Developing IS Digital Portfolio and Using Online Collaborative Technologies

Tasks Involved in Developing IS Digital Portfolio

Over the first three weeks of teaching you will be conducting a number of formative activities (5 blog posts) that will be uploaded into a digital portfolio, which can be an existing blogging space you already have or a new one, e.g. on Wordpress.com. If you have already a blog you may use that one, but create a dedicated thread / space for this assignment.

Your Portfolio should cohere around the themes/topics we are discussing in the lecturers. Requirements are as below:

1. Expected entries into the Portfolio will include at least five (the highlighted ones will be graded)  posts on the Information Systems aspects of your chosen theme.  You should, write

? At least 1 blog entry on a class activity with your reflection short essay maybe

i. There are a number of exercises throughout the video lectures. Use any of them (not only the glossary, which was just an example during webinar 1).

ii. Another activity is: Define Information Systems and Information Technology in your own words.

? At least 1 blog entry on ‘System Thinking’ (e.g. What is your understanding on System Thinking?; What are good practices of System Thinking theory?; How is System Thinking related to Information Systems field? etc. ) short essay

? The rest of 3 blog entries on “What the Paper Says” critique. In order to write these three blogs, you need to choose 3 papers. These papers could be journal [peer-reviewed journal] or white paper on any theme discussed in lecture sessions during first three teaching weeks (e.g. Gamification, Information Management, Social Media Marketing etc.). In your blogs, you need to indicate the title and resource of the paper and write a critical review on ‘what the paper says.

2. All 5 blog entries should be included in this submission. 16 marks would be deducted for each missing blog. 5 Marks will be reserved for Continuous Blogging Practice. You should have at least 1 post per week. 

3. Your blogs will form a digital artefact in which to present your research, understanding and reflections on themes learned during first three weeks, in the blogging style. So, engaging your audiences (e.g. ‘chatty’ tone, ‘call for action’ etc.), mixed-using multimedia elements are all good techniques. 

4. Links to news stories or case studies are welcome but these should be your own précis with short referenced quotes, and careful referencing should be adhered to throughout, along Harvard Referencing guidelines.   

Requirements of IS Digital Portfolio

Task 2  Using of online Collaborative Technologies and Reflective Summary 

An online Discussion Forum is set up on the OnlineCampus. Each week during the module we will publish a different contemporary topic or issue on the Forum, and you are required to be an ‘Inquiry-Based’ learner to investigate this and contribute to the online areas. You should use these to   Discuss the topics presented

 Consider the implications of these for digital business professionals and organisations

 Share papers and articles that you have found on relevant topics (remember to include links / reference / pdfs if you do this!)

 Discuss key concepts of relevance for the assignments The purpose of this element is to give you direct practical experience of using collaborative technologies, and for you to consider how they could be incorporated into your future practice as digital business professionals. For your assignment, you should submit a 300-word reflective summary [Use Gibbs Reflective Cycle] on your blogging experience, accompanied by your own self-assessment (using the table in the Appendix 1 below) of your contribution to the online Discussion Forum throughout these 3 weeks. 

 

 

The reflective report should include your detailed reflection on your online experience in this module (blogging & discussion forum), together with evidence from your online activities (e.g. the posts you put and discussion you involved on Discussion Forum). In this section you should reflect on e.g. how blogging has impacted your own understanding of taught themes, and also how this might impact your future practice as digital business professionals. Has your use of blogging and discussion forum given you ides of how they might be used in learning and practice in the future? 

Assessed intended learning outcomes

 

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to  Knowledge and Understanding

 

1. Critically appraise alternative IT/IS transformation solutions against business needs to bridge potential gaps in business and IT strategic alignment

2. Reflect on paradigms of philosophical enquiry, the application of systems and systems thinking, acknowledging the value of critical thinking in IS and in Digital Transformation

3. Evaluate critically the legal and ethical implications arising from new technologies in a business setting  Practical, Professional or Subject Specific Skills

1. Conduct a critical evaluation of the effectiveness of various business requirements, design and integration techniques

2. Appraise critically alternative third party vendors/IT/IS solution providers

3. Identify and recognise the value in application of business analysis tools such as value stream mapping, gap analysis, business/IT audits and environmental scanning

4. Make a critical appraisal of contemporary models, evaluate methodologies and practices of historic IT Strategy and contemporary Digital Strategy, in the context of current research and emerging trends.

5. Conduct market place evaluation of IT solutions and understand how this is done on a practical level

Transferable Skills and other Attributes 

1. Identify and utilise appropriate business process modelling techniques such as Use case diagrams, soft-systems methodology, user requirement analysis

2 Analyse the appropriateness of key legislation relating to technology and information such as Data Protection Act, Computer Misuse Act, and other relevant Acts and those relating to copyright and the digital economy

3. Students will be able to review and diagnose knowledge (tacit and explicit) sharing in organisations and build critical thinking skills

4. Demonstrate an ability to work effectively as an individual and group member in order to carry out tasks linking theory to practice so developing new skills to a high level

5. Manipulate available learning resources in order to solve problems related to IS planning, re-engineering and integration.

6. Communicate the solutions arrived at, and the theory underlying them, in verbal and written form to specialists and non-specialist audiences