Students

ITEC897 – Industry Based Internship 1

2017 – S1 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Manolya Kavakli-Thorne
Contact via 02 9850 9572
E6A 372
Tuesday - Thursday 10am-12noon
Credit points Credit points
16
Prerequisites Prerequisites
ITEC812(D) and permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
The industry-based internship unit helps MIT students gain experience in the industry. For the major part of the unit, students work with both an industry and an academic supervisor to complete a major IT project or a few smaller IT projects. Project topics will be agreed between the University, the student and the industry partner. Candidates may complete the project work at the industry partner's location or their own place of employment, subject to University approval. Assessment will be based on a combination of written reports and presentations. This unit provides an opportunity for students to complete an internship full-time over the course of a semester or part-time over the course of the year.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Discuss ethical conduct and issues related to working in a professional IT capacity in an organisation. It is expected the student will engage with the ethics literature in the IT context and deeply appreciate the impact of non-ethical behaviour in the workplace.
  • Reflect on the semester long internship, allowing critical appraisal of the experience gained. One would expect to see the student graduate displaying deep reflection which can be expressed in a variety of forms, principally a journal, but reports and other written means are also appropriate.
  • Express outcomes gained through professional presentation, using available tools such as powerpoint or other presentation mediums. There would be an expectation that the student displays superior competence in both the tools and techniques necessary to deliver a polished presentation; such competency will be necessary in their future workplaces.
  • Relate to and display cross-cultural sensitivity in the workplace in as much as the student learn to work with people of different cultural backgrounds. It is expected the student graduate will feel comfortable working with personnel of different backgrounds to themselves.

General Assessment Information

This is a full-time internship unit. The student works 5 days/week at the work place. Whereas in itec898, student works part-time at the work place. This is the only difference between the two internship units in terms of learning outcomes. This would naturally effect the length of the reports submitted as well as the projects completed within the internship duration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Mid-term Report & Presentation 40% No Week 7- Friday 6-9pm
Internship Presentation 10% No Week 13- Friday 6-9pm
Internship office report 50% No Week 14- Friday 5pm

Mid-term Report & Presentation

Due: Week 7- Friday 6-9pm
Weighting: 40%

  1. How has pursuing the internship advanced your own understanding of what constitutes a professional IT practitioner?
  2. Describe one or two key learning moments in the internship this semester. These may have been moments where you felt profoundly challenged, or where you felt encouraged and engaged. Reflect on how these moments encouraged you to re-think your ideas about the internship and the ICT profession.
  3. Using this internship as an example of a learning community; what are some of the features that have supported or challenged your learning? Make an assessment about the extent to which you have supported the learning of your colleagues in the workplace.
  4. Outline two strategies that you will now take forward as a way of demonstrating your commitment to your ongoing professional development in ICT.
  5. Discuss ethical conduct and issues related to working in a professional IT capacity in an organisation.

This report and its presentation is evaluated by the unit convenor. The presentation is worth 10%, and the mid-term internship report 30%.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss ethical conduct and issues related to working in a professional IT capacity in an organisation. It is expected the student will engage with the ethics literature in the IT context and deeply appreciate the impact of non-ethical behaviour in the workplace.
  • Reflect on the semester long internship, allowing critical appraisal of the experience gained. One would expect to see the student graduate displaying deep reflection which can be expressed in a variety of forms, principally a journal, but reports and other written means are also appropriate.
  • Relate to and display cross-cultural sensitivity in the workplace in as much as the student learn to work with people of different cultural backgrounds. It is expected the student graduate will feel comfortable working with personnel of different backgrounds to themselves.

Internship Presentation

Due: Week 13- Friday 6-9pm
Weighting: 10%

 

A 15 minute presentation with powerpoint (or related) slides, articulating experiences gained in the internship, thoughts, reflections etc.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Express outcomes gained through professional presentation, using available tools such as powerpoint or other presentation mediums. There would be an expectation that the student displays superior competence in both the tools and techniques necessary to deliver a polished presentation; such competency will be necessary in their future workplaces.

Internship office report

Due: Week 14- Friday 5pm
Weighting: 50%

This report is presented to both the unit convenor and the internship company and evaluated by the supervisor at the work place. Internship office report has two separate evaluations as follows:

1. Internship Grade

Your response to this question will be worth 25% of your intern’s final academic result. Please use the following guidelines to establish what grade you will assign to your intern:

 

0-14 the intern's quality of work was below standard the intern's effort was poor the intern was not professional the intern had little desire for improvement and learning 15-19 the intern's quality of work met your expectations the intern's effort was sufficient the intern was sufficiently professional the intern sufficiently desired improvement and learning

 

20-25 the intern's quality of work exceeded your expectation the intern's effort was well above your expectations the intern was very professional the intern strongly desired to improve and learn

 

2. Intern Reference

 

Please provide a written reference for the student to use when applying for future jobs. The response from this question will be given to the intern in an official letter. Please provide a minimum of 4 sentences for this reference.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Reflect on the semester long internship, allowing critical appraisal of the experience gained. One would expect to see the student graduate displaying deep reflection which can be expressed in a variety of forms, principally a journal, but reports and other written means are also appropriate.
  • Relate to and display cross-cultural sensitivity in the workplace in as much as the student learn to work with people of different cultural backgrounds. It is expected the student graduate will feel comfortable working with personnel of different backgrounds to themselves.

Delivery and Resources

Provided by the workplace (Monday to Friday).

Report submissions and presentations have to be submitted on ilearn.

Presentations are held in week7 and week13 in a Postgraduate workshop and schedule will be declared on ilearn.

Unit Schedule

Monday to Friday is typically spent at the workplace.

There are two scheduled lectures in week7 and week13.

Student must schedule either a meeting with the convenor of the course or send emails fortnightly on the progress of the internship.

Week7 and week13 presentations are compulsory for the students.

There is no final examination but you are expected to submit an Internship report. If you apply for Disruption to Study for your final report, you must make yourself available for the week of July 24 – 28, 2017.  If you are not available at that time, there is no guarantee an additional examination time will be offered. Specific examination dates and times will be determined at a later date.

There are no hurdles in this unit. Second-chance hurdle examinations will also be offered in the week of July 24 - 28.  Results will be released on July 13.  You will be notified shortly after that date of your eligibility for a hurdle retry and you must also make yourself available during that week to take advantage of this opportunity.

Learning and Teaching Activities

Engagement in the workplace

This is an internship unit where Monday to Friday will effectively be spent on the job - learning IT related skills.

Communicating with the convenor

Communicating with the convener fortnightly and conducting a presentation to the convener of the course at the end of the internship/semester.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

PG - Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative

Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Discuss ethical conduct and issues related to working in a professional IT capacity in an organisation. It is expected the student will engage with the ethics literature in the IT context and deeply appreciate the impact of non-ethical behaviour in the workplace.
  • Relate to and display cross-cultural sensitivity in the workplace in as much as the student learn to work with people of different cultural backgrounds. It is expected the student graduate will feel comfortable working with personnel of different backgrounds to themselves.

Assessment tasks

  • Mid-term Report & Presentation
  • Internship office report

Learning and teaching activities

  • This is an internship unit where Monday to Friday will effectively be spent on the job - learning IT related skills.
  • Communicating with the convener fortnightly and conducting a presentation to the convener of the course at the end of the internship/semester.

PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills

Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Reflect on the semester long internship, allowing critical appraisal of the experience gained. One would expect to see the student graduate displaying deep reflection which can be expressed in a variety of forms, principally a journal, but reports and other written means are also appropriate.
  • Express outcomes gained through professional presentation, using available tools such as powerpoint or other presentation mediums. There would be an expectation that the student displays superior competence in both the tools and techniques necessary to deliver a polished presentation; such competency will be necessary in their future workplaces.
  • Relate to and display cross-cultural sensitivity in the workplace in as much as the student learn to work with people of different cultural backgrounds. It is expected the student graduate will feel comfortable working with personnel of different backgrounds to themselves.

Assessment tasks

  • Mid-term Report & Presentation
  • Internship Presentation
  • Internship office report

Learning and teaching activities

  • This is an internship unit where Monday to Friday will effectively be spent on the job - learning IT related skills.

PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Reflect on the semester long internship, allowing critical appraisal of the experience gained. One would expect to see the student graduate displaying deep reflection which can be expressed in a variety of forms, principally a journal, but reports and other written means are also appropriate.

Assessment task

  • Mid-term Report & Presentation

Learning and teaching activity

  • This is an internship unit where Monday to Friday will effectively be spent on the job - learning IT related skills.

PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability

Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Reflect on the semester long internship, allowing critical appraisal of the experience gained. One would expect to see the student graduate displaying deep reflection which can be expressed in a variety of forms, principally a journal, but reports and other written means are also appropriate.

Assessment tasks

  • Mid-term Report & Presentation
  • Internship office report

Learning and teaching activities

  • This is an internship unit where Monday to Friday will effectively be spent on the job - learning IT related skills.

PG - Effective Communication

Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Discuss ethical conduct and issues related to working in a professional IT capacity in an organisation. It is expected the student will engage with the ethics literature in the IT context and deeply appreciate the impact of non-ethical behaviour in the workplace.
  • Reflect on the semester long internship, allowing critical appraisal of the experience gained. One would expect to see the student graduate displaying deep reflection which can be expressed in a variety of forms, principally a journal, but reports and other written means are also appropriate.
  • Express outcomes gained through professional presentation, using available tools such as powerpoint or other presentation mediums. There would be an expectation that the student displays superior competence in both the tools and techniques necessary to deliver a polished presentation; such competency will be necessary in their future workplaces.

Assessment tasks

  • Mid-term Report & Presentation
  • Internship Presentation

Learning and teaching activities

  • This is an internship unit where Monday to Friday will effectively be spent on the job - learning IT related skills.
  • Communicating with the convener fortnightly and conducting a presentation to the convener of the course at the end of the internship/semester.

PG - Engaged and Responsible, Active and Ethical Citizens

Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Discuss ethical conduct and issues related to working in a professional IT capacity in an organisation. It is expected the student will engage with the ethics literature in the IT context and deeply appreciate the impact of non-ethical behaviour in the workplace.
  • Relate to and display cross-cultural sensitivity in the workplace in as much as the student learn to work with people of different cultural backgrounds. It is expected the student graduate will feel comfortable working with personnel of different backgrounds to themselves.

Assessment task

  • Mid-term Report & Presentation

Learning and teaching activity

  • This is an internship unit where Monday to Friday will effectively be spent on the job - learning IT related skills.

Changes from Previous Offering

We now have a mid-term internship presentation in week7. Final reports will be marked by both the unit convenor and the internship provider.

Standards

 

 

Standards

Criteria for LO 1

Developing

Functional

Proficient

Advanced

Comprehending ethical conduct in the workplace.

Virtually no engagement with the ethics literature; perhaps fleeting coverage of an ethical dilemma faced in the workplace.

Some evidence of recourse to the ethics literature. Limited understanding of the ethical issues faced in the workplace.

Satisfactory recourse to the literature on ethical standards and some evidence of reflection with regard to ethical issues faced in the workforce.

A deep analysis of the literature and the ability to both deeply and widely reflect on ethical situations faced in the workplace.

Criteria for LO 2

Developing

Functional

Proficient

Advanced

Evidence of internship reflection.

The candidate has barely engaged with the tasks expected of them in the workplace. The candidate may have been late on a number of occasions, but does not reflect on these experiences and considers the work to still have been performed adequately. A barely satisfactory level of achievement.

The candidate will have been a solid performer in the workplace, but not much more. The candidate will have been relatively disengaged, but tasks have been undertaken satisfactorily. Reflection will not necessarily acknowledge the lack of commitment to the internship, rather the intern feels what has been achieved was okay.

The candidate is well regarded by the employer. The candidate has undertaken his or her tasks well, having achieved milestones by the due date. The candidate will have been punctual. The candidate will not necessarily have shown quite the same level of initiative as that in the ‘advanced’ category. The candidate will be able to reflect on such experiences and may admit more initiative could have been shown.

An outstanding candidate, who has performed workplace tasks far beyond what the employer had expected. Polite, courteous and efficient at tasks. The candidate will be able to reflect on experiences gained and in assessment tasks, such as the report, the candidate will also refer extensively to the literature with regard to organisational learning theory.

Criteria for LO 3

Developing

Functional

Proficient

Advanced

Ability to present outcomes.

The speaker will be nervous. Presentation will be relatively unprofessional with little structure. The message basically comes across, but not at a professional level, rather amateurish.

The presentation is satisfactory, the format makes of visual tools, but the candidate will still appear ‘unpolished’. Body language is not conducive to engagement with the audience, but the message of the presentation is nonetheless delivered.

A good presentation, making use of the appropriate tools for the type of subject material covered. The speaker will be engaged with the audience, but the talk will be somewhat more ‘flat’ than that delivered by the ‘advanced’ presenter.

An excellent presentation, with superior use of tools available. Professional presentation and appearance. Highly confident and at ease with the audience, keeping listeners engaged and interested at all times.

Criteria for LO 4

Developing

Functional

Proficient

Advanced

Cross cultural sensitivity

The student displays a relative lack of cultural sensitivity in the day to day interactions.

The student generally copes with work within the internship company and maintains a relatively smooth work environment.

The student will actively engage with colleagues and be inquisitive, yet sensitive about people of varying backgrounds.

At this level, the intern will be most diplomatic in their engagement with work colleagues, appreciating all manner of cultural sensitivities.

 

We will use standards based assessment to reflect the level of performance students achieve in this unit. Five standard levels for the assessment tasks during the semester (excluding the final exam) are: unsatisfactory (F), developing (P), functional (CR), proficient (D) and advanced (HD). These standard levels summarize different levels of achievement in relation to learning outcomes and are defined below.

Final Grades

Each assessment task submitted will be given a numerical mark, and an indication of the standard level reached (according to the above table).

At the end of the semester, you will receive a final grade that reflects your overall achievement in the unit. The different possible final grades are defined in general terms below.

  • Fail (F): does not provide evidence of attainment of all learning outcomes. There is missing or partial or superficial or faulty understanding and application of the fundamental concepts in the field of study; and incomplete, confusing or lacking communication of ideas in ways that give little attention to the conventions of the discipline. That is, overall work is unsatisfactory or still developing according to the standards defined above.
  • Pass (P): provides sufficient evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes. There is demonstration of understanding and application of fundamental concepts of the field of study; and communication of information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline. The learning attainment is considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable or functional in relation to the specified outcomes.
  • Credit (Cr): provides evidence of learning that goes beyond replication of content knowledge or skills relevant to the learning outcomes. There is demonstration of substantial understanding of fundamental concepts in the field of study and the ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; plus communication of ideas fluently and clearly in terms of the conventions of the discipline. The overall learning attainment is proficient.
  • Distinction (D): provides evidence of integration and evaluation of critical ideas, principles and theories, distinctive insight and ability in applying relevant skills and concepts in relation to learning outcomes. There is demonstration of frequent originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and providing solutions; and the use of means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience. The overall learning attainment is advanced.
  • High Distinction (HD): provides consistent evidence of deep and critical understanding in relation to the learning outcomes. There is substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critical evaluation of problems, their solutions and their implications; creativity in application. The overall learning attainment is outstanding.

Your final grade depends on your performance in each part of the assessment. For each task, you receive a mark that reflects your standard of performance regarding each learning outcome assessed by this task. Then the different component marks are added up (with appropriate weightings applied) to determine your total mark out of 100. Your grade then depends on this total mark and your overall standards of performance. Concretely, in order to pass the unit, you must obtain a total mark above 50%. In order to obtain a grade higher than a Pass, you have to fulfill additional conditions. See below the grade standards made specific for this unit:

High Distinction (A total mark of 85+): Outstanding quality of IT internship projects with the addition of originality and/or creativity achieved by an outstanding understanding of concepts. Students are expected to go beyond the limits of given material.

Distinction (A total mark of 75+): Superior quality IT internship projects achieved by superior understanding of concepts. Students are expected to master the given material at workplace. They are expected to successfully achieve all the goals defined in the IT internship project.

Credit (A total mark of 65+): Good understanding of concepts and good quality IT internship projects. Students are expected to have good understanding of the given material. They are expected to successfully achieve most of the goals listed in IT internship project.