Bachelor of Information Systems (Co-op) (Honours)

This is a foundational (Level 1) Information Systems (IS) course that introduces students to the use of IS in business and society. As an overarching theme, INFS1602 examines the issues and management of IS in relation to human behaviour and its consequences. Through this course, students will learn to appreciate existing and emerging technologies affecting businesses, business relationships and their products and services. In taking this course, students will be provided with tasks and assignments that will aid in refining their professional business skills and the ability to evaluate the value of technology to businesses. This includes communication and group work skills, time management and research skills.

The topics that are covered in INFS1602 include understanding the role of Information Systems and IS Professionals in Global Business, the relationship between Information Systems, Organisations, and Strategy, the dominant Business Models enabled by the Internet and the emergence of Web 2.0 technology. The course will also explore contemporary technology-enabled phenomena that are disruptive to the current business landscape such as Sharing Economy, Blockchain and the Internet of Things. The course also touches on popular enterprise-level information systems such as Enterprise Systems, Supply Chain and Customer Relationship Management Systems and the emergence of business intelligence in supporting organisation decision making. The course also involves discussion of the considerations behind the acquisition and building of IS and the issues common to the management of IS projects. Lastly, the course addresses the need to secure the IS and the potential ethical and social issues faced by businesses in relation to their use of IS.

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This is a foundational (Level 1) Information Systems (IS) course that introduces students to the concepts, techniques, and technologies relevant for creating and managing business databases. It will explain the major components of IS, which are critical to capturing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, manipulating and displaying information used in business processes. Through this course, students will be exposed to the fundamental knowledge of business databases, which are foundational for many advanced courses. Students will be given tasks and assignments to help them acquire the ability to create and manage business databases.

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This is a foundational (Level 1) Information Systems (IS) course that introduces students to application programming. The course provides a first step towards learning the principles of object-oriented programming through the Java programming language. Programming refers to the development of software, which is also called a program. Essentially, software contains the instructions that tell computerised devices what to do. In lectures, students will be introduced to the theoretical component of the course, learning fundamental programming concepts. During weekly workshop tutorials, students will engage in the practical component of the course, learning how to write code using the NetBeans Integrated Development Environment.

The topics that are covered in INFS1609 introduce students to the fundamentals of Java programming. This begins with an overview of data types and methods before introducing students to small problem-solving exercises that require the use of conditional statements, loops and arrays (including multi-dimensional arrays and array lists). Students are then introduced to the topics of modular programming, testing and debugging (using JUNIT). Finally, having gained a general understanding of these concepts, students further explore the principles of object-oriented programming, including objects, classes, abstraction, polymorphism, inheritance and encapsulation.

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INFS2603 is a Level 2 course that continues students’ study of Information Systems by furthering their knowledge and skills in relation to business analysis in contemporary settings. This course utilises the principles of design thinking and object-oriented approaches to understand and solve business problems. In lectures, students will study a range of methods, tools and techniques used in planning, analysing, designing and implementing business relevant systems. During weekly practical workshops, students will get the chance to apply design thinking principles to understand and solve real-world cases, utilising their conceptual knowledge.

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This is a Level 2 Information Systems (IS) course that continues students' study of IS by furthering their knowledge and skills in relation to business application programming. The course continues the study of Java programming from INFS1609/INFS2609 and examines contemporary approaches to software development. In lectures, students will study a range of topics from advanced Java concepts, software development frameworks, and practices, to user experience and design. During weekly workshop tutorials, students will engage in the practical component of the course and problem-solving exercises through the development of Java applications using the NetBeans Integrated Development Environment.

The topics that are covered in INFS2605 build on the programming skills introduced in INFS1609/INFS2609, providing students with a thorough review of software development processes and object-oriented programming principles. Students will then expand their Java skills and knowledge through the study of Model View Controller architecture, event-driven programming and Graphical User Interfaces (GUI). Specifically, the course introduces students to the development of JavaFX GUI applications, using Scenebuilder. Building on this, students are then provided with an overview of exception handling and taught how to develop basic database applications using Java Database Connectivity, an application programming interface (API), which defines how a client may access a database. This course concludes with an introduction to API’s that facilitate the development of reporting functionalities (e.g. exporting data to excel) from database applications.

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INFS2608 is a Level 2 Information Systems (IS) course that continues students’ study of IS by covering various advanced topics pertinent to big data management, which includes both relational and analytical data system infrastructure. It will explain advanced concepts used to design and manage relational and analytical big data system infrastructure. Through this course, students will learn to evaluate issues associated with big data management and business data analytics such as data quality and security. In taking this course, students will be provided with tasks and assignments that will aid in refining their ability to evaluate the value of data focused infrastructures.

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The aim of this course is to introduce you to enterprise systems (ES), to show how organisations use enterprise systems to run their operations more efficiently and effectively, to learn about the critical success factors and implementation strategies that lead to enterprise system success, and to consider the informational, knowledge, and decision-making opportunities afforded by enterprise systems. The course will examine typical ES modules: manufacturing, supply chain management (SCM), financials, projects, human resource management, and customer relationship management (CRM). Enterprise systems (ES) use a single database to integrate business transactions along and between processes, leading to benefits such as efficient and error-free workflows plus accounting, management reporting and improved decision-making. The course will incorporate a laboratory component using the SAP software.

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This course provides scholars with a practical application of the principles of information systems and technology management in an industry environment.

Note: Only available to Information Systems, UNSW Business School Co-op Scholars

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To meet the demands of today’s competitive marketplace, enterprise processes must be lean and customer focussed. This course looks at ways in which business processes can be analysed, redesigned, and improved thus ensuring that they are meeting the needs of customers and the enterprise. A business process is a set of related activities that jointly realise a business goal in an organisational and technical environment. These processes take place in a single organisation but may need to interact with processes in other organisations. Business process management (BPM) is concerned with the concepts, methods, and techniques that support the design, improvement, management, configuration, enactment, and analysis of business processes that deliver lean and customer focused business processes. BPM includes process modelling that explicitly represents processes – once they are defined, processes can be analysed, improved, and enacted. Software in the form of business process management systems can be used to manage business process.

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Project 2 is a capstone course focusing on the implementation phase of the development of information systems. The earlier phases of requirements and design have been considered in previous information systems courses (see prerequisites). You will work in a team to experience the system development process. The vehicle for the practical component is a specification of a non-trivial information system which will be implemented by teams in the Java programming language.

Project 2 considers in detail the issues of coding and implementing quality information systems in an organisational context. These issues include: identifying attributes of quality, project management (resource management), project effort estimation, software testing, maintenance, evaluation of software products and processes. Quality is an overarching issue that is a consideration within the domain of all the above issues and is a unifying theme throughout the whole course. To achieve the objectives of the course the concepts, principles and theoretical approaches outlined in the weekly lectures are reinforced by the practical components of the course. The majority of the lecture material will be directly related to the practical component of the course.

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This is a Level 3 Information Systems (IS) course that continues students’ study in IS by further developing their knowledge and understanding in information technology infrastructure and security in a business environment. The course will provide students with a learning experience that encourages participation and building of ideas in regards to current issues in business data networks, telecommunications, and infrastructure along with class discussions on the topics. The course has a technical component in which students gain practical knowledge and experience in networking and IS security techniques.

Topics to be covered in this course include inter-networked data communications and distributed data processing. Topics covered include, the business imperatives for distributed systems, systems architectural design (client/server; distributed processing, etc) layered architecture models (TCP/IP, OSI, etc), key network models and technologies, security issues related to architecture, design and technology, network configuration and management techniques.

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This is a Level 3 Information Systems (IS) course that continues students’ study of IS by furthering their knowledge and skills in relation to mobile application programming. Continuing from INFS2605, this course focuses on the development of software applications using the Android mobile platform. In lectures, students will be provided with an overview of mobile programming concepts and tools, and engage in case studies with regards to mobile app development and the current mobile market. During the weekly practical workshops, students will use the Android Studio Integrated Development Environment to learn how to design and develop a range of mobile applications. Students will be required to evaluate the quality of their own and their peers’ coding solutions. Students will also research and analyse current trends in the mobile market and present a portfolio of their design work at the end of the course.

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Thesis A is undertaken in the first session of the Honours year. Students undertake directed research work in an approved area under the guidance of a member of the lecturing staff. This course represents the research literature section of the thesis.

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Thesis B is undertaken in the second session of the Honours year. Students undertake directed research work in an approved area under the guidance of a member of the lecturing staff. This course represents the research literature section of the thesis.

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This is a Level 4 Information Systems (IS) course that continues students’ study of IS by furthering their knowledge and skills in relation to research design. This course focuses on the understanding of IS research philosophies and design.

Students will develop practical skills in developing instruments for both qualitative and quantitative methods. Topics to be covered in the lectures include an overview of the research process, theory and theorising, critiquing a research paper, conducting a systematic literature review, writing a literature review, conceptual modelling and research design, archival research, case studies, surveys, experimental and simulation research, action and design research, and writing and defending a research proposal. During the weekly practical workshops, students will learn to develop a research proposal and be able to evaluate the quality of their own, and their peers’ research designs. Students will also research and analyse current trends in various IS topics and present a research proposal at the end of the course.

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This is a Level 4 Information Systems (IS) course that continues students’ study of IS by furthering their knowledge and skills in relation to research methods and analytical skills. Continuing from INFS4886 (Principles of Research Design), this course focuses on the understanding of IS research methodologies.

Topics to be covered in the lectures include an overview of knowledge in research methods and techniques of data collection and analysis, SPSS, experimental research, fieldwork, grounded theory, literature review and thesis writing. During the weekly practical workshops, students will learn from key IS literature how to develop a range of research designs.

Students will learn to prepare an independent study including formulating research questions and selecting a research approach, applying research methodology – designing a study and selecting specific methods and techniques appropriate for answering the research questions.

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​The compulsory core accounting unit will have a preparer perspective. It will provide an introduction to basic concepts in accounting and their application for decision making by a wide range of potential users (e.g., shareholders, investment analysts, lenders, managers etc). This unit should benefit students who wish to specialise in accounting and those students whose primary interest lies elsewhere in the field of business.

On completion, students should have a clear understanding of the accounting process and the language of accounting to enable communication with an accounting professional, understand the relevance of accounting information for informed decision making by a wide range of potential users, and have the ability to analyse and interpret accounting information. Topics covered will include the accounting equation, general purpose financial reports, cash and accrual accounting, adjustments, internal control, the accounting for key balance sheet assets, and interpreting and preparing information for managers to use in planning, decision making and control.

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​Taken together, the accounting course in the compulsory core (ACCT1501) and this accounting course form an integrated study program designed to give students an understanding of the way in which financial information is generated and used, and to provide an appropriate platform for further study in accounting. On completion the first year accounting courses seek to develop students’: technical competence in recording economic events in the accounting system; a critical understanding of key technical terms and concepts so as to interpret accounting information and reports in the financial press; an ability to argue a reasoned position on key questions of accounting theory and practice; and familiarity with institutional structures that affect the practice of accounting.

Topics covered in this course will include accounting for non-current assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, balance sheet and income statement preparation, cash flow statements, ratio analysis, accounting policy choice and further detail on management accounting (including costing systems and budgeting).

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Probability, random variables, independence. Discrete distributions, Poisson and binomial distributions. Data analysis, Descriptive statistics. Sampling, Continuous distributions, the normal distribution. Estimation of mean and variance. Tests of hypotheses. Linear regression and correlation. Tests for goodness of fit. Bayesian statistics. Assumed knowledge: As for MATH1031Note: This course is not intended for students who propose to study a substantial amount of Mathematics beyond first year level. Many later year courses in Mathematics have completion of MATH1231, MATH1241 or MATH1251 as a prerequisite.

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