IMS1401

Information and media

Offered subject to approval

D Schauder

6 points - 4 hours per week - First semester - Berwick

Objectives At the completion of this subject students should know the characteristics of information, media and the nature of human communication; understand the relationship between the characteristics of information and the characteristics of the media in which it is represented, stored and communicated; be able to critically analyse the suitability of different forms of media for the communication of information to meet different requirements; and recognise the importance of relating media characteristics to the type of information which is being communicated and the communication need which is being met

Synopsis This subject will introduce students to the basic concepts of information, media and human communication, and examine their implications for the development and use of multimedia systems. This provides the conceptual basis for subsequent subjects which examine the characteristics of multimedia systems and the development processes required to build them. The subject develops a model of the information continuum and its relationship to storage and communication media. It explores interdisciplinary perspectives on the properties and management of information, and examines the nature of human communication, particularly in an organisational environment. Methods for classifying information are described, and issues in the choice of media for information representation and communication are discussed.

Assessment Examination: 60% - Assignments: 40%

Recommended texts

Acland G (ed.) Electronic record-keeping: Issues and perspectives Australian Society of Archivists, 1994
Vickery B and Vickery A Information science in theory and practice Bowker-Saur, 1992

Back to the 1999 Information Technology Handbooks