Aims and Objectives

CITS5206 is the capstone unit for the Masters of Information Technology program. A capstone subject is taken during the final year of study and is of significant scope. It ideally involves a team project conducted in conjunction with a real industry client and assessment rubrics that assess the quality of artefacts and the quality of the methods of their creation, so demonstrating achievement of both technical outcomes and of professional skills such as project management, leadership and teamwork. [Quoted from ACS accreditation criteria]

In the IT graduate profile specification, the focus is on analysis of problems and user needs, specification of computing requirements, and design of computing-based solutions. As general professional capabilities, communication, the ability to make ethically informed judgments, and the ability to function effectively as a team member augment this set. Of the currently identified computing disciplines, IT deals most directly with specific, concrete technology components in an organizational context. [Quoted from ACM curriculum 2020 p28]

The Australian Computer Society accredits the MIT program. For accreditation UWA must ensure that graduates of the MIT program will have the advanced knowledge required to undertake their professional role. This criterion aligns with graduate standards established by the Seoul Accord and the AQF. The program will contain subjects at genuinely advanced level addressing complex computing topics that clearly provide depth related to the ICT objectives of the program. A complex computing problem will normally have some or all of the following criteria:

1. involves wide-ranging or conflicting technical, computing, and other issues;
2. has no obvious solution, and requires conceptual thinking and innovative analysis to formulate suitable abstract models;
3. a solution requires the use of in-depth computing or domain knowledge and an analytical approach that is based on well-founded principles;
4. involves infrequently encountered issues;
5. is outside problems encompassed by standards and standard practice for professional computing;
6. involves diverse groups of stakeholders with widely varying needs;
7. has significant consequences in a range of contexts;
8. is a high-level problem possibly including many component parts or sub-problems;
9. identification of a requirement or the cause of a problem is ill defined or unknown. (Seoul Accord, Section D)

The learning outcomes for the CITS5206 capstone unit are that, on completion, students will be able to:

1. apply knowledge and skills of information technology in project situations;
2. critically analyse requirements and resources for IT projects;
3. justify the professional responsibility to produce reliable software and systems;
4. assess the social impacts of IT projects; and
5. perform effectively as part of a multidisciplinary and multicultural team.

The learning tasks and assessments for CITS5206 are designed to satisfy these aims and objectives.