1999 Information Technology Handbooks - Gippsland School of Computing and Information Technology

Gippsland School of Computing and Information Technology

Profile of the school
Teaching
Research
Objectives - major in system development
Objectives - major in business systems
Further information

Profile of the school

The Gippsland School of Computing and Information Technology has a mission to generate, evaluate and transmit knowledge through its teaching, research and professional activities.
It serves both the Gippsland region of the State of Victoria and, through the use of distance education and innovative teaching technologies, the wider national and international community.
Undergraduate courses in computing have been offered at the Gippsland campus since 1984 by an academic subgroup within the School of Applied Science. In 1992 a separate Division of Computing was created, operating as an academic department of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology and offering a range of undergraduate and graduate courses. It became a school in its own right at the start of 1995.
The Gippsland School of Computing and Information Technology seeks to:

equip its graduates with the knowledge, competence, aptitudes and skills required to operate effectively in their chosen profession;
foster in its students an intellectual curiosity as a preparation for lifelong learning;
promote a commitment in students and staff to serving their society, with an adherence to the highest ethical standards;
provide a high quality, challenging and supportive learning environment appropriate to the needs of on-campus, distance education and offshore students;
make available its intellectual resources to the region which it serves, and beyond, through applied research and consultancy which maintains the highest ethical standards;
contribute to the development of computing and information technology through research and professional service.

Teaching

The school carries out teaching and research with a primary focus on the use and application of information technology in commerce and industry. It offers two undergraduate courses, namely a degree (including an honours year) and a diploma, as well as a graduate certificate, two graduate diploma courses and a masters degree course. Two research degrees, the PhD and Master of Computing, are also offered.
The school makes extensive use of off-campus teaching modes. Apart from the research degrees all its courses are available by distance education, and it also offers a number of subjects through Open Learning Australia. In addition, the school delivers courses and subjects by distance education offshore in South-East Asia. A number of staff have particular interests in the use of information technology to support teaching and learning, with a focus on techniques appropriate to the distance learning modes.

Research

The school established a research centre to foster research in early 1996. Research interests of staff in the school include the areas of databases, data communications, image processing, multimedia information systems, multimedia communication, multiple-valued logic, artificial intelligence, operations management, operations research and optimisation techniques.

Computer-mediated communication and computer-aided learning

Application to the delivery of courses by distance education.

Academic staff

Mr D Thomson, Mr J Hewson, Ms K Styles, Mr L Smith, Dr D Taniar

Data communications

Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, performance analysis.

Academic staff

Dr S Suthaharan, Dr B Nath, Ms M Indrawan

Image processing

Image processing, video coding and computer graphics.

Academic staff

Dr S Suthaharan, Dr S Rahman, Dr B Nath, Dr G Lu

Multimedia information systems and communication

Distributed systems: design and synchronisation issues, system development over broadband ISDN (ATM), applications of distributed multimedia to education, multimedia communication.

Academic staff

Dr Guojun Lu, Dr S Rahman

Multiple-valued logic

Applications to concurrent systems and to logic synthesis.

Academic staff

Associate Professor R Bignall, Dr H Selvaraj

Operations management

Management of quality, just-in-time, flexible manufacturing systems, technology management, forecasting and applications of neural networks.

Academic staff

Dr B Nath, Dr L Sugianto, Mr H Deng

Optimisation techniques

Application of genetic algorithms and related heuristics to combinatorial optimisation and control problems and to scheduling.

Academic staff

Associate Professor R Bignall, Dr B Nath, Mr M Mohammadian, Dr L Sugianto, Dr D Taniar, Mr H Deng

Reliability modelling

Reliability modelling of power station plant life. Business systems reliability analysis.

Academic staff

Dr B Nath
For further information contact Associate Professor R Bignall, telephone (03) 9902 6464 or Dr B Nath, (03) 9902 6468.

Objectives - major in system development

System development is the synthesis of computer-based information systems and software systems, and encompasses the processes involved in the system development lifecycle, including the determination of user requirements, systems analysis, systems design, software design and development, software testing and verification and software maintenance. Besides arriving at an understanding of these processes, students taking the system development major will acquire practical knowledge and skills appropriate to computing professionals working in systems development and related areas including: a sound understanding of computer hardware and software technology, a knowledge of computer architecture, systems software and database technology, and skills in software design and computer programming.
In their final year students have the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical setting, for example by undertaking a significant project. They also choose from a range of more advanced studies and develop to a greater depth relevant knowledge and skills in selected areas such as data communications and networks, systems programming, artificial intelligence, information systems management, computer graphics, object-oriented system development, multimedia systems or client-server and mobile databases.
On completion of the major in systems development, students will be able to:

communicate effectively with users, clients and with other computing professionals;
understand in general terms how businesses are organised and operate;
think logically, and develop, analyse and communicate alternative solutions to problems;
understand information technology, including the organisation and operating principles of computer hardware, systems software, data communications and database technology;
use the basic research skills they have developed to locate and retrieve information in the technical literature from a range of sources, including on-line sources;
understand and be able to use techniques for planning and managing the development of systems;
identify and document user requirements;
understand the processes involved in system design and development;
understand the principles and processes of software design;
develop correct, well structured and well documented computer programs;
cooperate with others and work effectively in a team environment;
take initiative and work independently;
exercise judgement to satisfy conflicting interests.

They will have developed the following attitudes:

enthusiasm for the field of study;
a concern for accuracy and a willingness to objectively assess their performance;
an awareness of social values, and a commitment to strive to enhance the quality of life of those affected by their work;
an appreciation of the importance of considering the needs of others within the community.

Objectives - major in business systems

The business systems major integrates the study of computer based management systems and professional computing. The primary aim of the major is to provide graduates who have been trained in the application of computers and information technology to the solution of problems that arise in management and decision making. This includes a sound understanding of hardware and software technology programming, systems analysis and design and database management. Computer-based models for decision marking, general operations management and the management of information systems are also studied. In the final year students apply their theoretical knowledge in a practical way by undertaking a significant project.
On completion of the Bachelor of Computing with a major in business systems students will have an understanding of:

how businesses are organised and operate;
information technology, including hardware, software, databases and data communications;
techniques for planning and managing the implementation of solutions, as well as the ability to use them;
the processes involved in solution design and software development;
the principles and processes of software design;

as well as the ability to

think creatively and to develop, analyse and communicate alternative solutions to problems;
communicate effectively with other computing professionals, managers users, clients and the wider community;
use the basic research skills they develop to locate and retrieve information pertinent to the problems being investigated, using a range of sources including the technical literature and on-line sources;
identify and document management's problems and needs;
develop correct, well structured and well documented computer programs that solve users needs;
cooperate with others and work effectively in a team environment;
take initiative and work independently;
exercise judgement to satisfy conflicting interests.

The course will encourage the following attitudes in students:

enthusiasm for the field of study;
a concern for accuracy and a willingness to assess their performance objectively;
an awareness of social values, and a commitment to strive to enhance the quality of life of those affected by their work;
an appreciation of the importance of considering the needs of others within the community.

Further information

Gippsland School of Computing and Information Technology world wide web address:
http://www-gscit.fcit.monash.edu.au/