1.+Information+Literacy+Capability

The following courses have helped me greatly to achieve Information Literacy Capability. This was through exploring Information and Knowledge Management electronic environments and techniques. Studying these courses helped me strengthen my abilities of identifying and investigating client needs and responding to those needs efficiently and effectively, using the appropriate methods of problem-solving and select specific and appropriate information that is reliable and accurate from the variety of information sources available. This capability is particularly important in organisations that focus on providing business solutions to clients. Explained below, how each of the following courses have helped me shape my skills and knowledge in a way that is more relevant to Information and Knowledge environments.

=**Business Computing1**=

In this course, there were two major assignments that students had to complete. The first one was preparing spreadsheets for a musical business, and the second one was preparing a database. In those two assessments, students had to partner up with another student to complete the assessments and prepare a powerpoint presentation on how they went about developing their spreadsheets and database to help the business in their process of shifting from paper-based transactions into keeping all their records on MS spreadsheets. Since this course was one of the first four courses I undertook in the first semester of the first year, I found it very challenging, especially I had no experience in working on MS Excel and Access. The spreadsheets and the database required too much computer knowledge and IT details, which was very challenging for a person who just graduated from high school. However, SLAMS were very helpful at that stage. The assessment tasks (developing spreadsheets and database using MS package in response to a client's needs) have helped me in knowing how to identify the issues that a client is facing, and how to target those problems by using MS Excel and Access features and make sure that I have targeted each issue that the client is facing. For a first year, first semester student, I found this challenging; however, by the end of this course, I developed basic skills on how to identify and respond effectively to client's issues. Working on those two assessments, I learned a lot about developing mathematical equations using MS Excel, and gained awareness of 1 to many relationships and many to many relationships in MS Access, and learned how to maintain data validity and integrity with those types of relationships. By the end of this semester, I was able to use MS package with confidence, which is a basic requirement that all organisations seek when looking for employees, and undertaking this course has helped and will help me in my future career, particularly learning about the organisation's databases and spreadsheets more quickly.


 * Assessment Tasks**



=**Information and Knowledge Environments1**=

This course was one of the first four courses I undertook the first semester of the first year. The aims of this course is to teach students how to use the different search engines, mainly focusing on Google and its basic and advanced search options. We were also taught in depth about the databases available on RMIT's website such as ProQuest. This course also aimed to teach students how to evaluate the information found on the web before intending to use it in academic writings. We were also tested on our ability to use Google and ProQuest. By the end of this course, I developed the basic skills I needed for my tertiary education, such as the ability to develop useful keywords to use search engines such as Google and RMIT's databases and properly evaluate the information I find on the web and decide its relevance and accuracy.

For this particular capability, there were no assessment tasks that reflected our ability to find and evaluate information available on the web. We were only required to sit a test that tested our skills of finding and evaluating information, however, I don't have a copy of the test as academics of this course did not provide a copy of it.
 * Assessment Tasks**

=Information and Knowledge Environments2=

This course completed our knowledge that we gained through studying Information and Knowledge Environments1. It focused on mainly sole task completion, to get students to know more about their skills, their strengths and weaknesses. This course aimed to engage students into real world issues and updates. Students were always given real world business, information and technological issues to be discussed and answer questions based on the discussion. An important task in this course was choosing a particular blogging website that covers all topics of a particular area within Information and Knowledge Environments. In this assessment task, we were to keep record of what happens on daily basis on the website, how active it is, and the history behind developing the website. We were also required to choose a number of blogs that we found interesting and comment on them. In this assessment task, I learned to keep track of what I was meant to do, make sure I do the task I was meant to do on daily basis, and compile all the work I got done in a powerpoint presentation to show my findings. Although sometimes I lagged behind the timeframe I originally set for myself, but I managed to get back on track and developed a professional powerpoint slides which was graded a HD. I believe that this particular assessment task had put up the basis of self-paced learning which I was eventually required to do later on in my tertiary education.


 * Assessment Tasks**



=Investigations and Intelligence=

This course was one of the first year's courses that we had to undertake. It is a continuation of Information and Knowledge Environments1. The aim of this course was to strengthen our use of search engines and the databases provided on the university's website, and also strengthen our skills in working within groups. Our skills were tested repeatedly on the use of Google and other search engines as well as ProQuest and similar search engines provided on RMIT's website. The challenges in this course which I personally faced was the emphasis on the correct and precise use of search engines. Being in the first year of university studies, I didn't have enough skills and experience on how to use Google properly and evaluate the information found on the web. This course helped me strengthen those skills, which assisted me later on in my studies. It can be concluded that this course was an enjoyable, simple course but an important one to strengthen those basic skills that students need in their tertiary education, especially the skills of finding relevant information from the many sources available on the web, and carefully evaluate the accuracy of its content. **Assessment Tasks** For this course, we were only required to sit a test to reflect how much we had learnt about finding relevant information and evaluate it using the techniques discussed in class. I do not hold a copy of the test as academics of the course did not provide it.

= Relational Database Design and Development =

This course was a continuation of Business Computing1. It built up more in depth knowledge about MS Access through a big assessment task that was required to be completed by a group of 3-4 students. The assessment task was broken down into 3 parts. Firstly, we had to find a business and meet with the owner of the business to obtain permission to create a database for them to use if they want to. The second part was the actual build up of the database which was the biggest part, and writing an individual report about it as the final part. I personally found the course fairly challenging due to the amount of knowledge we were required to build about databases, not only in practice, but theory too. But by the end of this course, I was able to use MS Access very well, target client's needs and develop a database that specifically target those needs and respond effectively to them. I was very comfortable working within a team and individually and develop good skills and knowledge about database design.


 * Assessment Tasks**

=Industry Applications Project=

This course was one of the courses I undertook in the second semester of the final year. I enjoyed this course because I generally enjoy self-paced learning. Studying this course, I was able to put all the skills I have learnt throughout my degree into practice. Although the main focus of the course was interpersonal skills, but I was also able to strengthen my IT skills. In this course, students were required to choose a business that is currently undertaking a change or facing issues, and develop a website or a database that help the business implement the new changes and solve their business issues. The main focus is not the IT side of the project, but the client's needs and how students approach those needs and develop appropriate solutions. For this project, I chose a new beauty service salon that was growing in a great pace, and the client (i.e. the business owner) required a website to minimize the daily customer calls for bookings. In this course, I have developed a variety of skills: the ability to approach the client in a friendly manner and considering the client the most important source of information during the project, ensuring that the project meets the client's needs and wants which was mainly achieved through regular client meetings, and finally strengthening my skills in using different softwares for website development. Looking back at how this project could've been done better, I find that everything was done in the manner I had originally set and couldn't have done anymore to get a better result.


 * Assessment Tasks**



=**Business Analysis**=

Business Analysis aims to teach students about the different business structures and departments and how those departments operate under the one business. I found this course particularly interesting because it reflects how businesses operate in the real world, and we were also taught how to approach business issues and solve them using the knowledge we gained studying this course. The theory of the course seemed to be moderately easy to understand; however, I found it difficult to apply my knowledge to getting the assessment tasks done. The first assessment task aimed to test our knowledge about a business of our choice to be able develop diagrams explaining the systems within the business. Being the first assessment task of the course, I wasn't quite sure what we were expected to do to get high grades, so the business I chose to base my assignment on wasn't quite relevant to the course. Although I thought I reflected my knowledge through the business systems I developed, but I only barely passed the assessment task. The second assessment task was a group one, aimed to test our ability to develop business solutions, using the business information provided. This was a very lengthy, complicated assignment and I struggled with it especially at the early stages. By the end of the assessment task, I had solid knowledge of how every part was completed. Looking back at this course and how the assessment tasks could have been done better, I believe that I should have asked more questions to both the tutor and my group and never think that my questions were basic. Other than that, I believe I had put enough effort and time to understand the course materials. Thus, I can conclude that this course was one of the major learning leaps I have experienced, especially when comparing the first assessment task I completed for this course and the second one, when I discovered what I should have done to get a better grade.


 * Assessment Tasks**

=**Knowledge Management Technologies**=

I undertook this course in the second semester of the first year. This course aims to introduce students to the different technologies that Knowledge managers should have knowledge about. We were taught the different document structures and the use of XML, XSL and HTML. Due to my lack of interest in Information Technology, I didn't quite enjoy the technologies side of it, however I did well enough to get a Distinction grade. One of the assessment tasks I enjoyed was developing a website using HTML language discussing our experience being students at RMIT. This was a mini portfolio which we were supposed to complete every semester to assist us in writing this final portfolio. I gained solid skills on how to use DreamWeaver (the software used to develop the website) and HTML language, which greatly helped in my Industry Applications Project. Other assessment tasks required us to explore the different knowledge management technologies and write briefly about what we found interesting about each technology on a blog. Overall, this course was fairly easy and interactive, and although I don't have interest in IT, I enjoyed this course, and it had definitely strengthen my IT skills especially in web development and design.

Due to the limited features of this wiki, I am unable to upload the website I had developed for this course.
 * Assessment Tasks**

=Content Management=

This course was a continuation of Knowledge Management Technologies in the first semester of the second year. This course introduced students to the different concepts of taxonomies, thesauris and ontologies. It also aimed to develop solid understanding and practice of databases and develop one from scratch with a user manual. The first assessment task was a report about Controlled and Uncontrolled vocabulary. We were to explain the concepts of taxonomies, folksonomies and other knowledge management terms and discuss their advantages and disadvantages in detail. This was the first assessment task ever to be submitted on Turnitin. I wasn't quite sure how Turnitin worked and how much changes we were required to make so our work would not be considered plagiarized. I made sure that I referenced all resources I used to write the report, I however wasn't aware that some of report parts were copied without using quotation marks. I managed to only barely pass this assessment task. Not being able to get a high grade in the report as I expected, made me eager to get a high grade in both the test and the database tasks. So I did very well in the test and put so much time and effort in developing a professional database and user manual. The database task particularly helped me gain solid knowledge about DBTextworks and how a database designer needs to consider many factors to develop a database that not only reflects the needs of an end user, but is also readable and easy to use. I chose the topic of women's health from the list of topics provided in the course, and developed the database from scratch, with a maintainer manual that discussed all parts of the database in detail. By the end of this course, I had very good knowledge about databases that I believe it will greatly assist me in my future career. Looking back at the assessment tasks, I could have definitely asked the tutor more about how Turnitin worked to avoid plagiarism issues because the quality of my work was of a good standard. However, I consider this experience as an important learning leap that helped me later on improve the quality of my work.


 * Assessment Tasks**

=Research Project=

This course was one of the most enjoyable courses I have undertaken in my 3 year tertiary education. I undertook Research Project in the first semester of the final year. In this course, we were required to choose a topic of our choice with the Information and Knowledge Management area to write a 6000word research paper within 12 weeks. As a research topic, I chose to compare the Information Seeking Behaviours of Business students in comparison to Engineering students. For my findings, I conducted an online survey aimed at those two types of students and compare the survey results in a graphical form. In this course, I learned how to follow a timeframe that I set for myself to get tasks done on time; I learned how to follow the ethical standards of RMIT University which gave me an insight of what is required from Masters and PhD students if I wish to continue my studies; I also learned how to deal with stress and frustration as part of the research journey, especially if the research is based on results collected from people (which was my case). I totally enjoyed researching about the topic from scratch, develop my knowledge step by step until I gained deeper knowledge of Information Seeking Behaviour and the different theories developed in that regard. I also noticed that I strengthened my presentation skills and my confidence while presenting, due to my deep knowledge about my research paper. Overall, doing Research Project helped me realise how much I enjoy doing research and was one of the most important learning leaps during my study.


 * Assessment Tasks**

Help · About · Blog · [|Pricing] · Privacy · Terms · [|**Support**] · [|**Upgrade**]