Telecommunication Engineering project
Assessment Task
Students are required to write an academic report as per the format outlined in chapter 5 of the textbook. The report must follow the CQU APA referencing style.
The report is to be based on the following case study scenario about introducing online collaboration and communication applications to a higher education organisation.
Web 2.0 based online communication and collaboration technologies have increased the opportunities of engagement in many industries including the higher education industry. The options allow for distance and multi-campus models and for increased staff and student engagement among other opportunities.
You are the ICT Manager in a medium sized educational institution which has the main campus in Sydney while there are two other campuses in Brisbane and Melbourne. Your organisation was established 3 years ago and caters to both local and international students who study for higher education qualifications in various disciplines. The organisation uses a few legacy systems for online learning and teaching, and for organisational communications among staff at different campuses.
The organisation is expanding as more students are enrolling and the organisation is planning to expand to other parts of Australia if the growth continues. However, the organisation needs to update its IT systems and practices before a comprehensive expansion can be implemented. One of the key areas identified for change is the management of learning & teaching platforms as well as online communication methods. Your CEO has asked you to investigate possible options to consider for this change. She has asked you to investigate and recommend three web 2.0 based applications that can be used for learning & teaching and for online meetings.
You have to complete this investigation in the next two weeks and draft a report with recommendations for the next Executive Management meeting about the best options for the organisation.
Your research and the subsequent report should cover the following tasks:
1. Definitions of web 2.0 communication & collaboration technologies. Investigate at least 5 different technologies used at other higher education institutions in Australia and at least 2 other countries in the world. You must focus on countries which have similar type of education systems as Australia. Provide a short analysis of the different software applications. There must beexamples of use within Australia and globally for each of the applications. Your report should not just focus on generic applications but must identify actual examples of uses within organisations.
2. Based on the findings from the previous section, propose the best applications you would recommend for your organisation from your investigations. Evaluate the potential advantages and disadvantages of the applications you have investigated - consider the pros and cons and cost benefit aspects. Explain how the adoption of each of your recommended applications will impact on your organisation and enhance the reputation as a high quality education provider.
3. Additionally, explore the ethical, social and legal considerations that your organisation should consider as a part of your proposed solution. Discuss some proposals to address these concerns and make relevant recommendations.
Your analysis and proposed solutions in tasks 2 and 3 shouldprovidethree to five recommendationsat the end of your report. Do not make the analysis of your recommendations in the Recommendations section itself. Discuss them in the body of the Report and present the recommendation at the end, after the Conclusion.
The report should be at a strategic level and must not consist of highly technical or operational details as some of your Executive Managers are not from an Information Technology background.
Please note that you will need to make some assumptions about the organisation in order to write this report. These assumptions should match the information in the case study and not contradict with the objectives of the report. They should be incorporated in the introduction of your report when you describe the organisation and outline the problem to be solved. Relevant assumptions should be incorporated when addressing tasks 2 and 3 above. To avoid loss of marks, do not make assumptions that are not relevant or contradictory, or will not be used in your report discussion.
Specifically your report should include the following (word count details are approximate guidelines):
1. Title page: Unit code and name, assessment name, Report title, assessment due date, word count (actual), student name, student number, CQU email address, campus lecturer/tutor, and Unit Coordinator. Must be formatted to a standard required for a professional/business report. Check week 6 materials for example of a professionally formatted title page. Not included in the word count.
2. Executive summary: should include the purpose of the report, the problem including key issues considered and how they were investigated, your findings, and overview of your recommendations. This part should be approximately three quarters (3/4) of an A4 page but must not be longer than one (1) A4 page. Not included in the word count.
3. Table of Contents (ToC): should list the report topics using decimal notation. Need to include the main headings and subheadings with corresponding page numbers, using a format that makes the hierarchy of topics clear. Because you are including a ToC the report pages should be numbered in the footer as follows: title page has no page number; and main text to have Arabic numerals commencing at 1. Create the ToC using MS Word's ToC auto-generator rather than manually typing out the ToC.
4. Introduction: provide a brief description of the organisation as given in the case scenario including any assumptions, a concise overview of the problem you have been asked to research,the main aims/purpose of the report, the objectives to be achieved by writing the report (include the tasks outlined in the case study) and how you investigated the problem. Provide an outline of the sections of the report. Should be approximately 250 words.
5. Body of the report (use appropriate headings in the body of the report.): Define key terms you will use in your report that are directly related to the problem and the technology considered. Then present your ideas on the topic and discuss the information you found in your research that was relevant to the report's objectives. Provide an analysis of the information that you gathered. Ensure that you explore the tasks listed in the case study scenario. In your discussion, examine the issues from a global perspective as well as from the local perspective (of the fictional organisation that is the centre of this report).
Do NOT use generic words such as ‘Body, Body of the Report, Tasks' as section headings. Create meaningful headings and subheadings that reflect the topic and content of your report. Should be approximately 1850 words.
6. Conclusion: restate the purpose of the report and key issues investigated and the related findings based on your research and analysis. Explain the significance of your findings for addressing the problem stated in the case scenario and any limitations. State how your report has achieved its objectives and any future work to be considered. Should be approximately 250 words.
7. Recommendations: 3 to 5 recommendations required. The recommendations must be based on your findings and proposed solutions discussed in the body of the report. Provide some guidelines for the organisation with respect to the future directions for your organisation based on your discussions. Format according to the Report Writing Guidelines discussed in the Unit. Should be approximately 150 words.
8. Reference list. Not included in the word count.
9. Appendices if necessary. Not included in the word count.