literacy (2 marks) 2.Describe the components of a computer system (10 marks) 3.Describe in detail the information processing cycle (8 marks) 4.Anti-social behavior is said to be one of the drawbacks of computer usage in the society. Explain this notation. (3 marks) 5.Describe the concept of networking and interoperability (4 marks) 6.Explain what is a computer software and identify the two categories of software (3 marks) 7.Explain Graphical User Interface and its advantages to the users (3 marks) 8.Explain the five elements of information system, include in your answer an example of a scenario in which an information system is applied (7 marks)