1. Introduction & Assessment IACT 918 Autumn 2005 Gene Awyzio & Glenn Bewsell SITACS University of Wollongong

2. 2 Overview The structure of IACT 918 The assessment schedule Overview of tutorial tasks Some ground rules Essay/Report writing hints

3. 3 WebCT Please note that the WebCT URL is: –http://www.uow.edu.au/student/lol/

4. 4 Contacting Gene Preferred Method: –via webCT forum –Most questions are best posted to the WebCT discussion board, so that everyone can benefit from the answer! Specific IACT 918 enquiries are to be directed to me (gene) Room: 3.107 Phone: 4221 4090 Email: gene@uow.edu.au Avoiding the junk filter –Use your UoW account –Made subject relevant Eg IACT918 essay assignment question –Provide a heading

5. 5 Contacting Glenn Preferred Method: –via webCT forum –Most questions are best posted to the WebCT discussion board, so that everyone can benefit from the answer! Room: 3.109 Phone: 4221 5683 Email: gbewsell@uow.edu.au Avoiding the junk filter –Use your UoW account –Made subject relevant Eg IACT418 essay assignment question –Provide a heading

6. 6 Objectives of IACT418/918 Explore the uses of telecommunications by businesses Understand the current status and future directions of telecommunications regulatory environment Discuss the strategic management issues and the options created by emerging technologies Develop documentation to support organisational requirements for a telecommunications network

7. 7 Topics 1. Documenting the network –Requirements capture and specification –Functional specification –Design specification –Documenting the network configuration

8. 8 Topics 2. Managing the network –Influences on the network –Management architectures and standards –Performance management –Fault management –Disaster management –Managing changes in a network

9. 9 Topics 3. Corporate and regulatory requirements –Management teams –Operations and support –Standards and protocols

10. 10 THE SCHEDULE (subject to change) WeekTopicTutorial ActivityReadingAssessment 1 Introduction and Assessment Essay Question Network Management Overview No Tutorial Subject Outline Chapters 1 & 2 Essay Questions allocated and handed out in Lecture 2 Policy and Procedures Fault Management No TutorialChapter 3 3 Configuration Management Change Management Seminar discussion & allocation Chapter 4 Seminar Questions allocated and handed out in Tutorials 4 Security Management Milestone 1Chapter 5 5 Ethics, Accountability and Regulations/Influences on the Network Seminars 1 & 2Tavani & Various Essay Due In Tutorials Midsession Break (one Week)

11. 11 THE SCHEDULE (subject to change) 6 Performance Management Design & Implementation Milestone 2 Chapter 6 McCabe 7 Capacity Planning Group Project Launch Seminars 3 &4 Group allocation Various Major Project handed out in Lectures 8 Accountancy Management Human Resources Management Milestone 3Chapter 7 9 Customer Care, Risk assessment and disaster management Seminars 5 & 6 Zeithaml (a) - Chapter 3 10SNMP I, II & IIISeminars 7 & 8Chapter 8 11 CMIS/CMIP MIB-II Seminars 9 & 10Chapters 9 & 10 12RMON Seminars 11 & 12 Chapter 11 13 Productivity Tools Subject Review QuizChapter 12 Major Project Due in Tutorials

12. 12 Attendance Satisfactory attendance is a requirement of Uni enrolment Failure to comply can result in a fail grade being recorded Satisfactory attendance is 80% of the allocated contact hours –* Tutors will take an attendance roll in each class * Tutorials start in week three (3) and continue until week thirteen (13)

13. 13 Expected Workload Course Rule 3.21 –Each credit point in a subject has an imp[lied workload of 28 hours over the duration of the subject. The expected workload in this subject for an average student therefore is –168 hours over the session –or approximately 12 hours per week over 14 weeks This includes lectures/tutorials/labs etc. –If you don’t put in the time, don’t expect a high result.

14. 14 Expected Workload This is a Final Year/Masters level subject –YOU are expected & required to conduct independent learning –If there is something you do not know enough about, go to the ‘net or the library and FIND OUT for yourself! Any information posted to the subject website site is deemed to have been notified to all students –Stay in touch with recent developments.

15. 15 Subject Materials Textbook –Leinwand, A. and K. Fang –Network Management: A Practical Perspective. second ed. 1995: –Prentice Hall International –Available in the unicentre bookshop for $54.90

16. 16 Subject Materials References –Dawson, R., Living Networks: Leading Your Company, Customers, and Partners in the Hyper-Connected Economy. first ed. 2003: Financial Times; Prentice Hall. (Available online through Safari Tech Books Online http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com/0130353337) Available in the unicentre bookshop for $49.95 –McCabe, J.D., Network Analysis, Architecture and Design. second ed. 2003, Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann. Available in the unicentre bookshop for $143.89 –Zeithaml, V,. Parasuraman A,. Berry L, Delivering quality service : balancing customer perceptions and expectations, Collier Macmillan, 1990, Available in the library (call No: 658.812/10 or via electronic reserve) –Zeithaml, V., Bitner M., Services marketing : integrating customer focus across the firm, McGraw-Hill, 2002, Available in the library (call No: 658.8/454 or via electronic reserve) –McClaren, S., Easy Writer: A students Guide to Writing Essays & Reports. first ed., Sydney: Pascal Press. Available in the library (call No: 808.042/158) –Terplan, K. Communications Networks Management (2nd ed.), Prentice Hall, 1992, Available in the library (call No: 004.6068/3) –Rowe, S., Telecommunications for Managers (3rd ed or later.), Prentice Hall, 1995, Available in the library (call No: 651.7/10) –Subramanian, M. Network management : principles and practice, Addison Wesley, 2000, Available in the library (call No: 004.6/164) –Tavani, H, Ethics and technology : ethical issues in an age of information and communication technology, Wiley, 2004, Available in the library (call No: 174.9004/3)

17. 17 Assessment Tasks Assessment ItemWeightingDue Date Formal Exam40%Exam Period 1500 Word Essay10%Hard copy during week five tutorial class Seminar10%Oral presentation and hard copy of summary sheet during tutorial classes weeks 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Milestone activities and quizzes 20%Hard copy during tutorials in weeks 4, 6, 8 & 13 Group component of major project 20%Hard copy during week 13 tutorial class

18. 18 Notes on Assessment Submission of Assessment Items –All assessment work is to be submitted during your allocated tutorial –If you cannot submit an assessment item during your tutorial then it must be submitted to the subject coordinator as soon as possible Late submission of assessment item MUST be accompanied by a special consideration item via SOLs –All submissions must be accompanied by an Assignment Cover Sheet. hard copy from the student enquiry centre in building three online at http://www.itacs.uow.edu.au/info/current/coversheet.pdf

19. 19 Notes on Assessment Return of Assessment Items –All assignments except the major project will be returned to students in tutorials –The major project will be available from the subject coordinator after being marked

20. 20 Notes on Assessment Penalties for late submission of Assessment Items –Penalties may apply to all late work, except if Special consideration is deemed necessary An extension has been granted by your subject coordinator Your tutor cannot grant you an extension. –Requests for extensions should be emailed to the lecturer or coordinator, prior to the due date –10% of available marks will be deducted from work for each day it is overdue –Work more than one week late may be awarded a mark of zero.

21. 21 Notes on Assessment Special consideration –Special consideration applications must be submitted via SOLs –Medical certificates or supporting documentation should be shown to the subject coordinator as well as University Administration

22. 22 Notes on Assessment Electronic submission of Assessment Items –Electronic submissions, faxes and un- receipted mail submissions will NOT be accepted except via the WebCT submission process.

23. 23 Notes on Assessment Participation –Students are required to participate in tutorials –This means not only attending and listening to the tutorial presentations, but contributing insights to the discussion.

24. 24 Notes on Assessment Scaling –Final results in this subject may be scaled. –The scaling method that will be used in this subject is as follows If E is the student exam mark out of 40, and A is the student assignment mark out of 60, the student final mark F will be determined as follows: Student receives A for assignments and E for exam. –E >= 16: Final mark is E + A –14 <= E <16: Final mark is MIN (E+A, 49) –14 > E: Final mark is MIN (E+A, 44) Notes: –Student with E >=16 can get any grade from F to HD –Student with 14 <= E < 16 can get either grade F (1-44) or PC (45-49) –Student with E < 14 can only get F(1-44) –918 students CANNOT receive a grade of PC

25. Essays IACT 918 Autumn 2005 Gene Awyzio SITACS University of Wollongong

26. 26 What an Essay is NOT A memory dump –Of everything you know –Presented in jumbled order –Bit of a conclusion somewhere near the end A random rambling discussion of points vaguely related to the question A series of repetitions of the same answer expressed in different ways

27. 27 What an Essay IS “A sustained argument, developing from, or weighing the evidence about an idea or question and creating a full and satisfying conclusion” –Stephen McClaren, Easy Writer: A Students Guide to writing Essays and Reports

28. 28 What an Essay IS “A sustained argument, developing from, or weighing the evidence about an idea or question and creating a full and satisfying conclusion” –Stephen McClaren, easy writer: A students guide to writing essays and reports

29. 29 What an Essay IS An argument is a proposition –The main line of thought, backbone of the essay –When supported by detailed discussion and logic in support this is called an argument

30. 30 What an Essay IS Any discussion in an essay must be DIRECTLY related to the argument Discussion is sustained by reference to –Facts –Examples –Interpretations –Analysis –Critical thinking Which serve to support your argument You should periodically sum up showing how the point you are currently discussing relates to your argument

31. 31 What an Essay IS Within each paragraph of an argumentative type essay, facts (pertinent data) are not sufficient on their own –Facts used to support your thesis must be specifically linked back to the thesis –The reader should not have to perform 'mental gymnastics' to make the link between your thesis and the point being discussed

32. 32 What an Essay IS The information presented must be relevant to the point you are making and it must be convincing –To be relevant the writer has to be ruthless in rejecting any ideas and facts which do not directly help to build the credibility of the thesis –To be convincing, the writer needs to report on research undertaken by reputable experts and which supports the validity of the thesis

33. 33 What an Essay IS In an academic essay, the format for sustaining an argument is –State your thesis in the introduction and provide the main reasons for the support of the thesis –In the body of the essay you take each reason in turn, explain the significance of the reason and then show how it supports your thesis –The conclusion is the place for you to provide the reader with the big picture and remind the reader of the significance of your thesis

34. 34 What an Essay IS Full Conclusions should go beyond a summary of the main points in the essay They should look at the implications and significance of the main points in light of your main argument

35. 35 Abstracts, Summaries or Executive Summaries Abstracts –Typically, an informative abstract answers these questions in about 100-250 words: Why did you do this study or project? What did you do, and how? What did you find? What do your findings mean?

36. 36 Abstracts, Summaries or Executive Summaries Executive summaries –Provide an overview or preview to an audience who may or may not have time to read the whole report carefully –Explain why you wrote the report –Emphasize your conclusions or recommendation –Include only the essential or most significant information to support those conclusions –Accuracy is essential because decisions will be made based on your summary by people who have not read the original

37. 37 Introduction Your introduction serves three (3) main functions –To prepare the way ahead for your essay –To demonstrate that you have understood the question, and what that understanding is –To indicate your argument in response The introduction covers the following issues: –What was the problem and its context, –Why was it a problem, –How was the problem solved (briefly)

38. 38 Introduction There are two stages in an introduction that are essential: –Thesis statement –Summary of main points to be discussed In addition sometimes the following stages are also required: –Orientation to the topic –Stating the scope of the discussion –Defining your term

39. 39 Body of an Essay In a sustained essay the body MUST continue along the lines established in the introduction Other hints to writing a good body –Use topic sentences –Treat each point in turn (not each source) Convention: discuss points in the same order you introduced them –Use transition words and phrases between points or topics –Refer to your argument –Give specific proof –Qualify your statements

40. 40 Conclusions and Recommendations Your report or essay will typically describe some findings which have been derived from –Observation –Experiment –Calculation –Literature review From these findings, you should draw some conclusions

41. 41 Conclusions and Recommendations The insights that you can extract from your basic findings are a key part of your report or essay You may also be expected to make some recommendations based on your conclusions If you have limited the scope in the introduction now you need to show how your argument relates back to the ‘big picture’ and what the implications are