units

FIT5203

Faculty of Information Technology

18 September 2017 20 April 2024
Monash University

Postgraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

LevelPostgraduate
FacultyFaculty of Information Technology
OfferedPrato Summer semester A 2015 (Flexible)

Synopsis

This unit introduces students to the field of community informatics and provides them with the theoretical and practical foundations required to understand, assess and implement digital and information technologies, IKM, recordkeeping and archival systems, and social media in community settings. Students will learn how to assist communities to develop information and IT policy and strategy frameworks, to build community IT and IKM capacity, and to engage with processes that determine policy development and service delivery. The unit will focus on how community informatics expertise can support communities to achieve better and more sustainable health, education and environmental outcomes, make more effective use of community and government services, and overcome physical, mental, cultural, or social disadvantage. Topics include: theoretical frameworks; community knowledge production and sharing; information access; the use of information technologies and IKM systems in community settings; community archiving; participatory methods and working with communities; underlying values of projects, ethical approaches and ethical dilemmas; and project design and development.

Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  • describe and critically evaluate the main theoretical frameworks within which community informatics operates;
  • explain the nature and purpose of participatory methods in community informatics projects;
  • critically evaluate and apply understandings of the values and ethical issues that arise in the design and implementation of community informatics projects;
  • design and deliver community informatics projects across a broad spectrum of IKM practise and systems, including community archiving, data archiving, data management, information systems and knowledge management;
  • evaluate community informatics projects.

Assessment

In-semester assessment: 100%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

  1. Contact hours for on-campus students:
    • Two hours lectures
    • Two hours laboratories

  1. Study schedule for off-campus students:
    • Off-campus students generally do not attend lecture, tutorial and laboratory sessions, however should plan to spend equivalent time working through resources and participating in discussions.

  1. Additional requirements (all students):
    • A minimum of 8 hours of personal study per week for completing lab/tutorial activities, assignments, private study and revision.

See also Unit timetable information