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Monash University

FIT3039 Studio 1 - Semester 1, 2011

The principal development process focus of the unit will be on the social, legal and business context in which multimedia and games development companies must operate. Students will work actively in teams on the development of a multimedia or games application or exhibit. Project teams will use project planning/management skills, and design and build a prototype of the project using appropriate software processes and methodologies. Students will integrate multimedia, programming and technical knowledge in the development process. Requirements are fulfilled by the team producing an identified set of deliverables. The team must ensure that each deliverable is completed on schedule.

Mode of Delivery

  • Berwick (Day)
  • Caulfield (Day)

Contact Hours

1 hr lecture/wk, 3 hrs laboratories/wk

Workload

Studio has specific workload and attendance requirements. In class requirements include:

  • One-hour lecture (compulsory)
  • Three-hour studio session (compulsory)

You will also be required to put in eight hours outside the allocated in class studio time. This time is needed for:

  • Team meetings
  • Client meetings
  • Product development
  • Preparation of project deliverables
  • Process Journal upkeep

Unit Relationships

Prohibitions

MMS3404, MMS3407

Prerequisites

FIT2001, FIT2002 and FIT2012 and one of FIT2016 or FIT2049, OR MMS2401
Systems analysis and design, Project management, and the fundamental multimedia and/or games development tools.

Chief Examiner

Mark Power

Campus Lecturer

Berwick

Mark Power

Contact hours: Wednesday 10-12

Caulfield

Derrick Martin

Contact hours: Monday 2-4

Tutors

Berwick

Mark Power

Caulfield

Derrick Martin

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this unit students will have -
A theoretical and conceptual understanding of:

  • the roles and responsibilities of clients and developers in a multimedia or games development project;
  • the methodologies, tools and techniques required for delivering a functional multimedia system or game.
Developed attitudes that enable them to:
  • approach the development process ethically and professionally.
Developed the skills to:
  • develop a significant multimedia/game application, primarily project definition, design, and prototyping;
  • apply project management techniques to a multimedia/game development project;
  • integrate multimedia, programming, and technical skills in the design and development of a system prototype;
  • develop effective user and system documentation;
  • evaluate personal performance and performance of a development team.
Demonstrated the teamwork skills necessary to:
  • communicate effectively with clients and members of the development team;
  • work effectively in a team.

Graduate Attributes

Monash prepares its graduates to be:
  1. responsible and effective global citizens who:
    1. engage in an internationalised world
    2. exhibit cross-cultural competence
    3. demonstrate ethical values
  2. critical and creative scholars who:
    1. produce innovative solutions to problems
    2. apply research skills to a range of challenges
    3. communicate perceptively and effectively

    Assessment Summary

    Practical assignments: 100%. Assignments will include group and individual components.

    Assessment Task Value Due Date
    Project Plan 20% Week 5, 1 April 2011, 5pm
    Process Journal Submission 1 20% Week 7, Studio class
    Process Journal Submission 2 20% Week 12, Studio class
    Final Product Delivery and Demonstration 40% Week 14, Exact date to be advised

    Teaching Approach

    Studio teaching
    Studio teaching is a facilitated active, participatory, peer learning approach.

    Feedback

    Our feedback to You

    Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:
    • Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
    • Graded assignments with comments

    Your feedback to Us

    Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through SETU, Student Evaluation of Teacher and Unit. The University's student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

    For more information on Monash's educational strategy, and on student evaluations, see:
    http://www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/directions.html
    http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html

    Previous Student Evaluations of this unit

    If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
    https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp

    Required Resources

    There are no specific software requiements for this unit due to the varying nature of the projects chosen. After choosing your project you will be required to use the most appropriate development software. Some general packages that will be of primary use include:

    • Microsoft Project
    • Microsoft Visio
    • Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
    • Maya
    • Microsoft Visual Studio .Net

    ** Note that software required will be that of all other Multimedia units at Berwick and Games Development units at Caulfield.

    Unit Schedule

    Week Date* Activities Assessment
    0 21/02/11   No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0
    1 28/02/11 Unit Expectation, and Project outline, Process Journals  
    2 07/03/11 Assessing Project Feasibility, Project Concept Development  
    3 14/03/11 Finalizing the Project Concept  
    4 21/03/11 Project Documentation Development  
    5 28/03/11 Presentation of Project Concept Project Plan due 1 April 2011, 5pm
    6 04/04/11 Project Prototyping  
    7 11/04/11 Project Development and Research Process Journal 1 due Studio class
    8 18/04/11 Intellectual Property  
    Mid semester break
    9 02/05/11 Folios and Careers  
    10 09/05/11 Multimedia and Game Testing  
    11 16/05/11 Presentation Skills  
    12 23/05/11 Final Handover Expectations Process Journal 2 due Studio class
      30/05/11 SWOT VAC No formal assessment is undertaken SWOT VAC

    *Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.

    Assessment Policy

    To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

    • 40% or more in the unit's examination, and
    • 40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
    • an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

    If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit

    Assessment Tasks

    Participation

    This unit has a group based assessment component of 60% and an individual component of 40%

    To pass in this unit a student must obtain:

    • 40% or more in the individual assessment, and
    • 40% or more in the group assessment, and
    • an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

    If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.

    Due to the nature of group work in this subject, it is expected that all students will attend 100% of classes.

    If you are absent for more than two tutorial sessions you must supply a medical certificate or other appropriate documentation. If you are finding problems with this requirement please ensure you speak to your unit adviser as early as possible. It is your responsibility to ensure that you can make this commitment before you embark on this subject.

    Please note that attendance at tutorials without any study outside of this allocated class time will not be sufficient to complete the work required.

    Make sure you have a copy of the project you are working on with you when you attend classes.

    Responsibility for student work

    Students should note that they are, at all times, responsible for their work. All relevant material should be backed up on a regular basis to CD, DVD or Flash disks. The university has CD & DVD burners in the computer labs and blank CDs/DVDs may be purchased through the on campus bookstore. Loss of assignment work due to hardware failure, virus or theft will not be accepted as reasons for late or non-submission of work. Students must hold an exact copy of all work which they submit for assessment, this copy should be held until your final result for the unit is released.

    Assessment procedures for a non – performing team member

    If the unit assessor, or one or more team members, becomes concerned regarding the contribution of one or more members of a group then the unit assessor will determine, using the project documentation, examination of Process diaries and discussion with the students concerned whether the student or students are making an equitable contribution to the work of the group.

    If it is determined that the student or students are not making an equitable contribution to the work of the group they may be deemed to be a non-performing team member.

    In the event of this determination being made the group component of their assessment will be multiplied by a factor of up to 0.5 to arrive at a raw score.

    Late submission

    Assignments must be submitted by the due date. Details of the assignments submission procedure will be supplied via the unit on-line pages.

    Where assignments are submitted in person (eg. hard copy or disk) an Berwick FIT 'Assignment Cover Sheet' with appropriate identification and signatures must be attached. All work must be presented in an A4 plastic cover. Multiple written pages must be stapled or bound.

    It is your responsibility to keep track of and manage your assignment due dates.

    Penalties are incurred from the due date at the rate of a 10 % reduction in grade for each day (including weekends) the assignment is late.

    If you are having difficulty with assignment submission, please advise your Unit Adviser immediately so that any problems can be addressed.

    • Assessment task 1
      Title:
      Project Plan
      Description:
      The project plan lays the foundation for your entire project. In this document you must present the project you are tackling and prepare a plan for development of the product. The plan should cover such areas as specific requirement, task breakdown, scheduling, quality issues, and the like. This document will also include your concept ideas as an appendix. Explicit detail will be provided on the unit website.
      Weighting:
      20%
      Criteria for assessment:

      Criteria for assessment will be placed on the unit website.

      Due date:
      Week 5, 1 April 2011, 5pm
    • Assessment task 2
      Title:
      Process Journal Submission 1
      Description:
      This is the first submission of your individual project documentation. This consists a journal that should show your contributions and reflection on the project. It will contain written reflections, analysis, drawings, screenshots, and any other material that provides insight into your role on the project. This first submission should place inherent focus on the research and design elements of the project.
      Weighting:
      20%
      Criteria for assessment:

      Criteria for assessment will be placed on the unit website.

      Due date:
      Week 7, Studio class
    • Assessment task 3
      Title:
      Process Journal Submission 2
      Description:
      This is the second submission of your individual project journal. The journal should show your contributions and reflection on the project. It will contain written reflections, analysis, drawings, screenshots, and any other material that provides insight into your role on the project. This second submission should inherently focus on reflection of the project and your team, as well as presenting your work from throughout the year.
      Weighting:
      20%
      Criteria for assessment:

      Criteria for assessment will be placed on the unit website.

      Due date:
      Week 12, Studio class
    • Assessment task 4
      Title:
      Final Product Delivery and Demonstration
      Description:
      This is the delivery of the final product or prototype. Delivery includes formal handover of all product content, as well as a formal product presentation / demonstration, including discussion of the process undertaken.
      Weighting:
      40%
      Criteria for assessment:

      Criteria for assessment will be placed on the unit website.

      Due date:
      Week 14, Exact date to be advised

    Examinations

    Assignment submission

    Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
    You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

    Extensions and penalties

    Returning assignments

    Policies

    Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University's academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them. You can find Monash's Education Policies at:
    http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html

    Key educational policies include:

    Student services

    The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at www.monash.edu.au/students The Monash University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis

    Reading List

    A list of recommended readings will be made available on the unit website. Due to the wide variety of projects, a definitive list will not be available, however some general books that may help include:

    Schwalbe, K., Information Technology Project Management 5th Edition

    Satzinger, J. W., Jackson, R.B., Burd, S.D. and R. Johnson (2008) Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Edition

    Monash University libraries should provide a good selection of technology related texts. For advice on the best choice of text for specific technologies, please speak to unit staff.

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