Computing & Information Systems

Organisations and governments embrace all that technology has to offer. With the benefit of a historical perspective, and building on our experience of earlier and highly significant constellations of technologies, such as those around steam power, electricity or organic chemistry, people often suggest today that a small number of key technologies are shaping and changing our society and our lives. 

In this subject, we are concerned with these information and communication technologies (often abbreviated using the acronym ICT) with a strong focus on how they are understood, applied and used within organisational settings, in business organisations.

By the end of studying this unit, you should be able to:

• Critically assess alternative approaches to understanding concepts of knowledge information, data and information systems.
• Differentiate between various classes and types of information system developed and used in organisations, seen within a historical context.
• Describe contemporary information and communications technologies, including computer hardware. software and networking.
• Present arguments for a strategic role for information systems within organisations, and alternative models to support this role and to establish such strategies.
• Describe and evaluate changes in contemporary approaches to the management of the information systems function within organisations. the organisational structures used and the key issues for managers to address.
• Explain how information and communication technologies change organisations and industrial structures, using appropriate models.
• Provide an ethical respective on information use and evaluate various means of controlling abuses.
• Critically assess the place of people within organisational information systems. and the human interests such systems serve, including automation of tasks, support for processes of management and decision-making.
• Demonstrate some practical experience with computers, software packages and the Internet sufficient to be able to reflect on significant problems of taking up and using unfamiliar technologies, as well as the opportunities they offer.
• Differentiate between and evaluate alternative approaches to developing information systems based on, for example. In-house projects, end-user development, purchase of packaged software or outsourcing of services. Use bask tools for specifying a new information system including data models and data flow diagrams. Describe the essential tasks needed to develop a new system and to set it to work in an organisational setting, and the professional roles for people who undertake these tasks.

The Course Routes and Course Modules available for the study of Computing and Information Systems at AUOL are shown here: