Please note - Swinburne University of Technology

~~223 lnformation Systems 1
No. of hours per week: three and a half hours
Prerequisites: BT110 lnformation Technology or
BT102 lnforrnation Technology A and BT103
lnformation Technology 6. BT220 Data Analysis
and Design must be taken prior to or
concurrently with this unit
Instruction: lecture/tutorial
Assessment: examination/assignment
Subject aims and description
This unit will extend the information technology user skills
gained in BT110 and complement the business information
analysis and personal data base design skills developed in
BT22O to the analysis, design and implementation of a
straightforward transaction processing system with more of
an emphasis on the procedural aspects. By the end of this
unit students should be able to:
analyse business and organisational information system
requirements of limited scope and complexity, e.g., up to
a work group or departmental level;
describe and recommend strategies for developing the
computer software components of a solution to such
requirements;
make appropriate use of automated software
development tools;
implement a simple system;
evaluate the successfulness of a system.
Topics include:
modelling organisational data
modelling organisational activities
setting implementation priorities
n estimation
r_
database design
forms, screen and reports design
process design
. development strategies
implementation and installation
evaluation
Reference
Whitten, Bentley and Barlow. Systems Analysis and Design Methods.
2nd ed, Homewood, Ill.: Irwin, 1989
~~224 Programming 1A
No. of hours per week: four hours
Prerequisites: BTl 10 lnformation Technology or
both BT102 lnformation Technology 1A and
BT103 lnformation Technology 1 B
Instruction: lecture/tutorialllaboratory
Assessment: examinationlassignment
Subject aims and description
To give students an understanding of the principles and
practice of commercial programming.
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
describe the programming process, from problem
definition through to program testing;
discuss the principles of structured programming;
explain the importance and philosophy of testing;
design a logical structured solution to a problem using
various algorithm techniques;
read, understand, modify, and debug COBOL programs;
design, wriie, test, and document attractive, wIIstructured
programs in COBOL.
Topics covered include the following:
program structure;
data structure;
algorithm design;
data validation;
arrays and tables;
sequential files;
reporting;
indexed files;
strings;
testing.
References
To be advised
BT225 Programming 2
No. of hours per week: four hours
Prerequisite: BT224 Programming 1
Instruction: lecturellaboratory
Assessment: examination/assignments
Subject aims and description
This unit introduces the student to sound software
engineering principles through programming in a block
structured language (currently C). The emphasis is on
developing and maintaining information systems applications
using modular techniques.
References
To be advised
m226 Knowledge Based Systems
No. of hours per week: three and a half
Prerequisites: BT110 lnformation Technology or
both BT102 lnforrnation Technology 1A and
BT103 lnformation Technology 1 B
Instruction: lecturellaboratory
Assessment: examination/assignments
Subject aims and description
In this unit the students develop and understanding of the
nature and uses of expert systems in business. The unit
involves practical work using expert system building tools.
Topics covered:
what expert systems are, how they are developed and
who is using them;
how expert systems differ from conventional software
programs,, human beings who perform tasks expertly
and artificial intelligence programs;
various forms of knowledge representation;
principles qf frame-based systems;
basic concepts of artificial intelligence and knowledge
engineering that affect design and implementation;
knowledge base design;
evolutionary process of knowledge acquisition needed to
put expertise into a machine;
principles of rule based systems and induction systems;
handling of uncertainty;
inference;
use of an expert system shell;
comparative strengths and weaknesses of existing
knowledge engineering tools for end users and
professional developers;
the pitfalls and opportunities that arise from the
important need to evaluate artificial expertise;
computers and natural language;
introduction to neural networks.
Textbook
Turban, E. Expert Systems and Applied Artificial Intelligence.
MacMillan. 1992